Beautiful view. Old School Elegance. Great happy hour however the restaurant for dinner is my favorite. Prime Rib is so good as well as Steaks & Seafood. Enjoyable read more

A great experience! Great service great food ! Phenomenal Views!!!! We went here for our anniversary/Husbands bday and it was Epic! read more

My friend and I went to the Chart House bar in Dana Point recently for happy hour. We had such a fun time with great appetizers and drinks! Our waitress was the perfect combination of being attentive and kind. We appreciated her letting us know when we had a last opportunity for happy hour pricing. Additionally, she made great suggestions for getting the sliders and coconut shrimp. We enjoyed the good time and the excellent service and food. read more

We saw the chart house in a different light... First off, we really were into the March madness playoff So we snuggled in at the bar front and center .. Marcos, our" super waiter" took care of us for the next 2 1/2 hours... what a great experience. It was a perfect evening we started with fresh oysters on the half shell from Washington followed by the seared Aji tuna so delicious. Had a little cocktail then we had some of their meatballs with ricotta cheese ... we brought our own wine and it was only a $25 corkage fee which we thought was, we finished our evening off with the perfectly prepared Chilean Seabass with fresh garlic, mashed potatoes, and root vegetables. All around stellar meal . read more

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We come here every 6 months or so. And this time was excellent as always. Great views. Great food. Today my parents my wife and I shared many different meals together from the prime rib to black cod to the kimchi calamari. Our server heather was exceptional and gave some of best ever! Give her a raise !! Can't wait to come back again. read more

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Came here with my girlfriend for our six month anniversary. I made dinner reservations on their website for 5:30 on a Saturday. Valet Parking is $9 and convenient. The spiral staircase down from the lot to the restaurant is iconic. While I was hoping for a window booth, all were filled and we were seated at a slightly elevated rear booth. There was a little confusion with who would be serving us. Our initial server was wonderful, but shortly advised that she would be handing us off to another. The second server came across as new or less capable. To our original server's credit, she checked on us regularly and advised if we needed anything to flag her down. She gratefully took pictures of us and made sure our special evening was truly memorable. The food was excellent. Crab cake for appetizer, black cod for my girlfriend, filet mignon for me and a nice ice cream dessert to celebrate our anniversary. The sweet brown bread is always great and we both complimented our meal with a glass of wine. While not entirely a smooth night, it was still special for us. Thanks to the wonderful food and our original server (my apologies for not remembering her name). read more

Amazing location & views. Mediocre service (crab cake side came 15mins late + check double billed most expensive item). Mixed food experience (steaks were dry and tough, salmon was good). Just tell yourself the premium you pay is for a wonderful view & funky retro-modern building. read more

Very disappointing. Ordered the 7oz filet (medium/well) and it came (very) well done, and it was not a filet...it was about a 1/4 inch thick and very dry. Also, no mash potatoes, which was always included (been coming here for 15 years). Was just going to pay the bill and leave, when I spotted the manager. I explained the situation and he stated they changed the menu a few months ago and have had some complaints and are changing back to the "old menu" this weekend. he was undersatanding and comped the steak. I had not been here since the "new menu" was started, so I'll give it one more chance and see if things improve. If not, I will not return, which would be disappointing, since I loved the place. My wife's seafood dinner was fine. The service was ok, the waiter tried explaining away the steak saying "that's the 7oz, which is why it looked small and thin"...always had a nice thick (crusty) steak the 20 previous times I have been here. I'll give them one more chance. read more

We brought our mom here for Mother's Day and it was absolutely wonderful! All of the staff were very kind and accommodating and our server Shandrea was absolutely amazing. They had a "holiday menu" for Mother's Day that did not disappoint. The views were beautiful, we will definitely be back! read more

