Opa! O.C. Greek Fest
St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine will welcome about 11,000 people to “A Taste of Greece“, its 33rd annual Orange County Greek festival June 24 through 26. Count on traditional food both savory and sweet, wine tasting, and Greek dancing (lessons available!), as well as a coffeehouse and boutique booths evoking historic Athens. The carnival offers entertainment for all ages. $3 admission. St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, 4949 Alton Parkway, Irvine. Map
Wild Thing: Copper River Salmon
The 2011 Copper River salmon season is here, and the delicious, wild, omega-3-rich fish is making appearances in homes and restaurants. Seasons 52 in South Coast Plaza is one place to get your salmon on, with a special lunch or dinner offer through July 4. It’s served grilled, accompanied by summer corn risotto, roasted asparagus, grilled red peppers, and dill-mustard sauce. $24.95. Seasons 52, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 714-437-5252.
Lavender + Lemon = LOVE
An Orange Coast editor road-tripped to Palm Springs, and all we got was this fabulous and unusual pound cake recipe from Copley’s, a restaurant housed in Cary Grant’s former estate. We’re so not complaining, and predict you won’t either.
RECIPE: Lavender-Lemon Pound Cake from Copley’s on Palm Canyon
Swanky Surf & Turf, and a Rose Is Still Magic
A classy new steakhouse distances itself from the pack at lunch, and not just with beef. And at Disneyland, a veteran fine-dining destination continues to make magic. In the June issue, Orange Coast dining critic Gretchen Kurz reviews Capital Grille in Costa Mesa, and Napa Rose in the Anaheim theme park's Grand Californian Hotel.
Glassy-Eyed Tasters
While the right glass can show off or even improve a wine to fine effect, Riedel Crystal’s glass-demo rep points out it can’t “change a two into a ten.” And plastic? Not unless notes of “Barbie doll on a hot day rolling around under the seat of an un-air-conditioned vehicle” are what you look for in a wine. For more fun wine notes, see Anne Valdespino’s wine blog, The Grapevine.
Mobile Pizza P.S.
Tim and Tina Gonzales, owners of Ladera Ranch-based TJ’s Woodfire Pizza and the subjects of Orange Coast’s June Snapshot feature, continue to subtly tweak their mobile Neapolitan pizza biz in typical entrepreneur fashion. The pizza is as good as ever—a switch in tomatoes plus a new salad are the latest manifestations of forward motion. Read more about it in Priscilla Mayfield's Taste of Orange County food blog.
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