Pacific salmon season is here, and Bluewater Grill in South Coast Plaza Village and Newport Beach are celebrating with a Salmon Tasting and Pinot Noir event.
They are offering us the opportunity to discover the differences among Atlantic, King and Sockeye salmon.
All three varieties are set to be served for comparison.
Since pinot noirs now have taken the stage as wines that pair beautifully with richly flavored fish such as salmon, Bluewater will be pouring pinots from Chalone, Castle Rock and La Crema with the salmon sampler.
They also plan to share information about the types of Pacific salmon (there are five total) and tell you all about methods of catching wild fish and current trends in farm-raised fish.
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Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza: center’s food, wine festival this week |
These flavors of salmon and pinot noir will be making our taste buds happy on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $26.95 per person. Do call for reservations at whichever restaurant is most convenient for you.
Bluewater Grill Newport Beach: On Newport Peninsula at 630 Lido Park Drive, (949) 675-3474. Bluewater Grill South Coast Plaza Village: 1621 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 546-3474.
Summer Festival
The 15th Annual Summer Food and Wine Festival at South Coast Plaza takes place this week,Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Crate and Barrel/Macy’s Home Store wing.
This is a fund-raiser for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa, two groups that work tirelessly to assist adults and children in Orange County at risk of missing meals each month.
Every dollar generated from ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and drawings will be donated directly to these two safety net groups.
For the restaurants and chefs of South Coast Plaza, the event is a particularly rewarding experience because it affords them an opportunity to come together as a united force to make a difference. Many fine wineries will be pouring their signature wines. A large group of specialty beverages also will be available.
For the public, it’s something other than having a strict sit-down affair. Food stations and representatives from wineries and beverage purveyors are situated throughout the space in the South Coast Plaza wing.
Tables for sitting down to savor your tastes of food and wine are, of course, also provided. I always enjoy the wide variety the evening provides and this location for the event is the best.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is a nonprofit food bank that collects and distributes surplus food to the needy through a network of 400 local member charities that feed the hungry. The food bank reaches more than 220,000 people, 60% of them children and seniors.
This year’s festival has special significance for Someone Cares Soup Kitchen. Merle Hatleberg, who started the charity in 1986, died on May 31 after being hospitalized from complications of congestive heart failure. She was 83.
Drawing on her own meager funds, Hatleberg started Someone Cares Soup Kitchen by buying a large pot and some “makings.” She served her first pot of soup to about 30 people. These days, the group feeds 250 to 275 people a day, seven days a week.
Merle’s health declined in recent years, though she still played an active role in Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, often coming to the soup kitchen on West 19th Street in Costa Mesa.
Come and join me at this wonderful affair that helps so many. Tickets to the South Coast Plaza Summer Food and Wine Festival are $45 per person if bought by today. They’re $55 at the door and $40 per person for groups of 10 or more if bought by today.
Guests can buy raffle tickets ($5 each, five for $20 or 30 for $100) for a chance to win “A Year of Dining at South Coast Plaza,” which includes dinner for two, every month for a year at 12 of South Coast Plaza’s finest restaurants, plus a spa package at the Spa and Fitness Club. To buy tickets, call (714) 435-2022 or visit www.southcoastplaza/summerfoodandwine.
Cigar Dinner
If you happen to be among the guys who enjoy a good cigar, Morton’s at South Coast Plaza Village is offering a Slow Burn evening on June 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Nothing frivolous, you understand. Just a hearty meal, memorable cigars and lots of good conversation for sure.
Guests will enjoy four premium cigars, four courses of Morton’s fine signature cuisine and specially selected wines to enhance the whole evening.
There’s a half-hour reception first and then the full-fledged food- and wine-matching dinner and evening of savoring the nuances of top-notch cigars.
The cost is $125. Reservations are required. Contact Gina Mauri at (714) 444-4834. Morton’s: 1641 W. Sunflower, Santa Ana.
Picnic Pantry
Sitting in my kitchen I have a lovely but empty basket. We’ve eaten up all the goodies that were inside, at a record pace I might add, since the picnic perfect m & #233;lange came from Sapphire Pantry in Laguna Beach.
Sapphire restaurant and the pantry that sits beside it are the hot new places in Laguna.
The pantry, sharing the beautiful ocean view courtyard with the restaurant, has emerged as a destination of its own, rather than the must see gourmet shop as an addendum to the restaurant.
It’s a one-of-a-kind shop for OC with its amazing array of truly epicurean foods without any hint of price gouging.
With summer arriving, it’s the season for picnicking and the reason for putting together some savories and sweets for the beach or park. The only problem you will have here is in selecting from the more than 100 possibilities of cheeses, charcuterie meats, prepared salads, sandwiches and other dishes, olives, crackers, breads, pastries and bottled gourmet products and condiments.
Sapphire Pantry is the other half of chef and owner Azmin Ghahreman’s dream come true. In the restaurant next door, he’s spoiling us with his signature cuisine that calls on his experiences in world class kitchens in Europe and Asia.
With the pantry, he’s giving us access to the finest products that are the cornerstone of his food and that represent the global flavors that he so dearly loves. Some of the condiments are from his own recipes and made in house.
Sapphire Pantry picnics are Mediterranean, wine country and California coastal themed and overflowing with Azmin’s favorite dishes made from local produce, the aforementioned gourmet ingredients from all over the world, freshly-made breads, savories, sweets and artisan cheeses, along with refreshing housemade beverages.
Picnickers are also welcome to pick fine wines from Sapphire Pantry’s carefully selected international inventory.
The picnics are made for two people and include prepared starters, salads, vegetables, cheeses, sides and sandwiches, as well as dessert and beverages such as white peach sangria and French lemonade.
The Mediterranean picnic includes grilled vegetable couscous salad, chilled shrimp with harissa aioli, asparagus tips with truffle-perfumed mayonnaise, roast tenderloin sandwich with arugula pesto on ciabatta bread and more.
Picnics range from $65 to $80 for food and beverages. For an extra $15, basket, plates, napkins and utensils are included. Create-it-yourself picnic prices depend on selections.
To order picnics, call Sapphire Pantry at (949) 715-9889 at least 24 hours before you want to pick it up. The shop is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sapphire Pantry: Old Pottery Place, 1200 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, www.sapphirepantry.com.
