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Los Angeles Times
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
California Wine Festival raises a glass in two Orange County cities
The California Wine Festival is known for hosting its wine-tasting events at coastal locations, and this year the festival will make stops in two Orange County beach cities. The recently announced festival schedule for 2025 includes dates in Dana Point and Huntington Beach. The two-day events celebrate California winemakers with sips from wine-making regions across the state and gourmet bites from local dining purveyors. 'We aim to be a place where our guests can connect with why so many of us call California home,' Emily Kaufmann, executive director of the California Wine Festival said in a statement. This year's festival at Dana Point's Sea Terrace Park takes place on April 25 and 26. On Friday evening, ticket holders can experience a Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa. The VIP event will include a champagne reception with samplings of hard-to-find trophy wines. Tickets are priced at $125. The main event is Saturday's Beachside Wine Festival which aims to advance knowledge of food and wine, with representatives on hand pouring hundreds of premium wines from California. Unlimited wine samples are included in the ticket price along with sips from craft beers and other libations produced in the state. Attendees can also look forward to gourmet bites and live music. Early entrance tickets are priced at $115 while general admission is $89. A VIP festival pass for both days is priced at $239. The festival returns to Orange County on Oct. 17 and 18 at Huntington Beach's Paséa Hotel & Spa. On Friday, the Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, hosted in the Sapphire Ballroom will include a champagne reception, rare wine samplings and regional chefs serving hot and cold appetizers. On Saturday, the Beachside Wine Festival will be an indoor/outdoor event with premium California wines poured and paired with artisanal cheeses, breads, olive oil, shellfish, salads and chocolates. Tickets for California Wine Festival Huntington Beach go on sale July 1. The festival is commemorating two decades of encouraging wine enthusiasts to explore the offerings from Golden States vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma County and the Central Coast, Kaufmann said. 'Our vibrant state has some of the most picturesque strips of coastline globally, innovative culinary concepts, and is the homebase to so many phenomenal wineries, accounting for 80% of the wines produced throughout the country.' Besides advancing wine education and advocating for local wineries, each festival raises funds for local charitable organizations. This year's festival in Dana Point will raise funds for Sandy Feet Initiative, an organization that recognizes siblings of children with special needs by organizing safe and instructional beach events that give them the attention and validation they sometimes miss when their sibling requires more care. The Huntington Beach event will donate to Golden Rule Charity, a national nonprofit founded in 2015 to serve hospitality employees facing unexpected hardship. Kaufmann anticipates this year's events will continue the tradition of sharing California's best wineries with attendees. 'We take pride in our relationships with winemakers across the state's diverse growing regions,' Kaufmann said. 'We look forward to raising a glass of one of their award-winning wines with new and returning guests alike.' For a full schedule of events and ticket visit
Los Angeles Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Treat your sweetheart to Valentine's Day dining in O.C.
This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Friday, which means getting a dinner reservation might be extra tough. If you don't want to get your heart broken, reserve a table early at one of these Orange County restaurants offering prix fixe menus and other intimate dining experiences. You can also opt to celebrate on Saturday or Sunday with a romantic brunch or Izakaya feast. 