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After months of planning, remodeling and menu creation, Hollywood producer McG and restaurateur Jordan Otterbein (aka River Jetty Restaurant Group partners), known for their acclaimed A Restaurant, have announced the grand opening of their new dining concept, CdM, in – where else...

Anyone attending Natural Products Expo West at the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend may encounter Newport Beach resident Kelly Lam wandering the aisles, chatting with vendors or maybe demonstrating the latest juicer at a vendor booth. Her presence makes sense, because Lam...

Chef Pascal Olhats, who currently runs Café Jardin in Corona del Mar as well as Pascal Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano (and once had several other restaurants in Newport Beach) has won many chef battles over the years, but his latest battle is against a tough opponent. This...

Newport Beach Restaurant Week ended a month ago, but another Restaurant Week is already upon us. Orange County Restaurant Week returns March 3 through 9, with nearly 150 restaurants participating this year with prix fixe menus, cocktail specials and even Breakfast for Dinner...

In 2003, Disney’s California Adventure began a multi-year run of a 45-minute, live action musical adaptation of the 1992 animated musical movie “Aladdin,” with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Upon seeing that show when it premiered, I told...

Coast Highway is getting a makeover—well, not the road, the restaurants. Several new eateries are opening on our scenic coastal highway, which is already packed with popular restaurants. However, two of those restaurants come from seasoned culinary pros with a successful track...

Imagine 30 of the top chefs in Southern California coming together to create multi-course dinners for guests who are there to support a charitable cause. No need to imagine. The event is called Table for Ten, an annual extravaganza where a noted chef is assigned to a table of ten...

Laguna Beach resident Craig Strong launched his culinary career when he was 15, but got serious about it when he enrolled in culinary school at age 18 and learned the basics of classic French cooking. He spent time in Spain soaking up the culture, and the cuisine, then worked for...

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Words of wisdom from Helen Keller, who endured both suffering and success.  That “Rocky Road to Success” is the...

How can you make a musical about the thousands of passengers who were stranded in Newfoundland for four days when all air traffic in the United States was grounded after 9/11? It’s an unlikely concept, but the Broadway musical “Come From Away” that plays at Segerstrom Center...

  Still trying to decide what to do for Valentine’s day, or rather where to dine? Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants. Diners’ expectations are high, and restaurants do their best to live up to expectations by creating special menus to...

From Europe With Love at Bluewater Grill Every month, Bluewater Grill hosts a special themed food tasting with wine pairings. For February, the restaurant is bringing back a popular event that highlights two classic dishes: French Bouillabaisse and Italian Cioppino, plus a split...

Where are you watching the big game this Sunday? One suggestion is the Stag Bar near the Newport Pier, where all of their big screen TVs will be tuned to the game with full surround sound. Stag Bar is an official Rams bar, and former Rams players and cheerleaders will be at Stag...

“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd / His skin was pale and his eye was odd / He shaved the faces of gentlemen / Who never thereafter were heard of again / He trod a path that few have trod / Did Sweeney Todd / The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” And so begins Steph...

Last year, Newport Beach Jazz Party founders Joe Rothman and John McClure announced they were bowing out of the Newport Beach Jazz Party after 18 successful years of bring the best in traditional jazz to Newport Beach. Jazz fans need not worry—the Jazz Party returns to the...

It’s no secret that one of my favorite restaurants in Orange County is Andrea at Pelican Hill Resort in Newport Coast. Dining at Andrea is like taking a trip to Italy for an afternoon or evening. The setting is exquisite, starting with the entrance to the resort and continuing to...

The words “iconic” and “legendary” are often overused, but they certainly apply to one of the greatest bands in Rock and Roll history: The Beach Boys. They are indeed legendary, and their iconic sound of blended harmonies and upbeat music defined not only an era, but the Southern...

On January 16. 1964, the Jerry Herman musical “Hello, Dolly!” had its World Premiere on Broadway starring the inimitable Carol Channing. On January 15, 2019, nearly 55 years to the day, Carol Channing passed away at her home in Palm Springs. She was 97. Tributes poured in for...

“So many restaurants, so little time.” Happens to me every year during restaurant week—with 70 different restaurants participating, it’s not easy to choose which restaurants to dine at, so I try to select a range of cuisines and prices. This year, my initial foray into Restaurant...

Affable, affectionate and charming, the 1988 play “Driving Miss Daisy” by American playwright Alfred Uhry, about the relationship of an elderly white Southern Jewish woman (Daisy) and her African-American chauffeur (Hoke) is one of those character-driving plays that requires...