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Orange County Culinary EventsHungry? Need to fill your culinary calendar? Here is where you will find all the restaurant and culinary happenings in Orange County. We feature a calendar of special dinners, tasting menus, prix-fixe meals, food festivals and other culinary events, including regularly occurring food events as well as special one-time-only events featuring top chefs. Keep checking back so you can know all that's going on in the world of restaurant and food events in Orange County. << Back to Orange County restaurant news
February 12-14
Euro bistro Lucca Café, located in Irvine's Quail Hill Village Center, is offering its regular menu on Valentine's weekend as well as a four-course menu ($75 per person with five wine pairings) and a prix-fixe Sunday brunch ($19.95 per person). Lucca Cafe, Quail Hill Village Center, 6507 Quail Hill Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92603, 949-725-1773.
February 12-14
Along with its regular menu, Sol Cocina is serving two special ones for the holiday. The four-course "amor y besos" menu starts with antojitos and ends with a passion fruit crème brulée ($90 per couple). The four-course "seduction" menu features a Valentine's Day specialty cocktail, a bottle of Moet Imperial Champagne and a snifter of Anejo tequila with the "ménage à trois" dessert sampler ($200 per couple). Sol Cocina, 251 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-675-9800.
February 12-14
Hamamori Restaurant-Lounge is serving a five-course tasting menu for $55. Some of the dishes include Dungeness crab chirashi, salmon rolled in halibut and nori, miso-marinated petite lamb chops, tamari-marinated black cod and a petite tenderloin steak with plum wine reduction and fresh berries. Hamamori Restaurant-Lounge, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-850-0880.
February 12-14
The Island Hotel Newport Beach is celebrating Valentine's Day with a romantic escape weekend, which includes a five-course tasting dinner prepared by chef Bill Bracken at the resort's Palm Terrace restaurant. Starting at $399 (tax and gratuity are extra), the package includes one night luxury accommodations, dinner at Palm Terrace and valet parking. Palm Terrace, The Island Hotel Newport Beach, 690 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-760-4920.
February 12-14
Zimzala at Huntington Beach's rather new Shorebreak Hotel is offering a three-course ($65 per person; $20 extra for wine pairings) Valentine's menu. Some of the dishes include oysters on the half shell, pan-seared wild turbot, caramelized diver scallops and foie gras, Prime rib-eye, housemade gnocci, rose petal-infused panna cotta and chocolate soufflé cake. Zimzala, Shorebreak Hotel, 500 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, CA 92648, 714-861-4470.
February 12-14
Patina Group restaurants in OC are all serving up romantic dinners on Valentine's Day weekend, such as Downtown Disney's Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar ($55), Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria ($60 per couple) and Tortilla Jo's ($40 per couple). Leatherby's Café Rouge at Costa Mesa's concert hall has both three- ($65) and four-course ($75) menus. Pinot Provence, which is located on the ground floor of the Westin South Coast Plaza also has three- ($65) and four-course ($75) menus. Tangata at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is offering a special Valentine's dinner on Feb. 14 for $45 to $49 per person.
February 12-14
Morton's The Steakhouse, which has two OC locations (South Coast Plaza Village and next to the Anaheim Convention Center), is cooking up its signature three-course steak-and-seafood menu for the Valentine's weekend. Some of the dishes include Caesar salad, filet mignon, broiled scallops, crab cakes, hot chocolate cake and key lime pie. The cost is $109 for two (or $54.40 per person).
February 13-14
Huntington Beach's Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort has created a special package for Valentine's Day. Starting at $349, the package includes overnight accommodations on an upper-floor ocean-view room with a 4 p.m. late check out, $100 credit for in-room dining or a "taste of love" dinner at the resort's Shades restaurant, a complimentary in-room movie and Shade's delectable free-flowing champagne buffet brunch on Sunday morning. Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, CA 92648, 714-960-7873.
February 13-15
Chef Azmin Ghahreman of Sapphire Laguna is cooking up a three-course Valentine's menu (prices range from $45-$62, depending on the entrée). Some of the dishes include a four-part seafood tasting appetizer, chorizo-braised clams, crispy barramundi, rosemary-crusted Colorado lamb sirloin, beef tenderloin, and Main lobster risotto. The restaurant is also open for a Valentine-themed weekend brunch from Feb. 13-15. Sapphire Pantry is offering a customized gift baskets ($25 and up), as well as a weekend brunch box ($24.50 per person) with such items as brioche French toast, shrimp salad, spinach-manchego frittata, mimosas and organic coffee. Sapphire Laguna, Old Pottery Place, 1200 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, CA 92651, 949-715-9888.
February 13-14
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort has planned a weekend of romantic things to do, starting with an afternoon tea buffet from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. ($35). The resort's Motif ocean-view restaurant is serving a four-course Valentine-themed dinner from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. ($79) on Saturday and Sunday. All above prices exclude tax and gratuity. Motif also hosts OC's most lavish Sunday brunch, with free-flowing champagne from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ($79). Stonehill Tavern is hosting a five-course tasting menu with such delicacies as caviar, duck, yellowtail, Prime beef and chocolate ganache ($125, $70 extra for wine pairings). The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, 1 Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA 92629, 949-234-3200.
February 14
The Resort at Pelican Hill is offering romantic Valentine's Day dinners at all three of this luxe's resorts restaurants. Chef Stefano Chiarugi of Andrea offers Tuscan-style cuisine with four-, six- and eight-course prix-fixe menus complemented by wine pairings ($145-$250 per person). Coliseum Pool & Grill is bringing back its "feast for the senses" experience, where a six-course dinner ($125-$215 per person) is served without utensils in 18 private poolside cabanas. Pelican Grill is cooking up a four-course menu ($95 per person) using seasonal ingredients from Irvine Ranch and wines from the Napa Valley. The Resort at Pelican Hill, 22701 Pelican Hill Rd. S., Newport Coast, CA 92657, 800-315-8214.