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I arrived here with my family for dinner. My Mom had made a reservation in advanced. She was actually very surprised she was able to get one. Once she saw there was a table open she booked it. Parking here is valet only and the valet was super nice and friendly. The atmosphere here really is stunning, as you walk in from the parking lot you can see the beautiful view of Dana Point Harbor. It was sunset when we arrived which made it even more stunning. As you walk into the doors you go down a flight of spiral stairs and are greeted promptly by the hosts. We were shown to our table quickly. We were seated at a booth with the lovely view I mentioned before. Our server was Tony, who was super sweet, conversational and accommodating. Service was great throughout our dinner. I started with my drink the Faux-jito which was super refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness. For our appetizer we shared the Kimchi Calamari. The batter was very tempura like and it also came with julienned zucchini, red pepper and sweet potato. There was no actual kimchi though so it kinda felt a bit misleading. For my meal I ordered from the "Chart Your Choice" menu. I started with the Lobster Bisque followed with the Savory Shrimp Pasta and finally the Mini Lava cake for dessert. My Lobster Bisque was creamy and had a very generous amount of tender lobster. My shrimp pasta, however was just alright. I was a bit disappointed as it was not very flavorful and my pappardelle pasta fell apart very easily. I also tried my Mom's filet mignon with chimichurri butter and that was tender and flavorful. My dessert was amazing. The lava cake was warm and rich with a generous amount of ice cream. I also loved the toffee pieces and chocolate sauce on top. Tony was nice enough to get a picture of my family and I outside at the end of the dinner with the sparkling boy lights in the background. We had a really great dinner and I would definitely come back, but I'd order a different entree. read more

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Okay, the good and the bad of our evening at the Chart House. It was my birthday dinner, because that's usually when you splurge on an expensive steak dinner. We were seated in a hole of a table with no view in a hallway in between the main dining room and the kitchen. It was basically the wait staff highway. Not great but I didn't speak up for a better table because I didn't want to be cold outside on rickety folding chairs, so fine. The really not good part was one of our party ordered roasted chicken. It arrived cold. Not that it sat a bit, but solid cold, right out of the walk-in refrigerator, cold. I have never seen this happen at any restaurant ever. I get that it's a seafood and steak restaurant and there's one chicken dish for that one picky patron but wow! $35 for nuked chicken they forgot to nuke. So, we sent it back and the waiter was appropriately mortified but then it took another 45 mins to grill a NY strip for my guest. We ate, then he ate. The whole time sitting at a table where we could smell all the kitchen smells and now I was really taking heat from my son for not speaking up for a better table. So, all-in-all the worst birthday in recent history. On the plus side, my prime rib was spot-on perfect. And I wish I could come back because it was so good and I love prime rib. But, that whole evening isn't going to fade anytime soon. read more

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I feel this place has stepped it up. Have come here off and on over the years. We had an excellent dinner, great service and view. My husband had the halibut cooked perfectly and I had the lobster. Creamed spinach and sizzling mushroom sides. The prices wer reasonable given the portions. Had a great evening. read more

Chart House - Lobster tail - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

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The restaurant is actually really beautiful but a little bit different in layout than most. We sat at the bar because we went for happy hour. I believe they have happy hour in their bar and patio, but it was freezing outside. We were lucky to snag bar seats as the restaurant was packed during happy hour. The happy hour menu has great drink specials. The food specials look great, until you get the food. The spinach artichoke dip was just spinach and cheese and not tasty at all. The truffle fries were fine. The firecracker shrimp had no flavor and were tiny shrimps. The coconut shrimp was the best dish. The prime rib sliders were OK. We ordered lettuce wraps, but they never came. 30 minutes later than we were told that they ran out. I wouldn't come back for happy hour, but would consider going back for regular dinner to try it out because the restaurant was packed. read more

Chart House - View from the patio - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

Waited so long for an appetizer-even longer for the dishes to be taken away- table wet from drinks, never wiped, No bus boys, two out of 3 steaks arrived? Finally 3rd steak cane out Had no silverware, son went in to ask for silverware - for such an expensive dinner, presentation was 0. Steak on a plate- will never go back - view is great but the restaurant not what it used to be. Everything a la carte. $&$$$$ 2 1/2 hrs after arriving able to leave read more

