I’m not at all familiar w/ the places mentioned, but I think @Totoro is the one that was eating enough sushi for like 4 super hungry people?
Just saying that @Totoro’s idea of filling might be different than, like, everyone else’s (seriously)… So, Totoro, prep accordingly. 
A couple I know from Fresno will be staying Ritz Carlton in Dana Point / Laguna Niguel and asked me for restaurant recommendations for a 10 yr anniversary somewhat close by.
So I thought I’d put it to the group!
A couple of places I’ve never been to but have been on my list for a while
Truly Pizza
Kahani at the Ritz
Is Brussels Bistro (Laguna Beach) too casual? It’s been a long time since I’ve been.
Marche Moderne - but it is not super close.
Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina @ Waldorf - very close by across the PCH
Never heard of it but the food looks good in pictures!
They might consider going farther south Carlsbad for Lilo or Jeune at Joli by Eric Bost. It’s about the same driving time as going to Marche Moderne or something in the OC given how far south Dana Point is. Should be possible to Uber as well if they are drinking.
I’m going to highly recommend Marche Moderne I’m sure he can get a car/driver from the hotel but I’ll give the rest of the options as well. Thanks everyone
Marche Moderne is quite a bit closer than Carlsbad.
if drinking its a must - that stretch of PCH is a DUI capital of California.
Distance-wise, yes, but in actual driving time it’s comparable given that you’re probably taking PCH to Marche Moderne vs 5 to Carlsbad. I might bet money Carlsbad is faster if there’s weekend traffic on PCH 
Neighbor who is an event planner gave the following recs:
Truly Pizza has the best pizza in OC, IMHO. Hook & Anchor recently opened a second location in Dana Point, which was great. They may not be “special” enough for a 10 yr anniversary meal, but definitely worth a visit while they’re in the area.
Seems like there are a lot of steak houses out that way!
Truly is crazy good.
Truly pizza unless they don’t like pizza but also if they don’t like pizza 
+1 for Truly Pizza. It’s not the thin-style you would expect at Sei though. It’s pretty thick but still very good. I can eat 2 pizzas at Sei probably (at least 1.5) but I could probably only do 1 pizza at Truly and I would be stuffed.
But I came on to recommend Yakamoz Craft Ramen in Irvine. It happened to be on the way home from groceries and was really happy I visited. Had the duck ramen today and was pretty impressed! It’s a little pricey but the soup had so much flavor and depth while being quite clean. I don’t get ramen much because I’m often disappointed but this one is worth going to. I will say its a little different from what I expect of ramen (in a way I can’t quite describe) but in a great way for me. To give some more context, here’s an article from Eater: Cantonese-Owned Ramen Shop Yamakoz Opens in Irvine Serving Duck Ramen | Eater LA.
To go with that Canto ownership, the ramen included a nice shrimp wonton and they provided some spicy sauce on the side like you’d think of at dim sum. Their drink menu included HK lemon tea, milk tea, and coffee. They also have a prawn laksa ramen special. So quite a range of unexpected items. The pictures of their curry look great and I’m probably going back to try more items on the menu.
I still haven’t made it out to Truly Pizza but this might be the straw that breaks the camels back. This sounds amazing.
I’ve had the standard root beer float and its pretty good. Just bring some rather hungry mouths to the meal. The pizzas are quite filling.
Hit up Oliboli this weekend while we were in the neighborhood and realized that the cake doughnuts are no more.
It’s just the yeast doughnuts made to order now. Cake doughnuts no longer on the menu.
Fresh-fried is still delicious. I noticed that the Harry’s Berries strawberry glaze this time was less Harry’s forward and a little more sugar forward. The lemon glaze was a touch more savory/salty than I’m used to.
But the seasonal peach was fantastic and is their house peach julep soda.
