Willy Wonka had his Chocolate Factory. Michael Owens has his Cocoa Lounge.
The latter guy, pictured above, is executive pastry chef at Newport Beach’s Island Hotel. If you doubt he deserves the Wonkaesque comparison, take a look at those roses in the picture. They’re chocolate.
Owens is on a five-man crew of master confectioners behind the hotel’s “Cocoa Lounge,” a February-only dessert spectacular - detailed in photos here - at one of Orange County’s three AAA five-diamond resorts.
Now, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and if you saw my review of Andrea, you know I’m not in the Irvine Co.’s pocket. That said, the Cocoa Lounge flat-out blew me away, even with its major-league price tag. Read the rest of this entry »