To begin with, the location is amazing and the views are great. However, it took a good 15 minutes to get to even ordering our drinks, then another 15 minutes to order our appetizers. Once those came out, it took a good bit of time before we were able to order our main dishes. All the while, we did not get any refills on our water, no one came by to check on us on how things were. We had to ask a random bus boy to get more water for the table. We were very disappointed with this very expensive trainwreck, and I ended up with food poisoning to end the night. Needless to say, we will not be returning to this establishment. read more

Had reservations for 6 pm but we still had to wait a bit when we got there. Service was friendly but I had to vocally ask for water refills. Calamari appetizer was large portion & delicious. My husband's clam chowder was good. I had the spiced ahi which was simply okay. It lacked flavor. I've had much better elsewhere. The lava cake was just okay as well. Bergamot Fizz drink (I think) was different but good. If I find myself in Dana point again, I probably wouldn't return. The views are amazing, but food is subpar.. read more

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A great experience from beginning to end! The valet was so incredibly nice - what a welcoming guy. Hostess was very sweet & engaging while seating us. She accommodated our patio request - amazing view Our server, Daniel, was on point from beginning to end. Very friendly, great suggestions and our meal timed out perfectly. He really made our experience fantastic. Food: Ahi appetizer - great Crab Cake - amazing Lobster Bisque - yummy Balsamic dressing on chopped - YUM! Grilled Sea Bass & harvest veg - SO GOOD Chimmichuri Steak - fantastic All desserts - ooh la la Thank you so much for a great experience! My Mom loved everything about her day. read more

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Let me begin by saying I am just someone that enjoys eating out and has appreciated good food and service, unfortunately this was not the case when I visited the Chard House in Dana Point this summer. I had mixed emotions on what to call this review either the Good Bad and the Ugly or the Apology Tour so I decided to do a little of both. Arriving at the restaurant or should I say parking a block from the restaurant because the lack of parking set the mood for me. My brother and sister in law, and wife choose to valet park which really is your only option other than parking on the main street. Entering the restaurant which is from the top going down a spiral staircase to the main restaurant floor, I would recommend any one who has a hard time going up or down stairs use the valet parking entrance. We were seated outside on the grass overlooking the Dana Point Harbor which I strongly recommend, this leads me to the Good part of the review. The view of the Harbor is spectacular and can't be beat, unfortunately this is the best part of our experience with the restaurant. We were seated at a table that was just put up I think to accommodate the overbooking of the restaurant, this included a small table and four fold up chairs which had very little padding the ones you use at a wedding, not comfy to say the least. Moving on to the Bad part of my review which was the food. I myself ordered the Salmon and my Sister in law had the Chilean Sea Bass, my wife ordered the Caesar Salad and my brother in law chose the Steak and Lobster. Let's start with my Salmon which was over-salted to the point where I thought the top came off the salt shaker. I confirmed this by letting the rest of my party have a taste and they found it not palatable. Our waitress was very apologetic and asked if I would like something else, I replied I would like the same but not as salty. While I was waiting I decided to sample the rest of the party's dinners and to my dismay the Chilean bass was overly salted. My wife's Caesar salad was presented in a Tostada cheese shell with just lettuce and some cheese croutons with the dressing on the side. My wife was very disappointed with this, asking for us to try and determine what kind of dressing they had provided and if we thought the shell it came in was stale or worse, we all agreed it was worse. Moving on to my Brother in laws Steak and Lobster which he commented on how the steak was overcooked and was of a lower quality, and the Lobster was fine just small. Soon after my second Salmon dish arrived, my first impression was the dish seemed to be smaller in size and after tasting it I realized there was no taste. They had not salted it at all leaving me with hints of salmon and cooking oil, I was not happy to say the least. I then sampled it around the table with the same unfortunate conclusion. This leads me to the Ugly part of our dining experience. The manager then came over to apologize for the dish and began to explain how the dish was a work in progress and that he would talk to the people making it to pay more attention to what they were doing, at this point I wasn't sure if I was dining at a Restaurant or a culinary school. The Manager was trying his best to make light of the dish and other shortcomings we had experienced with our food, this was very insulting to say the least. This is why I was going to call this review the apology tour because the staff and the manager were always apologizing for the service and food, leaving me with the uncomfortable feeling of making the wrong choice for dining at their restaurant . In the end I would say with so many restaurant choices out there, read the reviews and make your own conclusions to which one you will be giving your hard earned money to, and not be led to believe it's a privilege to eat at their establishment, you do have choices! read more

