3 Restaurants Win Places on Wine Spectator Awards List

Three Orange County restaurants recently received Wine Spectator awards for 1991. Five Crowns in Corona del Mar and Mr. Stox in Anaheim are repeat winners of Grand Awards for their wine cellars. They were honored among a group of just 78 restaurants in the world. The magazine also gave the Best of Award of Excellence (a new category this year, recognizing 39 restaurants worldwide) to Aurora in Fullerton.

Cafe Lido in Newport’s Cannery Village now serves a Brazilian sampler dinner on Monday evenings. It includes feijoada , the classic Brazilian black bean dish with meats and rice; pastel, a deep-fried meat pie and shrimp; xin-xin, sauteed diced chicken and shrimp with fresh herbs, spices and rice, and cod cakes. The four dishes are served with salad and Lido bread for $18.95. Cafe Lido opens at 5 p.m., and dinner is served from 6 p.m. to midnight. On Mondays, Sonia Santos and her Afro-Brazilian band perform beginning at 8:30 p.m. Cafe Lido is at 501 30th St. (714) 675- 2968 or (714) 673-5056.

When Anju Kapoor (who also owns Mayur in Corona del Mar) and Deborah Daynes took over the former Ann Marie’s in Corona del Mar, they renamed it The Courtyard and remodeled the entire place, a job that included removing the mirrors from the walls to expose the stained glass beneath. The result is an elegant restaurant that surrounds--what else--a courtyard just off Pacific Coast Highway. The a la carte menu is Continental; prices for dinner range from $9.50 to $17.50. Chef Tawny Smith was formerly with Marriott hotels, Sapori in Newport Beach and Marigot in Laguna Beach. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The address is 2540 E. Coast Highway. (714) 720-9000.

If you’d like to brunch in peace without leaving the kids behind, Camp Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency Alicante in Garden Grove may be your answer. While adults are partaking of a buffet accompanied by unlimited champagne or Chardonnay and live jazz, children ages 3 to 15 are treated to supervised activities such as games and drawing and a buffet prepared just for them. It’s $18.95 for adults, $9.95 for children ages 8 to 12 (those 7 and under are free). Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the hotel, Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue. Reservations: (714) 971-3000.

The Village Pantry on University Drive in Irvine has closed.

Henry Schielein, vice president and general manager of the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point was recently unanimously selected Hotelier of the Year by Chaine des Rotisseurs U.S.A. He was also awarded the Chaine Gold Medal of Honor for his leadership and his contribution to the gastronomic society. The Chaine des Rotisseurs, founded in 1248 in Paris, is the largest and oldest such organization in the world. Members include both food professionals and knowledgeable non-professionals who enjoy fine dining and encourage the professional and academic pursuit of culinary excellence. More than 40,000 members worldwide participate annually in Chaine activities.

Mystery Cafe’s new production, “Mumm’s the Word,” which made its debut last month, re-creates a 1929 Harlem speak-easy for a night of intrigue among gang lords. The sit-down dinner, served between scenes, includes autumn salad, chicken cashew and layered German chocolate cheesecake. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Fridays, 7 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays at Hubert’s Restaurant, 2 Hutton Centre Drive, Santa Ana. The cost, including dinner, performance and tax: $42 on Fridays and Sundays; $48 on Saturdays. Reservations: (714) 955-CLUE.