A couple of upcoming wine dinners are sure to be interesting.
– Antonello Ristorante is matching five courses of upscale regional Italian food, all with luscious sounding complements on the plate, to Levendi Estate Wines Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The price is $125 per person, all inclusive.
Alison Doran, winemaker of the boutique winery, will showcase her Red Hen Chardonnay 2006, Symphonia Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Sweetwater Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, her new Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah 2005 and Late Harvest Chardonnay dessert wine 2006.
Reservations should be made by calling (714) 751-7153. Antonello is in South Coast Plaza Village in Santa Ana.
– An Opus One Wine Dinner will be held April 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the glamorous Stonehill Tavern in the St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach. This will be a unique evening and perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you to enjoy some of the greatest vintages produced by Opus One Winery.
This winery began in 1970 as a venture of acclaimed winemakers Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. The 1979 and 1980 vintages were simultaneously unveiled in 1984 as Opus One’s first release and both of these vintages will be featured at this exclusive dinner.
Stonehill Tavern is one of the luxe dining establishments in super star chef Michael Mina’s realm of a dozen restaurants in six states. Chef de cuisine Adam Keough will prepare luxurious dishes to match with the sophisticated wines. The event will be hosted by Michael Mina’s wine director Rajat Parr.
Cost is $395 per person plus tax and tip. Space is limited so call (949) 234-3765 for reservations. St. Regis Resort: One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point.
n Restaurateur and chef Zov Karamardian will mark the first anniversary of her Zov’s Cafe Bakery & Bar in Newport Coast with a special culinary concert celebration on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The birthday bash will comprise an evening with fine cuisine and wines, celebrity cooking demonstrations and live jazz. All proceeds will benefit the Hoag Heart & Vascular Institute and 552 Club at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. Tickets are $100 and tax deductible.
Chef Jamie Gwen, host of KGIL-AM’s “Food & Wine with Chef Jamie Gwen” and food columnist for Orange Coast Magazine, will emcee and offer a cooking demonstration. Three additional demonstrations will be done by Cathy Thomas, chef and food editor of the Orange County Register; Carlito Jocson, corporate executive chef and partner of Yard House Restaurants; and Florent Marneau, chef and owner of Marche Moderne.
For reservations, call (949) 764-7214. Zov’s Cafe Bakery & Bar is at 21123 Newport Coast Drive in the Newport Coast Shopping Center.
Flavor Change
Restaurateur David Wilhelm is changing the flavor of his restaurant pie. His current portfolio began with French 75 restaurant in Laguna Beach. He and business partner John Martin also took on proprietorship of Sorrento Grille in downtown Laguna. Then, the late Hans Prager opted out of a subsidiary restaurant he’d opened (Yankee Tavern) in Laguna Niguel and Wilhelm’s Culinary Ventures Inc. took over, renaming it Savannah Chophouse and redefining the food. The company also opened a restaurant at the base of the Huntington Beach pier called Chimayo at the Beach.
Soon we heard more about the French concept and in addition to the Laguna location, we got a French 75 Bistro in Irvine’s Market Place and in Burbank and Century City. Rouge in Newport’s Fashion Island also changed names and became a French 75 concept (same food and decor, just a name change). We also swooned over the sexy Chat Noir near the Performing Artscenter.
Wilhelm’s new plan: The Laguna French 75 and the one in Fashion Island are keeping their names as well as Savannah Chophouse in Laguna Niguel. Chat Noir, Chimayo at the Beach and the French 75s in Burbank and Century City have already been rebranded with the Savannah name. French 75 in Irvine will become Wilhelm’s Chophouse as of April 3. Sorrento Grille also will retain its name and cuisine since it’s successful.
According to David, the Savannah concept allows him to pursue “more casual (style) restaurants that feature bold, spicy, flavorful foods,the kind that you’d expect to find in rural roadhouses and urban gastro pubs.”
He believes that by changing Irvine’s French 75 to Wilhelm’s Chophouse, he will provide local diners with “a place where you can get a good steak, some house-smoked barbecue ribs, big juicy burgers, good chili, soups, grilled fish and big healthy salads, the kind of food that I cook at home for my family and friends.”
Interiors of the restaurants undergoing the name changes are only being tweaked, so diners won’t feel disenchanted.
All restaurants in the Culinary Adventures group feature menus based on organic spice rubs, Meyer naturally raised beef products, organically raised produce and sustainable and renewable seafood species. I am among those who have missed over the years things like the pumpkinseed crusted chile relleno with papaya salsa and the side by side corn and spicy black bean soup that were featured at Wilhelm’s former Kachina. He’s brought them back to the menu at Wilhelm’s Chophouse (restaurant opens April 3) in the Market Place and perhaps at some of his other venues as well.
As part of what he calls his economic stimulus package, David is currently offering at all the restaurants a prime 10-ounce flatiron steak dinner for only $16. There are other special dinners, including choice of soup or salad, for only $18. Happy hour beckons with five appetizers, all well drinks, beers, champagne cocktails and wines by the glass for $5.
For more information, visit www.culinaryadventures.com/restaurants.
