FOOD + DRINK
Wine Mixer with Mission Wine Company
Feb. 23. Join Antonello Ristorante for an evening of wine tasting, tray passed hors d’oeuvres and a bounty of antipasti. Antonello’s own bartender, Ciro cirillo, a wine importer with the Mission Wine Company, proudly presents some of his latest discoveries from a recent buying trip to Italy. Wine selections include Rosso Di Montalcino 2009, Innocenti; Vernaccia Di San Gimignano, Castellani 2010; and Amarone Della Velpolicella 2007, Villa Rosa among others. A “wine shop” style retail offering will be held at the end of the event. Antonello’s generously offers 25% discount off of the entire dinner bill for those who proceed to the dining room for classic Italian fare after the event. 3800 S. Plaza Drive, Santa Ana, 714.751.7153. antonello.com
The Cannery’s 12th Anniversary
Feb. 23-26. Newport Beach seafood staple celebrates 12 years of fine dining on the waterfront. Enjoy live music and stunning harbor views along with classics from the Cannery’s menu like pan-seared Atlantic salmon, Pacific swordfish and enchiladas de mariscos. 3010 Lafayette Road, Newport Beach, 949.566.0060. cannerynewport.com
OC Restaurant Week Launch Party
Feb. 25. Kick off the 2012 Orange County Restaurant Week with a launch party at Newport Beach Lexus benefitting Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in the United States. Guests can sample signature dishes from a selection of participating restaurants including Cucina Enoteca, Katsuya and Scott’s Restaurant and Bar. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Guests must be 21 years or older to attend. This year, a hundred restaurants across the county are participating in OC Restaurant Week, held Feb. 26-March 4. Restaurants ranging from upscale to family friendly offer special multi-course lunch and dinner menus at three price points: $10, $15, or $20 for lunch and $20, $30 or $40 for dinner. Reservations are highly encouraged. 3901 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. orangecountyrestaurantweek.com
Red Carpet Party at Kimera
Feb. 26. Kimera Restaurant and Lounge celebrates the Oscars with a special Red Carpet Party featuring a red carpet entrance, a full buffet dinner, cocktails, a viewing of the award ceremony and a silent auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of Orange County. Peggy Tanous, a former “Real Housewives of Orange County” cast member will be in attendance to add some star quality! Guests are encouraged to wear their most stylish red carpet attire. Tickets are $65. 19530 Jamboree Road, Irvine, 949.261.8999. kimerarestaurant.com
Grand Tasting Tour
Feb. 27-March 2. Paso Robles Wine Country is conducting a Grand Tasting Tour to introduce its regional wines to key markets across the nation. This year marks the Grand Tasting Tour’s 7th visit to Orange County. Centrally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso Robles is considered California’s fastest growing wine region encompassing nearly 26,000 vineyard acres and more than 200 wineries within a 40-mile territory. Throughout the week, 30 Paso Robles wineries (Niner Wine Estates, L’Aventure and Tablas Creek Vineyard to name a few) will showcase their wines at different restaurants and venues throughout Orange County including Roy’s, Wine Lab Newport, 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront and even the yacht “Majestic!” Venues offer either small bites or a decadent four to five-course winemaker dinner. Consult website for various event times and locations. 805.239.8463. pasowine.com
MUSIC
Tchaik Violin Concert
Feb. 23-25. Enjoy an evening of classical music with the Pacific Symphony conducted by Carl St. Clair at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Violinist Vadim Gluzman takes on Tchaikovsky’s dazzling violin concerto while Barber performs “Adagio for Strings” which takes listeners from the depths of sadness to the heights of joy in a mere eight minutes. Michael Daugherty treats audiences to two exciting premiers including a musical fantasy on the radio broadcasts of Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony in Studio 8-H in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787. scfta.org
Ra Ra Riot
Feb. 24. Syracuse indie rock band Ra Ra Riot takes to the stage in the Constellation Room at the Observatory in Santa Ana. The band released its second album, The Orchard, in August of 2010 with Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij listed in the production credits. 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, 714.957.0600. observatoryoc.com
Heart
Feb. 25. Sister-act Heart performs classics like “Barracuda,” “These Dreams” and “Heartless” as part of the 2012 CSUF Front & Center series, an annual winter entertainment extravaganza presented by Cal State Fullerton. The event is designed to broaden the university’s visibility, cultivate prospective supporters and raise funds for academic enrichment and student scholarships. Led by Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart rose to fame in the 1970s and has been iconic ever since. The group has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.704.2500. hondacenter.com
THEATER
Zen Shorts
Feb. 25-26. Michael and Addy’s lives are forever changed when a giant Zen master panda named Stillwater moves into the neighborhood. Stillwater teaches the children important Zen tales full of color, magic and wisdom to help them with the tough life lessons they are facing. Children in the audience will love the award-winning Rogue Artists Ensemble’s technique of Hyper-theatrics combining puppetry with music, video projections and innovative prop design. Founders Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787. scfta.org
Elemono Pea
Jan. 27-Feb. 26. As Devon adjusts to life as a 35-year-old unemployed tenant of her parents’, she visits her sister Simone, who’s working as a personal assistant to a wealthy woman, Michaela, in Martha’s Vineyard. Devon gets an unprecedented view into the life of the filthy rich and soon wonders if the ritzy new job is changing her sister. Comedy ensues when Michaela unexpectedly arrives with a crisis of her own. 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.708.5555. www.scr.org
Cinderella/Hansel & Gretel
Feb. 24-March 4. Introduce the children in your life to the theater with two enchanting, classic fairy tales now playing at the Laguna Playhouse. Hansel and Gretel are left in the forest by their mother who has been put under a spell, but escape the clutches of the wicked witch who has imprisoned them with the help of the Bird and the Gnome. Cinderella, who is treated like a servant by her stepmother and stepsisters, finds assistance (and a little magic) from her Fairy Godmother who makes it possible for Cinderella to attend the Prince’s Ball and win his heart. 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.497.2787. lagunaplayhouse.com
EVENTS
Stargazing Series
Feb. 24. Get up close and personal with the solar system this Friday at the Orange County Great Park. Astronomy4U provides guests with high-powered telescopes to view the moon, stars and planets, as well as informational star maps to serve as guides. This event is a great way to introduce children to the fascinating world of astronomy. Telescopes are set up at the Farm+Food Lab Lawn beginning at 7 pm. Great Park Balloon and Preview Park, Perimeter Road, Irvine, 866.829.3829. ocgp.org
SPORTS
Ducks vs. Blackhawks
Feb. 26. Cheer on the Anaheim Ducks as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Duck fans will receive a free Ducks hat provided by Time Warner Cable. 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.704.2500. hondacenter.com
ART
Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series
Feb. 26-May 27. The Orange County Museum of Art introduces a new exhibit, Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series, chronicling the artist’s most celebrated series. Diebenkorn, recognized as a leader in the West Coast Abstract Expressionism movement in the 1950s, briefly turned his attention to figurative painting before returning to abstraction in 1967. OCMA’s exhibit features approximately 80 works including paintings, prints, drawings and collages—an expression of Diebenkorn’s practice of working in a variety of media at the same time. 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, 949.759.1122. ocma.net