Because Laguna Niguel is mostly residential, a fashionable restaurant like Chaparosa is like an oasis in the desert. And its kitchen doesn't limit itself to one or two types of cuisine -- Chaparosa chefs fuse Jamaican (jerked chicken), British (roast beef with Yorkshire pudding), Californian (strawberry gorgonzola salad), Asian (ahi sashimi), Italian (cappellini lagunaise), and southwestern (tilapias) on one menu. Chaparosa's eclectic setting and young staff pull off the variety seamlessly. Visit on a weekend evening and the restaurant eases into a low-key bar (not unlike a T.G.I.Friday's) frequented by neighborhood 30-somethings. The restaurant also has one of the better brunches in the area: live jazz band, lots of omelets, and overflowing flutes of mimosas all on a lush tropical patio. -- Michael Alarcon (Photo: M. Alarcon)