— Art courtesy NB & Co.
Local restaurants are in full holiday mode, but come January they will shift their focus to the 14th annual Newport Beach Restaurant Week, which runs Jan. 13–26.
Presented by Dine Newport Beach and the NB Restaurant Association, the local event is Orange County’s longest-running restaurant week — which has morphed into two weeks because it’s so popular.
According to a press release shared by Dine Newport Beach this week, the annual event offers diners prix-fixe menus for lunch ($10 to $25), dinner ($20 to $50), and, for the first time, weekend brunch ($15 to $20).
— Photo by Sara Hall ©
Another first: The event is partnering with Second Harvest food bank to raise funds to help fight hunger in Orange County. This Dine to Make a Difference program gives diners the opportunity to donate to Second Harvest to help local children and families with hunger. Second Harvest is the largest hunger relief organization in Orange County and feeds over 250,000 people in need each month through more than 300 community partners and programs. Every $1 contributed provides food for three meals.
This year, 74 restaurants have signed up to participate in Newport Beach Restaurant Week, more than any previous year. Among those are 11 new participants, most of which have opened in Newport Beach within the past year: Buddha’s Favorite, CdM Restaurant, Chihuahua Cerveza, Fable & Spirit, GuacAmigos, Helmsman Ale House, Mama’s Comfort Food & Cocktails, Royal Hen, Tavern House Kitchen+Bar, Tupelo Junction Café, and Xanadu Café.
— Photo courtesy of Tavern House
As in past years, kicking off the 14 days of dining is a tasting event on Jan. 9 at Fashion Island’s Lincoln Experience Center. Only 150 tickets are available to ardent foodies, who will be able to indulge in dishes from Fable & Spirit, Provenance, CdM Restaurant, Tavern House Kitchen+Bar, Buddha’s Favorite, Pelican Hill’s Coliseum Pool & Grill, and Sgt. Pepperoni’s.
Tickets are $50 and includes tastings from each booth and two glasses of wine or beer. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.
Because many participating restaurants are still finalizing menus, I’ll wait until the Friday before Restaurant Week starts to explore menu highlights, but, in the meantime, you can view the list of restaurants at DineNB.com.
For more information and to book your reservation, visit eventbrite.com/e/86173652715.
For more information on Second Harvest, visit feedoc.org.
— Photo courtesy of Helmsman ©
