Morsels: Here’s the Beef

When Brian Smith and Robert Hagopian opened The Butchery in Costa Mesa, they knew the spot would fill a special niche. The Laguna Beach residents met through their children, who were classmates. After several weekends at the beach and family dinners hosted at each other’s homes, Hagopian and Smith got down to the gristle. The two dads enjoyed cooking and agreed that finding top-tier meats in Orange County was nearly impossible. In a county flooded with tony restaurants, the grocery store c