Celebrate Good Taste

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Richard Irwin

A Three-Day Culinary Adventure Happens This Weekend in Laguna Beach

(Laguna Beach, Calif.) – Sip, Dine, Savor and Getaway … when Celebrate Good Taste – A Three-Day Culinary Adventure takes place Friday, March 7–Sunday, March 9, 2014 throughout Laguna Beach.

Experience world-class cuisine and prix fixe menus created by award-winning chefs. Take-in food & beverage pairings, chefs’ tables and major daily events. Exclusive hotel packages are also available so you can take advantage of all the offerings over the three days.

“Laguna Beach has been recognized as a culinary destination for many years,” said Karyn Philippsen, event co-chair. “We are looking forward to this three-day celebration by bringing people together to enjoy inventive cuisine paired with superb wine, beer and cocktail offerings, while experiencing our renowned art community and warm hospitality.”

Daily Events

Friday, March 7

Sunset, Mojitos and Appetizers at The Rooftop Lounge at Hotel La Casa del Camino

Sponsored by Bacardi USA

5 p.m.-8 p.m.

$49 per person

A night of signature fresh fruit mojitos, beer, wine and Chef Craig’s top 10 tastes from K’ya Bistro Bar. Each guest will take home a special gift from The Rooftop Lounge! The event is limited to 75 guests. Advance reservations are required: rooftop@casaresortsinc.com or 949-505-5079.

Beer vs. Wine at Surf & Sand Resort and Spa

5:30-8:30 p.m.

$49 per person

Reservations required (limited seating): 949-376-2761 or talpert@jcresorts.com

Guests will enjoy five interactive food stations with a menu prepared by Splashes Executive Chef David Fuñe, with beer and wine pairings by ‘Dr.’ Bill Sysak of Stone Brewing and Lisa Tuttle of Constellation Wine Brands. Event will take place at the Pool Deck. Click hereto view the menu.

‘Chef Table’ at Maro Wood Grill

6 p.m.

$65 per person

Reservations: 949-793-4044

Enjoy a four-course dinner with wine pairings at the Chef Bar. Guests can also participate in a Q&A with the Chef during and after the meal.

Masters of Malt – Macallan and Highland Park Whisky Dinner at The Loft at Montage Laguna Beach

Welcome reception: 6 p.m.; Seated dinner: 7 p.m.

$125 per person (plus tax and gratuity)

Reservations: 949-715-6420. Advance reservations are required; space is limited.

Chef de Cuisine Casey Overton invites you to an evening celebrating the world’s finest Scotch Whisky. Join The Macallan Ambassador Kieron Elliot and Highland Park Ambassador Martin Daraz for this unique occasion to experience hand selected single malt whiskies paired with Chef Overton’s sumptuous four-course prix fixe menu created exclusively for this event. Click herefor more details.

Saturday, March 8

Beer & a Bite at 15fifty Lounge at Surf & Sand Resort and Spa

5-6 p.m.

$15 per pairing or $60 for all four pairings

No reservations required.

Enjoy beer by ‘Dr.’ Bill Sysak, Stone Brewing Co & a small plate by Executive Chef David Fuñe – the perfect pairing! Click hereto view the menu

‘Chef Table’ at Maro Wood Grill

6 p.m.

$65 per person

Reservations: 949-793-4044

Enjoy a four-course dinner with wine pairings at the Chef Bar. Guests can also participate in a Q&A with the chef during and after the meal.

Sunday, March 9

Gospel & Champagne Brunch

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

$50 per person

Buy tickets ONLINE or call 949-715-9713

Laguna Beach Live! is bringing back Gospel & Champagne Brunch featuring Voices in Praise and the talented Ava Dupree at Tivoli Too!. The event is expected to sell out as it has each year. Click here for more details.

Sustain Local Art & Cuisine with “Art of Dining” at the Sawdust Art Festival

4-7 p.m.

$175 per person

Buy tickets ONLINE or call 949-494-3030 (space is limited to 50 seats)

Executive Chef and owner of Three Seventy Common, Ryan Adams, will create and cater a three-course sustainable meal, which will be served on handcrafted dining sets individually made by a team of 20 talented Sawdust artists. Unique one-of-a-kind art pieces will be yours to take home! These local Laguna Beach artists will attend this event to mingle and share their creative processes throughout the evening.Additional art pieces will be available for sale prior to and during the March 9 event. A portion of proceeds from this event will directly benefit creation of the Sawdust artist film project.