February 14
Marché Moderne is celebrating the holiday with a three-course La Saint-Valentin menu ($75 per person). Guests can select from several appetizer and main choices such as Maine lobster and roasted bone marrow with bordelaise sauce, and Angus rib-eye with Morbier potato gratin, jus au poivre, grated raifort and Chinese long beans. Pastry chef Amelia Marneau prepares a chocolate Napoleon with mocha gelato and an almond macaron with lemon cream, fresh raspberries, yogurt and Chambord gelato. Marche Moderné, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-434-7900.
February 14
Pizzeria Ortica begins its four-course Valentine's Day menu with a complimentary glass of Italian prosecco. The four-course menu is priced at $55 ($35 extra for wine pairing), and features comfort foods like roasted beet casunziei with brown butter and grilled cuddle fish with Sicilian caponate. A gift bag is presented to each couple at meal's end. Pizzeria Ortica, 650 Anton Blvd., Ste. J, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-445-4900.
February 14
The Balboa Bay Club & Resort's on-the-water First Cabin restaurant will host a four-course dinner for $72.50 per person (wine pairing costs an extra $40). The evening starts with chef Josef Lageder's famed lobster bisque. Next, choose from several starters, including a caviar trio or classic steak tartar. Main courses range from petit filet mignon to rack of lamb to a steamed half Maine lobster. Warm chocolate torte or Grand Marnier-flamed strawberries end the meal. First Cabin, The Balboa Bay Club & Resort, 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, CA 92663, 949-645-5000.
February 20
Chef Amar Santana is offering monthly kitchen technique cooking classes at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza. On February 20, the class will focus on braising and slow cooking. The class begins at 11 a.m. and costs $75 per person (plus tax and gratuity), which includes a three-course meal. Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza, Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-352-2525.
Through February
A room filled entirely with chocolate desserts is available throughout the month of February. Pastry Chef Michael Owens of Palm Terrace restaurant at the Island Hotel Newport Beach creates a seemingly endless array of scrumptious treats to celebrate Valentine's month. The cost is $18 per person (complimentary with a two-or-more course dinner at Palm Terrace). Palm Terrace, The Island Hotel Newport Beach, 690 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-760-4920.
Fridays and Saturdays in February
On Friday and Saturday evenings, The Balboa Bay Club & Resort's First Cabin restaurant is offering half-pounds of Dungeness crab on ice with cole slaw and cocktail sauces for $28.50 (tax and gratuity exclusive). First Cabin, The Balboa Bay Club & Resort, 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, CA 92663, 949-645-5000.
Ongoing Ongoing
Ongoing
Pet lovers will appreciate having a hangout for family, friends and man's best friend at the daily Paws & Claws Breakfast Buffet at the Wyndham Hotel in Costa Mesa. Enjoy cooked-to-order omelettes, Belgian waffles, pancakes, seasonal fruit, pastries and cereals for $15.50 per person. Dogs join the culinary fun by chowing down on special canine treats at the "bubbles and bones" champagne cocktail bar, featuring a "champagne" fountain and doggie treats for an additional $4. Reservations for large parties are suggested. Wyndham Hotel Costa Mesa, 3350 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA n/a, 714-442-8593.
Fridays
Chef John Garcia of The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel's Restaurant 162' presents an ever-changing seafood menu every Friday evening. Using only seasonal and regional fish, chef Garcia's four-course menu includes such items as a orange-vanilla-butter-poached lobster and a rispy barramundi with pea puree, heirloom carrots, morel mushrooms, roasted shallots and beet foam. The meal ends with a dessert sampler. The cost is $65 per person. Restaurant 162', The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, One Ritz-Carlton Dr., Dana Point, CA 92629, 949-240-2000.
Fridays
Avanti Café, a gourmet eatery and deli for vegans on Costa Mesa's hip 17th Street, serves up super fresh margaritas by the glass ($5) or carafe ($12) every Friday evening from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. These drinks are made from fresh, organic citrus and agave juices and are always served on the rocks. Avanti Café, 259 E. 17th St, Costa Mesa, CA n/a, 949-548-2224.
Fridays
Park Ave. in Stanton features a Friday night four-course shrimp dinner, beginning at 4 p.m. For $25, the dinner includes a Caesar salad and popcorn shrimp, shrimp bisque, 10 pieces of shrimp scampi with creamed spinach and sea salt-crusted baked potatoes, plus a cappuccino crunch ice cream sundae. The price includes tax and service. Park Ave., 11200 Beach Blvd., Stanton, CA 90680, 714-901-4400.
Sundays
Corona del Mar's The Bungalow offers its "Savory Sundays," which feature a $32 three-course menu from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. The meal starts with The Bungalow Salad, choice of entrée (grilled Atlantic King salmon, rib eye steak or garlic chicken breast) and a berries and ice cream dessert. The Bungalow, 2441 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, CA 92625, 949-673-6585. Fridays Sundays |
RESTAURANT AWARDS
Just published! Our annual restaurant issue features the Best Cheap Eats and our Top 40 U.S. selections, including including Corton in New York and more!
A SEASON OF LOVE
Set the mood for love by reserving a table at one of the Best Romantic Restaurants near you, or view our list of Valentines Restaurants in your area that will show you where to find restaurants offering unique menus just for February 14. Also, see who sets the standard for seductive dining across the country with our Top 10 Romantic Restaurants in the U.S. list.
