Chefs prepare to showcase tasty trends during Newport Beach Restaurant Week
Six chefs participating in the upcoming Newport Beach Restaurant Week shared their interpretations of expected 2017 culinary trends Thursday evening at a media event at Marina Park.
The Taste the Trends preview featured chefs from Newport restaurants Cucina Enoteca, Stag Bar + Kitchen, Lighthouse Bayview Cafe, The Ritz Prime Seafood, Tackle Box and Sessions West Coast Deli.
Chef George Neyra of The Ritz Prime Seafood prepared aji de gallina, a spicy Peruvian dish that is yellow from the aji amarillo peppers commonly found in the South American country.
Chef Ryan Sumner of Lighthouse Bayview Cafe suggested dessert for breakfast by presenting a chocolate ganache tart, a hazelnut crumble with orange coulis and cinnamon sugar beignets with cream cheese frosting.
Diners can get special menus and prices at 62 participating restaurants during Restaurant Week, which actually runs two weeks — Monday through Jan. 29.
The 11th annual event will offer lunches priced from $10 to $25 and dinners from $20 to $50. The establishments also will offer their regular menus.
The restaurants include fine-dining establishments such as Five Crowns, Andrea at Pelican Hill and A Restaurant along with neighborhood favorites such as Avila’s El Ranchito and Billy’s at the Beach.
Ron Schwartz, the new president of the Newport Beach Restaurant Assn., said the event gives restaurants a chance to gain interest from local diners and those visiting from other cities.
“We want people to come to Newport experiencing new restaurants or maybe enjoying something they always loved,” said Schwartz, who owns Muldoon’s Irish Pub off Newport Center Drive.
Since Restaurant Week’s inception 11 years ago, it has grown in popularity, Schwartz said, resulting in a second week being added last year.
About 113,000 people participated last year, and the two weeks drew $3.8 million in consumer spending, according to Newport Beach Mayor Kevin Muldoon, who addressed the media Thursday night.
Gary Sherwin, chief executive of Newport Beach & Co., the city’s marketing organization, said 98% of Restaurant Week patrons last year said they’d recommend the event to friends and family and that 60% said they tried something new.
This year, the newly opened Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar will offer a $50 dinner menu with a mushroom and spinach salad followed by red wine braised lamb shanks or cioppino, a fish stew.
3-Thirty-3 Waterfront’s $30 dinner menu offers a three-course meal with four entree choices: scallop and shrimp linguini, pan-seared mahi-mahi, chicken marsala and 10-ounce grilled New York strip steak.
Brian Huskey, head chef at Tackle Box at Corona del Mar State Beach, said he wanted to give vegetarians more options by offering a chickpea patty with pickled Fresno chili and a chipotle tzatziki.
At Thursday’s showcase, he presented a side dish of buffalo cauliflower garnished with micro celery and house ranch dressing.
No tickets, passes or coupons are required for Restaurant Week, according to Dine Newport Beach, the marketing arm of the Newport Beach Restaurant Assn.
For a list of participating restaurants and menus, visit dinenb.com.
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