Special Pre-Event Celebration at Laguna Art Museum

Thursday, March 6

Conversation With… Malcolm Warner

7 p.m.

Free admission

The Conversation With… series brings artists and other creative minds to Laguna Art Museum to discuss their practice in a casual conversation with guests. Laguna Art Museum’s Executive Director Malcolm Warner, will discuss their current exhibit “American Memories” by Wayne Thiebaud, focusing on food in art. The evening will begin with a brief presentation by Warner, followed by the opportunity for visitors to engage with him in conversation.Click here for more details.

For more information and a list of other participating restaurants, visit www.celebrategoodtaste.com.

Buena Ventura, Part 3

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Pick a bottle and We Olive will fill it with your choice of olive oil, and refill it when you bring the bottle back.

Story and photos by Karen Weber

Just a couple of doors away from Paradise Pantry on Main Street in Ventura,

Patrons can sample a variety of products before making a purchase.

We Olive also specializes in local products. You can taste the finest California olive oils and other olive products from around the world. Little spoons and pretzel sticks are available, so you can sample mustards, spreads and other goodies. Heidi Henning served us samples of extra-virgin Mission olive oil with a smooth buttery flavor and Olio Nuovo, the first press, which had more of a peppery bite. We sipped aged balsamic vinegar imported from Italy. (It’s the only thing imported because it’s the best, Henning said.) Then we mixed a bit of the balsamic with Meyer lemon olive oil — Heidi’s favorite blend for salad dressing. We Olive is a refill shop. It will fill bottles of various sizes with your choice of oil, then refill the bottle when you bring it back.

Our final stop was at Palermo Coffee & Gelato. We could sample as many of their 18

Palermo Coffee & Gelato offers 18 flavors of gelato.

gelato flavors as we wanted, then pick one for a full scoop. It was a hot day and the place was buzzing. Several flavors were almost out, including creme brulee. Coppa mista — pistachio, vanilla, chocolate and almond flavors — was popular with our group. I was very happy with my Bavarian mint. Palermo roasts its own coffee beans there, too. The place smelled delightful.

Tour guide Maureen Durkin set us loose at Palermo, which was just around the corner from where we’d started. Tour patrons could return to any of the food stops for discount shopping and dining that day or elect to visit interesting local sites — maybe visit historic Mission Buenaventura or the statue of Junipero Serra that stands in front of city hall. The beach is only a few blocks away, too.

It was a fun food adventure in Ventura, an unexpected treat one county west of L.A.

For more information on Ventura Food Tours, call 805-295-8687 or go to www.venturafoodtours.com.

We Olive

294 E. Main St. 805-648-6166

www.ventura.weolive.com

Palermo Coffee & Gelato

321 E. Main St. 805-643-3070

www.palermoventura.com

Buena Ventura, Part 2

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Richard Irwin

The Paradise Pantry Grilled Cheeeez with real California cheese.

Story and photos by Karen Weber

After having our dessert at the chocolate shop, we switched it up and went up Main Street for drinks.

VenTiki, a kitschy retro tiki bar, proved to be a group favorite. The decor included bamboo pillars, fishing nets and Polynesian statues, plus black-and-white episodes of “Gilligan’s Island” playing on the TV. Skipper Scott Noble, one of the owners, set us up with a finger’s worth of mai tai made to Trader Vic’s original recipe, less sweet and with more of a kick than you’d find at most places these days.

The Skipper Scott Noble concentrates on making classic mai tais.

Noble said his bar and restaurant appeals to a more mature crowd (most of us in the group were old enough to remember the 1960s). He said younger visitors complain about the price of the drinks, but don’t realize his authentic recipes have two or three times the liquor found in the more common, modified versions of tiki classics, such as the Blue Hawaii and the Zombie.

The kahlua pork slider he served was also excellent, full of flavor and not too much sauce.

Then we turned and walked down Main Street again to get our main course for lunch.