21080 Pacific Coast HighwayHuntington Beach, (714) 698-6130 Why limit Valentine's Day to Feb. 14? At Lōrea, diners can celebrate romance the whole month with a prix fixe dinner menu and 'Love Potion' cocktails available from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23. Located within the renovated Paséa Hotel & Spa, Lōrea offers its regular land-to-sea-driven menu as well a special four-course dinner menu that starts with a Kusshi oyster served with Calabrian chili mignonette and a glass of Gambino Prosecco. A salad of Pinot Noir-poached figs and arugula follows, with Dover sole in lemon butter with artichokes, asparagus and Kaluga caviar for the fourth course and a chocolate heart filled with red velvet truffles and long-stemmed strawberries for dessert. The prix fixe menu is priced at $130 for two, with each additional guest priced at $65 and an optional wine pairing for $22. Cocktails on the beverage menu include a large drink designed for two called 'Cupid's Potion,' made with Absolut Elyx vodka, creme de cassis, hibiscus, lime and ginger beer for fizz. Reservations can be made at 234 East 17th St., Suite 100Costa Mesa, (949) 200-9232 This Italian concept from 'Top Chef' alumnus Jackson Kalb recently launched brunch service on weekends at its location at Paseo 17 in Costa Mesa. On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. enjoy lemon ricotta pancakes and shakshuka pizza, a creative take on the Arabic breakfast dish of poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce. There are Ospi favorites too, like spicy rigatoni alla vodka, spaghetti pomodoro with basil and parmigiano and salads and sandwiches. Also on the menu: spritzes, making Ospi the perfect place to toast to your love. Make reservations at 226 Avenida Del Mar San Clemente, (949) 669-7273 The signature offering at this modern take on the classic steakhouse is perfect for intimate Valentine's Day dining. Chef Brad Wise selects the premium cuts that go onto the shareable steak boards. The 30- to 40-day dry-aged steaks are paired with house-made sauces, like bearnaise, horseradish and Wise's signature Santa Maria-style salsa, and served on a custom-made lazy Susan. Take your date for a spin of fresh grilled meat or a tour of the ocean with seafood towers made up of snow crab, cocktail shrimp and Rare Society Gold Oysters, a bespoke variety grown in Coos Bay, Ore., for the restaurant. The wine cellar features nearly 800 bottles, so there is sure to be a perfect pairing for each guest. Book a table at 327 Newport Center DriveNewport Beach, (949) 706-3622 Sushi Roku at Fashion Island specializes in what founding partner Lee Maen refers to as 'new-school sushi.' For Valentine's weekend the restaurant is offering a special Izakaya feast alongside the regular menu. The feast, priced at $125 per person, starts with Brussels sprouts chips in truffle oil, followed by bites like fluke kumquat in yuzu vinaigrette, hamachi serrano in garlic and yuzu ponzu, toro carpaccio, Hanabi, Sushi Roku's signature crispy rice with spice tuna and A-5 Japanese wagyu ishiyaki. The sushi course includes nigiri of Chu-toro, sea bream, salmon and wagyu, white lotus roll and baked crab hand roll. Carnival cake is served for dessert. Other special dishes include uni blue crab with ossetra caviar and wasabi truffle soy and a surf-and-turf special of prime filet mignon and cold water lobster tail served with garlic butter, potatoes and togorashi-tossed vegetables. Reserve your table by visiting or by calling the restaurant at (949) 706-3622. 1601 S. Anaheim Blvd. Anaheim, (657) 439-3289 Take Valentine's Day to new heights at this rooftop restaurant at the Viv Hotel in Anaheim. The 12th-floor view makes this Basque-inspired restaurant a prime place to watch Orange County sunsets and Disneyland fireworks while enjoying Spanish tapas. For Feb. 14, diners can indulge in a five-course prix fixe menu of French brie with guava and raspberry, burrata on crostini followed by a roasted baby beet salad and a choice of lobster thermidor or filet mignon wellington. The dinner ends on a sweet note of chocolate truffle with strawberry. The menu will be offered for one night only, priced at $130 per person. As an extra treat, Top of the V is partnering with Moet + Chandon to offer Valentine's sweets from a local chocolatier to any sweethearts who order a bottle of Imperial Brut. Reserve a table at 2675 Irvine Ave., Suite D2Costa Mesa, (949) 867-8011 Executive chef Paula Balderrama and bar director Anthony Laborin have created a few special drinks and dishes in honor of Valentine's Day at this newly opened upper-level restaurant, where guests can enjoy shareable starters like Burrata with pickled strawberries and crispy Kafta meatballs served with hummus and green chutney and dessert like tiramisu, available from Feb. 13 to Feb. 16. At Bar Verde, the lower-level lounge, lovers can cozy up over a cheese and charcuterie plate for two, paired with a glass of wine from the curated wine list or handcrafted cocktails like the Overnight Celebrity made with strawberry-infused Campari. Make your reservations by visiting but note Bar Verde is closed on Sundays.