Food: 8/10 Kim Chee Calamari - I don't know why they spelled kimchi wrong but that's literally what it's called on the menu... LOL This calamari was very saucy! I liked it. It has a mixture of onions and bell peppers. Oddly enough, it didn't come with a lemon--so I had to use the lemons I had requested for my water to add some acidity to the dish. 10/10 Prime Rib 18 oz - OOOO this was a huge piece of meat! I loved every single bite of this too. It was delicious! It also came with two different sauces- au jus and horseradish. I only used the au jus sauce since I'm not particularly a huge fan of horseradish. 10/10 Filet Mignon - Every single slice of this meat was like tasting a bite of heaven! The meat was so buttery and smooth. 10/10 Service: Immaculate. Especially on Valentine's Day. read more

Chart House - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

The best server ever, thanks to Evelyn, who is always smiling and very friendly, a very passionate person. The best server in the world read more

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We usually enjoy coming to the Chart House especially because we were married here 11 years ago so we have wonderful memories here. Unfortunately during this visit we were very disappointed in our meals. I ordered the Seabass and lobster risotto and my husband ordered the filet mignon and garlic mash potatoes. When my Seabass arrived at the table I immediately smelled a fishy odor which meant the fish was not fresh. It tasted just as it smelled and after the first bite I just couldn't eat it. I also love risotto but the risotto tonight was not tender to the bite and needed to be cooked a little bit longer. The server apologetically replaced my meal with the swordfish which was okay but again not as flaky as the last time I had it as it was overcooked and dry but at least it didn't smell fishy. My husband's filet was ordered at a "medium" temperature but was cooked more medium well to well done and was very dry. He did not want to say anything since he was not willing to wait any longer for them to recook a new filet. At this point we were ready to end our meal. First time we were totally unhappy with our meal quality and we left feeling very disappointed and unsatisfied with our dining experience (sad face). If it weren't for the beautiful views and the good service this restaurant has to offer it is questionable whether we would return just for the food, but because we do have good memories here we will probably give it another try given some time. read more

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We had a fabulous time at the Chart House. The ambiance, service and food were all excellent. My favorite was the Lobster bisque, but our main course , Swordfish with mango habanero sticky rice was delicious. Our waitress Samantha was so attentive and surprised me with a red velvet dessert - it was moist and delicious. :0) read more

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What a beautiful place. We had dinner last night, looking out to the Harbor, beautiful scenery, and Beautiful restaurant. The architecture is really unique. The staff is very friendly, both the valet and those working in the restaurant! Our server was very attentive, and super friendly. Took good care of us while we ate there. Our food was delicious. My drink was very good too. I would definitely come back when in town. read more

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Love me a chart house :)!!! Views were beautiful and food was good. Lost a star due to the parking situation. You really have no choice but to valet. They have plenty of parking, underground but choose to charge people 9 dollars for valet (even though the website says 8). It's just kind of annoying. Our service was great though and honestly one of the best lava cakes I have ever had! (There's nuts in it) read more