At Paradise Pantry, we sat down to the most luscious grilled cheese (excuse me, Grilled

Paradise Pantry in Ventura.

Cheeeez, according to the menu). The panini contained Vella rosemary jack and aged cheddar with caramelized onions. The serving also contained an example of their cheese plates with grapes, artisan cheese, nuts, olives and dried fruit. It went wonderfully with our sample of a blended white wine from the Central Coast, Gravity Check by Ground Effect Wine Co., and equally well with a Santa Barbara red, Curtis Winery’s Heritage Cuvee. That’s all California goodness with California wine and California cheese (Vella is in Sonoma). Paradise Pantry is also known for its Mac & Cheeez — three cheeses and a parmesan crust for the standard; don’t forget to ask about the weekly “killer” special.

And there was still more to come without leaving Main Street.

VenTiki Tiki Lounge and Lanai

701 E. Main St. 805-667-8887

www.ventikilounge.com

Paradise Pantry

222. E. Main St. 805-641-9440

http://paradisepantry.com

Buena Ventura, part 1

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Richard Irwin

Walking through the streets of Ventura, we saw many historic buildings including the Ventura City Hall.

Story and photos by Karen Weber

Our group of writers headed up the coast to join the Downtown Ventura Tasting Tour conducted by Ventura Food Tours. The tour proved to have just the right blend of architectural history and food sampling. One companion said he would have been bored with just a tour about buildings, but a little architectural history followed by a chance to sit and eat was just right for him.

Plus we had a chance to walk off our calories. There are several blocks of walking on the tour, so if you go, wear comfortable shoes and plan for the weather.

Our guide Maureen Durkin said the tours were started to share “the bounty of the county” with visitors. We met at Bella Maggiore Inn, designed by architect Albert C. Martin, who also built the Ventura City Hall just up the street. Durkin said the inn is reputed to be haunted by an amiable ghost named Sylvia.

We hiked east on Santa Clara Street, crossing Plaza Park diagonally and admiring the

The huge Moreton Bay Fig Tree in Plaza Park was planted in 1874.

huge Moreton Bay Fig Tree that was planted in 1874. Durkin said kindness almost killed the tree. Park gardeners kept the ground beneath it clear of fallen figs and leaves, which turned out to be bad for its roots. It looked big and healthy now, as we passed beneath its spreading branches.

Our first food stop was at Spencer MakenziesMakenzie’s Fish Company, known for its giant fish tacos. The tacos are available with

Spencer Makenzies Fish Company is known for its giant fish tacos and amazing chowder.

grilled or tempura fried fish. We had a sample of the tempura fish, and it was moist and tender inside with a light, crispy batter. They use only sushi-grade fish in the restaurant and make their own sauces (including the signature Spencer sauce) and clam chowder. Available in cups, bowls or bread bowls, the chowder was simply the best I’ve ever tasted. The secret is a touch of white wine in the blend that cuts the typical fishy flavor.

Heading to our second food stop, we passed Ema’s Herbs where the succulent lady stands guard. The amusing statue is covered with succulent plants. We learned a little about several historic buildings as we passed, but the main focus was the food.

Owner Claudia Gilman displays some of the variety available at Trufflehound’s Fine Chocolates.

Trufflehound’s Fine Chocolates was our second stop. Owner Claudia Gilman talked about making fine chocolates. “Chocolate is a great teacher. The No. 1 thing it teaches you is patience,” she said.

She showed us truffles and molded chocolates and acetate transfer sheets used to decorate flat chocolates. She let us sample her couverture chocolate — white, milk and dark. This is the foundation chocolate she uses to make her treats.

This was just the beginning of our food adventure in Ventura.

Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Company

806 E. Thompson Blvd. 805-643-8226

www.smfishco.com

Trufflehound’s Fine Chocolates

607 E. Main St., Suite E 805-648-5870

www.trufflehoundsfinechocolates.com

Ashley Butler cuts out marzipan hearts at Trufflehound’s Fine Chocolates.

Travel Buddy with Rich Irwin and Jerry Rice

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Tag Archives: Food

Celebrate Good Taste

Buena Ventura, Part 3

Buena Ventura, Part 2

Buena Ventura, part 1