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. We've also got the latest Orange County Restaurant News and Wine Events.
February 2-12Enjoy the "Monaco Takes Orange County" festivities in honor of the special performances of "Cinderella" by Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa February 9-12. From February 2-12 in the Jewel Court at South Coast Plaza, there will be an exhibit entitled "Monaco: A Dream Come True," highlighting photos and memorabilia of Princess Grace, Monaco and the ballet. Meanwhile, several restaurants, including Marché Moderne, Pinot Provence and Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, will offer "Taste of Monaco" menus February 6-12. For more information, visit www.MonacoTakesUS.com.
February 26
Sol Cocina is hosting a special tequila pairing dinner, highlighting Sol Clase Azul Super Premium Tequila. Executive chef Deborah Schneider will be serving up a specially crafted five-course pairing menu designed to showcase the interplay between the libation and her take on Coastal Mexican cuisine. Select dishes include slow roasted pork accompanied with a habanero, red onion, and sour orange salsa; lobster and shrimp ragout paired with a tarragon creamy butter sauce; and seared beef filet served with a five-chile mole sauce and roasted sweet potato. Cost of the meal is $75 per guest, plus tax and gratuity. Dinner service starts at 6:30 p.m. Reservations required, and can be made by calling 949-675-9800 or by e-mailing Nicole at events@solcocina.com. Sol Cocina, 251 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-675-9800.
February 26-March 3
Orange County Restaurant Week is returning. The annual culinary event features an eclectic list of 100 restaurants from all over OC offering special prix-fixe, three-course menus ranging from $10 to $20 for lunch, and $20 to $40 for dinner. This year's slate of restaurants includes veteran participants such as Lucca Café, AnQi Gourmet Bistro by Crustacean and Pinot Provence, as well as new venues such as Starfish, Katsuya by Starck Laguna Beach and Three Seventy Common Kitchen + Drink. For more information, please visit www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.
March 10-19, 2012
Old Vine Café chef Mark McDonald is teaming up with the Italian Culinary Institute to conduct his 2nd Annual Splendors of Italy culinary tour. Led by McDonald and ICI’s chef John Nocita, the 10-day excursion will take guests to some of Southern Italy’s most exciting epicurean destinations to experience several singular food and wine adventures, such as participating in an olive oil and balsamic vinegar making class and visiting a farm to enjoy a lunch crafted exclusively from onsite ingredients. Guests will also have plenty of opportunities for sight-seeing and shopping. The cost is $3,500 per person (double occupancy), and $3,900 per person (single occupancy). The price does not include airfare. Payment is due 90 days prior to departure date. For more information, visit www.oldvinecafe.com. Old Vine Cafe, The Camp, 2937 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-545-1411.
Ongoing
Ongoing
Silver Trumpet Restaurant and Bar in Costa Mesa has started up a happy hour patio program. Dubbed the "high five happy hour," the program invites guests to sit in the venue's lakeside dining area and select from a large number of $5 food and beverage items. Featured bites include a Vietnamese beef bahn mi sandwich served with tangy Asian slaw, classic wings tossed in a sweet and spicy honey glaze, and a daily rotating selection of sushi. The program's list of libations includes a wide arrangement of seasonal fruit cocktails, house wines and craft beers. The happy hour is offered from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. daily. Silver Trumpet Restaurant & Bar, Wyndham Orange County, 3350 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-442-8593.
Ongoing
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Beach has renewed their "5 for 6 'til 7" happy hour program with a trio of additional menu items. The latest $6 selections include the roasted mushroom ravioli appetizer stuffed with Portobello and shiitake mushrooms in a porcini butter sauce, and the sparkling "tickled pink" cocktail, a 99-calorie beverage that features a blend of Belevdere Vodka, orange juice, raspberries and a splash of Italian Mionetto Prosecco. The new choices are featured alongside a host of $6 wines and $6 appetizers, including seared ahi tuna and a prime burger. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Fashion Island, 455 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-720-9633.
Ongoing
Memphis Café in Costa Mesa has extended happy hour to every day of the week from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. with both drink and appetizer specials. Sister restaurant Memphis at the Santora in downtown Santa Ana now offers happy hour from Tuesday through Saturday from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Memphis Café, 2920 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-432-7685. 
OngoingBrasserie Pascal offers meal deals that are available all day, every day. Diners can enjoy half a croque sandwich with the soup of the day, salad and potato chips for $10, a two-course prix-fixe menu for $15, Surf & Turf of filet mignon and half a Maine lobster for $20, and a $25 Grill Deal featuring a 14 oz. Creekstone Farm "Chateaubriand" with french fries, grilled vegetables and either béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. (All prices are per person.) Brasserie Pascal, Fashion Island, 327 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-640-2700.
Mondays
Pizzeria Ortica, which is located near Costa Mesa's Performing Arts Center, has introduced family-style dinners on Monday evenings. For $50 per person, guests can choose from a variety of rustic regional Italian salads, pastas, pizzas and desserts. Some of the dishes include tagliatelle bolognese (hand-cut spinach pasta with a traditional meat sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano) and salsiccia pizza (house-made sausage, caramelized fennel, mascarpone, red onion and buffalo grana). Pizzeria Ortica has also extended its weekday happy hour from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and 8 p.m.-close. The happy hour menu includes $7 pizzas, $3 cocktails and half-off discounts on wine and beer. Pizzeria Ortica, 650 Anton Blvd., Ste. J, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-445-4900.
Tuesdays
AnQi Gourmet Bistro by Crustacean is offering a special roasted crab meal. The entreé, featuring a large roasted Dungeness crab whose average weight checks in at two and a half pounds, will be personally prepared by Crustacean Beverly Hills executive chef Helene "Mama" An within the confines of AnQi's secret kitchen. The dinner will also be accompanied by Chef An's famous garlic noodles. The cost of the dish is $48 for the crab served in the shell, and $53 for the crab served out of its shell. The item is available during dinner hours only, and it is recommended that guests reserve their order by phone a minimum of 24 hours in advance. AnQi Gourmet Bistro by Crustacean, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, 714-557-5679.
Tuesdays
Sol Cocina, located on the waterfront in Newport Harbor's Balboa Marina, hosts Taco & Tequila Tuesdays every week starting at 4 p.m. These events feature live music and food and drink specials, including $2 grilled fish tacos, $5 guacamole, $3 Mexican beers, $5 margaritas, and tequila tasting flights. Sol Cocina, 251 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-675-9800.
Wednesday-Sunday
Lucca Café, an upscale Euro bistro located in Irvine's Quail Hill Village Center, serves up the only fresh antipasto table in OC. Regulars nosh on domestic and imported cheeses, charcuterie, olives, marinated vegetables and cold salads while sipping a glass of vino from the restaurant's list of 60 wines by the glass. Lucca Café, Quail Hill Village Center, 6507 Quail Hill Pkwy., Irvine, CA 92603, 949-725-1773.
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 ($5.50) or carafe ($13) 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
Palm Terrace at The Island Hotel Newport Beach is featuring a family-style Sunday night rib roast. Served from 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., chef Bill Bracken's three-course Sunday supper begins with selections such as tomato and mozzarella salad, truffle macaroni and cheese and steamed artichokes. The Prime rib main is augmented by sides like green bean casserole, sautéed wild mushrooms and creamed corn. A host of soufflé choices ranging from Grand Marnier to peanut butter finishes off the meal. The cost is $39.95 per person, $12.95 for a special kids buffet, and free for children under five. For more information, please visit www.islandhotel.com. Palm Terrace, The Island Hotel Newport Beach, 690 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA 92660, 949-760-4920. Fridays
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DINING ON A BUDGET
Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
