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Tourism is a vital component of the economy of Newport Beach, a fact that was punctuated by impressive statistics at the annual Newport Beach & Company’s Marketing Outlook dinner on Oct. 18 at The Resort at Pelican Hill. According to Newport Beach & Company, the city’s...

  What does it take for musicians to bond with one another? For the four members of The Side Deal, it was a patch of black ice. The band was in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. They were driving to a morning gig in a rented car, and it was snowing. Coming down...

In the often-fickle culinary world, the words “restaurant” and “longevity” are seldom used in the same sentence. There are a few that have survived numerous trends and recessions, such as Five Crowns in Corona del Mar, which several years ago marked 50 years in business. However,...

We just finished with a fabulous four days of the Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival, but already another event is coming our way. The Los Angeles Times’ annual celebration of the southern California culinary scene, dubbed The Taste, is normally held in Los Angeles, but this...

Could another recession be on its way? Some experts at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Forecast luncheon, held at the Balboa Bay Resort on Oct. 11, think a recession is coming, but Orange County will escape much of the economic damage. Hosted by Orange...

George’s Café at Segerstrom Center The beautiful Argyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center for the Arts is nearly a year old, and during that time has been the sight of numerous free concerts and special events that have drawn thousands of residents to the Center, and to the Center 360...

A season of Tony Award-winning Broadway hits including Center premieres and returning favorites await audiences during Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 2018-2019 Broadway and Curtain Call Series. Coming to the Center for the first time are “Waitress,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Come...

The restaurant industry can be a fickle business. Trends come and go, and longevity is always in doubt. So when a restaurant not only survives for a decade but continues to thrive, that’s cause for celebration, which is exactly what A Restaurant is doing in October. A Restaurant...

Calling Aubree Sweeney an RV comedienne might be confusing, but then again Sweeney does tour in her own RV, and she’s staying at the Newport Dunes RV park while she’s in town to headline a comedy night Oct. 18 at the Back Bay Bistro. Sweeney was born in Nebraska, studied creative...

“And the Golden Foodie goes to…” That was the oft-repeated phrase last Sunday night at the 7th annual Golden Foodie Awards, held at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. The Golden Foodie Awards celebrate the achievements of local, chef-driven restaurants, as voted on by...

Nathan Andrew Riley remembers being a wide-eyed 12-year-old boy sitting in the last row of the balcony of the Pantages Theater in Hollywood watching a production of “The Lion King” and thinking he wanted to be on stage in a show. Now, Riley is fulfilling that dream as the Orange...

In 1964, Orange County’s population was about to hit one million, Irvine was still a dream waiting to be built, and John Wayne had settled on Newport Beach as his new home. Newport Beach is also where college pals Martin Benson and David Emmes (who attended Newport Harbor High...

Global Genes may sound like a designer clothing line or a way to trace your ancestors, but it’s actually one of the leading rare disease patient advocacy organizations in the world. The Global Genes organization started 10 years ago with a handful of rare disease parent advocates...

Officials approved the dates of Jan. 14 through 27 for the 2019 Newport Beach Restaurant Week at a recent meeting, although there was some discussion as to the best dates for the event, which is generally held the last two weeks of January. At the Newport Beach Restaurant...

Only two weeks until the fifth annual Pacific Sales Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival hits town, which means it’s time to get your tickets for the weekend Grand Tastings and special culinary events. Presented by Jaguar Land Rover Oct. 4-7, the Newport Beach Wine & Food...

Fall is a fun time at Fashion Island Hotel. In addition to what Chef Valles is creating in the kitchen, the hotel is hosting a Wagner Family wine dinner, an Oktoberfest Beer Flights & Bites in Aqua Lounge, and an “All Hallows Eve” There are also Monday Night Football...

It’s not often that a chef roams a dining room to greet guests and talk about the cuisine, but then again it’s not often you have a chef like Brittany Valles in the kitchen. Valles was named executive chef at Oak Grill and Aqua Lounge in the Fashion Island Hotel barely a month...

Bluewater Grill in Cannery Village holds its next Second Tuesday Tastings on Sept. 11 with “A Taste of Spain,” which pairs a special Bluewater Grill seafood restaurant version of Paella, made with an exclusive blend of rice, saffron, seafood and shellfish, with a seafood tapas...

Many charity events these days are focused on wine, and why not? Fine wines are appreciated by philanthropists and wine connoisseurs (often one and the same), and the magic elixir can coax donations from those relishing a rare 100-point wine. And a 100-point wine is among those...

KAABOO is almost here! For those not in the know, KAABOO is a three-day concert-art-comedy-food festival held Sept. 14-16 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego county. Unlike the craziness of Coachella and other festivals that are focused mainly on music, KAABOO showcases art,...