Back Bay Bistro overlooks the tranquil waters of the Back Bay in Newport Beach, a beautiful nature preserve with an incredible richness and diversity of wildlife. Their Sunday Champagne Brunch draws a crowd and stellar reviews on Yelp, but it’s their new wine dinner series that I thought you should know about. Last month, I […]
OC Dining
Top Picks for Orange County Restaurant Week #OCRW
The 2015 Orange County Restaurant Week begins Sunday, March 1st and ends Saturday, March 7th with more than 100 restaurants participating in the countywide event. During the weeklong event, participating restaurants will offer special three-course menus, many with a cocktail or signature item at no additional charge. Each restaurant will have the freedom and flexibility to showcase its best offerings by talented chefs who will, no doubt, […]
Dogs and Their Humans Love the Lazy Dog
It’s been awhile since I dined at the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, but after Tank the Corgi had surgery on his right leg, we decided it was time to treat our four-legged baby to a special lunch. The Lazy Dog in Huntington Beach is the location closest to where we live, but they have […]
Leatherby’s 2015 Broadway Series Themed Dinners
A night at the theater is definitely more enjoyable when you begin the evening with a leisurely, scrumptious repast in a beautiful, relaxed setting; and there is none more strikingly elegant than Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge adjacent to Segerstrom Center for the Arts on the ground floor of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Trust […]
Restaurant Week Top Pick: Modo Mido #DineNB
“Modo Mio” means my way in Italian and their way is fabulous! I had the chance to preview their Dine Newport Beach Restaurant Week three-course lunch menu ($15!!) and I will most definitely be back. Their classic Italian food has a deft touch, and fresh, big flavors. Service is friendly and the sun splashed interior […]
How To Make French Macarons with Stephane Treand, MOF
French Macaron Baking Class With the skill and patience of master pastry chef Stéphane Tréand and the help of my daughter, the Young Baker, these lovely French macarons turned out nearly perfect. It’s still hard for me to believe that I had a hand in making them. Characteristics of a Perfect Macaron Two hours in […]
Date Night: Bacchus Bar and Bistro
Does your New Years resolution include more wine? Have I got the place for you! Bacchus Bar & Bistro has over 350 different bottles of wine to choose from and, unlike a trip to a retail store, you can taste before buying while relaxing in the comfortable wine country ambiance and noshing from a wonderful […]
Ring in the New Year at Hotel Irvine’s Red Bar
Hotel Irvine has transformed itself from a nondescript, cookie cutter hotel into a modern boutique hotel that will fool you into thinking you’re in Las Vegas or Los Angeles or NYC, certainly not Irvine – the #1 safest city in America! The former Hyatt hotel has undergone a total remodel that extends from the new […]
Lillie’s Q Award-Winning BBQ Comes to Brea
You don’t have to be from the South to crave authentic smoked BBQ – it’s my belief that humankind carries an undiscovered chromosome responsible for the primal desire to sink one’s teeth into charred proteins infused with smoke and tenderized by a slow-burning wood fire. If there is one place where cultures collide in a […]
Sublime Fall Flavors at Oak Grill
Oak Grill’s Executive Chef Marc Johnson’s compelling and lighthearted personality is evident in Oak Grill’s thoughtfully devised Autumn menu. Each season he changes the offerings, bringing a fresh approach to California cuisine elevated with a range of global flavors. An apprentice of the acclaimed Chef James Boyce, his energy and talent manifests itself in artful […]