Usually, when a restaurant promotes a seafood buffet, it means the kitchen sets out a few mounds of crab claws and tiny shrimp, and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get some sushi.

But Restaurant 162’ at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, is no ordinary eatery, and its Friday Night Seafood Buffet is anything but typical. Oh, sure, you’ll find the traditional chilled shellfish selections, including jumbo and bay shrimp, fresh raw oysters and mussels. But you’ll find plenty of other hot and cold entrées, as well: Panko-crusted calamari, clam chowder, sashimi, salads. There’s even a menu of items made to order, including the pasta of the day, Caesar salad, hand-rolled sushi and Mediterranean mussels.

Seared ahi, salmon, jumbo scallops and several pasta selections – ranging from traditional marinara to Asian noodles with slivers of carrots and almonds – were among the hot entrées I grazed on during my recent visit.

Seafood buffets can be tricky. The temperature of the catch is what keeps the selections tasting fresh and delicious. But when you’re putting out a lot of food, keeping the temperatures just right is no easy task.

And quantity plays a role, too. Set out too much, and the entrée loses some of its texture, taste and visual appeal. But if you place just a few servings out at a time, then lines may begin to form. At Restaurant 162’, however, nobody had to wait, and everything tasted as if it had just been taken from the kitchen.

To finish it all off, there’s a dessert buffet, featuring cookies, crème brulée and lots of chocolate goodies.

And then, of course, there’s that spectacular view. The longer days of summer mean there are more hours to enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean, which is just 162 degrees below those gigantic windows gracing the dining room. Add a bottle of wine to the mix, and you’ve got a perfect warm-up for the weekend.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night this summer – or all year long, for that matter.


Restaurant 162’
One Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point 949.240.0829
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday through Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 9:30 p.m.
ritzcarlton.com