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Had the three course meal selection. One meal was the shrimp and the steak skewers which were horribly overcooked!! Requested steak Medium rare but came as well done - zero red!! The shrimp linguine was delicious. Requested the heaters be put on and it took multiple requests for the heaters to finally be turned on. Fresh Ricotta and meatball appetizer was very good - excellent flavor!! Both the New England clam chowder and the lobster bisque were top-notch!! Requested a second drink, and it took a long time before it actually was brought to our table. The best part of the meal was the dessert which was the mini chocolate lava cake... Mine never lava-ed however it tasted delicious!! The view is at sunset breathtaking!! Overall, it was okay - glad we went once but would not go again. read more

Chart House - Mini lava cake that was absolutely divine!! - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Had the best time for my 21st birthday yesterday. The waitress's were amazing and went above and beyond! Most definitely the best service I've ever had. And the ambiance was perfect. They let us choose wherever! Food was great as well! The red velvet was amazing read more

Service was shockingly bad. Appetizers came out cold, even the meatballs. Cold meatballs... very gross. Since our waitress took so long to check on us after dropping them at our table(at least 20 minutes), it was pointless to send them back as we wanted to get on with dinner. A simple glance our way would have revealed nearly untouched appetizer plates in front of us. They did comp them, which is good but the food was mostly uneaten, so they aren't going to get much credit. Diet Coke drink refill took at least 20 minutes after it was offered. Dinner itself was great. The fish and prime rib were cooked perfectly. The couscous was unremarkable but not bad. Our waitress was unpleasant in a passive aggressive way. It felt like she was reading from a script. Althogether awful, in every interaction but with a big rictus smile. Lava cake was ok, not anything special. When it was left at our table, the food runner flippantly said, the ice cream fell off on the way over. It was kind of funny because it sounded like she meant fell on the floor but she meant, off the lava cake. Still, I think she should have taken it back to the kitchen to fix it- especially since it was barely warm so its not like it was melting fast or anything. The restaurant wasn't very busy for a Saturday night but the wait for food and simple service was extremely long. All in all, dinner took more than 3 hours and while I enjoy those I dined with- 3 hours was a really long time. read more

IMPECCABLE VIEW. This is definitely the spot to choose, meeting up with family or friends or whatnot. Like it is high-up on the mountain, looking over the pier... you can JUST FEEL the wind brushing against your cheek, can't you? ALSOOO--the food was way above its standards for fine dining. Yes, the plates may be pricy, but just me--you are getting your money's worth. I got their chopped salad with salmon. Best filet I have ever ordered at a restaurant. The crispiness of the edges meet the buttery middle and your taste buds are just screaming MORE. DONT GET ME STARTED ON THAT LAVA CAKE EITHERRR. My aunt got their Caesar salad and it came in a Parmesan crisp bowl, which was such a pleasant surprise! My uncle ordered their plates (he gave me the mini lava cake and probably it was a mistake because HE MISSED OUTTT). He was thoroughly-impressed with their ribeye steak so it's all goooood. For drinks, they both ordered their fruity martinis and I got their mocktail with ginger--definitely worth it because it tasted better than any cocktail from a fine-dining restaurant I have gone too! Our waitress was just the sweetest too! Fabulous and speedy service--above and beyond, really (pun intended hehe). read more

such a nice dinner and great customer service. everyone who works here is wonderful. Samantha our waitress was so sweet and had such great customer service. She comped our clam chowder when it came out late which was very nice! everything tasted great. we love it here! read more

Chart House - filet mignon & raspberry lemon drop - Seafood Near Me - Dana Point, California

The food is excellent. The service is fantastic and the ambience is the best in Orange County my favorite restaurant in Orange County. The view of Dana point Harbor and San Clemente is excellent read more

Everything was on point from the moment we walked in. New to CA and celebrating my 62nd birthday, my cohorts from the OC Coastal Realty Keller Williams office knows how to welcome a girl to town and so did the restaurant! I had 2 Martinis and wings that were so crispy... mmmmmm! Good Gawd! The service was amazing and I loved the chill but sophisticated atmosphere! I'm definitely going back!! read more

