Occupancy permits still await final signatures at Skyloft, the newest rooftop restaurant in Laguna Beach, expected to open in a restored historic building overlooking Main Beach next month.
Even so, local resident Sam Goldstein exudes confidence that permits will finalize in time for him to take advantage of one of the perks of ownership: throwing himself an 80th birthday party next week in his latest business venture before it opens to the public.
Skyloft, conceived and operated by local restaurateur Ivan Spiers, occupies the second floor and rooftop of the Goldstein-owned Heisler Building, at Laguna Avenue and Coast Highway. A previous chain restaurant, Rock ‘n Fish, never caught on there despite its vantage point on a prominent downtown corner above a well-patronized Tommy Bahama shop and restaurant.
Goldstein and Spiers expect a different outcome for Skyloft, buoyed by the appeal of alfresco dining, a menu infused with organic, fresh ingredients and smoked meats, and a second-floor bar and dining room with a sophisticated stage for live music.
Spiers spared no expense in remaking the former restaurant, said general manager Jonathan Moore, a former Yardhouse manager, though Spiers declined to disclose the cost. “A lot,” Spiers said.
“We took a good layout and made it great,” Moore said this week during a tour of the still-under-construction site.
Many improvements were added to quell noise and view obstruction concerns raised during the roof deck’s approval process. Restoration of the building on the city’s Historic Register began nine years ago and has involved 40 hearings since, by Goldstein’s accounting. He thinks the popular uproar in 2007 over restricting access to the town’s first roof deck to guests of La Casa del Camino “turned the council’s head” and subtly aided his own project.
Moore pointed to thick partition doors to block sound during performances and a super-sized air-conditioning unit to keep patrons cool when windows are closed. “We’re trying to be good neighbors,” he said.
As the city refused a variance to allow the building to exceed the 36-foot height limit, Skyloft architect Marshall Ininns also needed a creative solution to substitute for a typical 12-foot elevator shaft. He found it in a maker of rooftop elevators that deliver passengers on a platform without a permanent enclosure, but require an attendant to operate. Gillespie Corporation, of Ware, Mass., designed a similar elevator for the Gettysburg Visitor Center.
“It scares me; this is cutting edge,” said Ininns, who also designed the rooftop deck added at Spiers’ first local restaurant, Mozambique.
The addition improved Mozambique’s visibility and appeal, Spiers said. “Without the roof deck, I wasn’t in,” he said of his partnership with Goldstein.
Like Mozambique, Skyloft’s configuration allows patrons their choice of venues, from outdoor dining to a quiet dining room or a bar and music scene. Two-thirds of revenue will come from food, he predicted. “Making money on food is hard.”
Personally, Spiers looks forward to not leaving home for the sort of barbecue he grew to crave while sampling in Austin and Kansas City. At his suggestion, smokehouse offerings were added to the menu devised with Moore and Mozambique’s executive chef, Braulio Melo Camarena. Spiers brought in “the guru of smoking” to train the chefs and take advantage of a Texas-made slow smoker installed in the kitchen.
Goldstein’s restoration of the historic building entitled him to a 75 percent break on required parking, 170 spaces for the restaurants’ combined 510 seats. The property only technically claims 45 parking spaces.
Though city officials did not require measures to offset traffic, Skyloft will also use a page from Mozambique’s playbook that keeps patrons from clogging residential streets with their cars and neutralizing distaste for traffic congestion. Patrons within a five-mile radius can call for a free pickup, Moore said. He intends to extend the offer to guests of the top hotels, too.
“It’s just the way Ivan wants to make sure his customers are totally satisfied,” said Goldstein.
Mozambique provides a similar service, which is used by 300 people a night on weekends, said Ininns, acutely aware that local businesses risk offending residents if their patrons create an impact. Ininns said he intends to seek permission from the city’s parking commission to post-9 p.m. loading zone signs on Laguna Avenue for a designated spot for Skyloft van service.
Ininns says when he invites friends to dine at Mozambique, they park at his house and call for a ride. “It’s really cool,” he said.