We went for the view. In my reservation, I wrote, "Celebrating my girlfriend's birthday, so a nice table/view would be greatly appreciated." It was clear this was a woman requesting a table for her and her girlfriend. What followed felt discriminatory. We were seated at the worst table in the restaurant, the only one facing a wall instead of the bay or ocean. Our server was kind (the one positive part), but when we asked to move, she said to talk to the host. I politely explained, "It's my partner's birthday, and we came here for the view, but we're seated facing a wall. We see several open tables." The host replied, without empathy, "It'll be an hour and a half to two hours." That was it. We finished our $25 espresso martinis (below average) and an appetizer, then left. Why stay and spend hundreds more for that kind of treatment? The strict dress code made things worse. It bans shorts and "baggy clothing," so I had to scramble to find something to wear as a lesbian uncomfortable in feminine clothes- only to see a white man nearby in a graphic T-shirt and shorts. The double standard was frustrating and hurtful. We left feeling unwelcome, dismissed, and disappointed. I rarely write reviews, but this was disheartening enough to share. We just wanted a special night for my girlfriend's birthday and instead were made to feel out of place. Oh, and no need for Chart House to come in and comment that you "appreciate the feedback" or "thank us for choosing your restaurant." Address your blatant disrespect toward minorities instead. read more

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I've been here twice. The first time we went was a decent experience. This last time we went was horrible. It took almost an hour for us to be served once we sat down at the table and only half (or less) of the seats in our dining room were full. I let the manager know how disappointed we were about the service that night because it took us about 3 to 3 1/2 hours to finish our dinner. He was pretty dismissive. If the family brings this place up as a place to go for our next big occasion, I'm definitely going to remind them about this visit. Hopefully, we'll never go there again. read more

Jason is the best Waitor EVER! Food was excellent Jason treats you like a family member ,very professional ,very informative and walks you through the whole process read more

Haven't been to this location and loved it. Love how it's perched on the hill overlooking the marina. Great service, a little slow but when he did help us it was excellent. I got the course with soup (clam chowder), salmon, and lava cake. Everything was delicious. The clam chowder had lots of clams, the salmon was seasoned to perfection, and the lava cake was a-mazing! read more

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This was my first time here. The food was excellent and Samantha aka Sammy was one of the best servers I've ever had. We asked for extra sauce and extra chocolate and she was laughing with us and making us feel like we were her only table. The manager even came over to talk to us and he was so sweet. Thank you to the whole staff for making this night with my fiancé and mother-in-law one for the books! read more

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We have been dining at this Chart House for 50 years. It's usually our go to place for our special dates. This last visit was to celebrate our 54th anniversary. Our relationship goes deep with the Chart House. The one in Waikiki is owned by one of the 2 founders of CH, and we last visited him there 3 years ago. If there is one thing they need to bring back, it's the salad bar. It was the best one anywhere for years, and missed by all of the old timers. read more

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Parking, forget about it, reservation guest, parked 10 minute walk away. Service from the front desk sucks! Had a reservation for 6 o'clock last night, 6:20 I asked if we'd be seated soon, they said we were close and confirmed we were still getting our in door spot, they confirmed to the affirmative. Host grabs us 5 minutes later and proceeds to walk us outside, she didn't say anything and when I asked her why we we're outside, she gave me attitude and proceeded to sit us at a table in the grass that didn't even sit flat without almost falling over. At least, when I asked for another seat, she put me in the patio area. She's the worst at her job. Our waiter was slow but really nice. I think he was just backed up, not his fault. I asked for my steak medium rare, it came out medium plus, I wasn't worth asking for a new steak as it would have taken forever to get anyone to come by with a new one. read more

Went yesterday and sat outside. The food was great and service was excellent! What a view! Perfect birthday dinner with my granddaughters and Grandson in law! read more

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Great view and location. Nice ambience inside and very spacious. Most tables have a nice view. There's also a grass patio area in the back - perfect for photos! Oysters were delicious. Carbonara was great, but not as rich or thick as a traditional carbonara - something I actually appreciated. Lava cake to end was a great choice. This is a good spot for an occasion! read more

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