Le Meridien Will Host a Celebration of Wine and Cheese

Le Meridien Hotel in Newport Beach celebrates the arrival of the 1991 Beaujolais Nouveau and the bicentennial of the cheese-making village of Camembert beginning Monday and continuing through Nov. 23, with visiting chefs from Restaurant Androuet in Paris. In the hotel’s Cafe Fleuri, Maitre Fromanger Pierre Grezes will describe and serve an assortment of France’s finest handmade cheeses each evening from 6 to 10 p.m. A selection of cheese plates and entrees priced from $5 to $17 will also be served, together with Jean-Louis Quinson Beaujolais ($3 by the glass, $12 per bottle). On Saturday night, Nov. 23, a Beaujolais Nouveau Dinner Dance in the cafe will showcase a four-course menu, including a bottle of the new wine for each couple and dancing to the music of the Christian DiMaggio Trio. Cost of the dinner dance is $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity. (Hotel rooms will be offered at the special Beaujolais rate of $89, plus tax.) Meanwhile, in Restaurant Antoine, Chef Marc Labourel of Restaurant Androuet will prepare special menus Nov. 19 through 21. The accent: La Cuisine au Fromage. He will also present his menu Friday, Nov. 22, at the Restaurant Antoine Winemaker Dinner, featuring Kendall-Jackson winemaker John Hawley. Information: (714) 476-2001. Le Meridien Hotel is at 4500 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach.

Alta Coffee on the Balboa peninsula has resumed serving dinner Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m. The hearty vegetarian Zuni stew ($6.50) is the signature dish, served with salad and Alta’s own fresh-baked bread. Other specials (at $7 to $12) include soft tacos with chicken and grilled fish or chicken shish kebabs. Alta gradually began serving food after it opened seven years ago as a coffee warehouse and roasting company. It now also offers breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Alta is open Monday and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It’s at 506 31st St., Newport Beach. (714) 675-0233.

Joyce and Edmond Sarfati continue the celebration of the 19th anniversary of LaFayette Restaurant. Tonight the five-course menu lists a choice of entrees: New York pepper steak, beef tournedos bernaise, lobster nantaise, rack of lamb, veal LaFayette or duckling in raspberry sauce. It’s $40 per person, excluding wine, tax and tip. There will be two seatings: 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. 12532 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove. (714) 537-5011.

Larry Brooks of Acacia Winery will pour from magnums of 1982 Winery Lake Pinot Noir and 1985 Carneros Pinot Noir during the wine dinner on Friday at Mr. Stox in Anaheim. Chardonnays also will be served with chef Scott Raczek’s five-course dinner, beginning at 7 p.m. The cost is $65 per person, including tax and tip. Reservations: (714) 634-2994. The restaurant is at 1105 E. Katella Ave.

The Cambria Winery & Vineyard winemakers dinner at Claes restaurant in the Hotel Laguna on Monday will mark the debut of the hotel’s new executive chef, Todd Clore. Clore, whose resume includes L’Orangerie in Los Angeles and Pascal in Newport Beach, will create a five-course menu to marry with seven Cambria vintages. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served at 6:30 p.m., and dinner will begin at 7:15 p.m. The cost is $50 per person, tax and tip included. Reservations: (714) 494-1151. The Hotel Laguna is located at 425 S. Coast Highway.

Scott’s Seafood Bar and Grill will debut a Great Scott’s Sunday Brunch Buffet this weekend. Guests may select from an array of fresh seafood, carved roast beef, pastas and omelets made to order and homemade desserts. Prices range from $18.95 to $23.95, with a choice of champagnes. The hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Scott’s weekly wine tastings spotlight the wines of Rutherford Hill this Wednesday and Burgess Cellars on Nov. 20. Wines are $2 a glass between 5 and 7 p.m., and there is live entertainment plus complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Information: (714) 979-2400. The location: 3300 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, across from South Coast Plaza.

Throughout this month, Gandhi in South Coast Plaza Village presents a Sunday brunch, featuring Don & Dewey playing rock ‘n’ roll music of the late ‘50s and ‘60s. The brunch menu offers such Indian favorites as tandoori chicken, lamb karahi, chicken bhoona, vegetable specialties, biryani (rice dishes) and tandoori breads. The cost is $10.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition, to celebrate its eighth anniversary, Gandhi is offering an Exotic Anniversary Dinner throughout this month. The dinner, priced at $18.95, includes an Indian style pasta, main course, pulao rice, garlic naan and a dessert of homemade ice cream with saffron, pistachios and cashews. Gandhi is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, for dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations: (714) 556-7273.

McCharles House, that charming old house in Tustin that seems tailor-made for afternoon tea, recently inaugurated that very thing on Sunday afternoons from noon to 4 p.m. The restaurant offers several tea menus, from the lighter champagne tea to a gentlemen’s high tea featuring hearty shepherd’s pie. Prices vary from $7.75 to $18.50. McCharles House has also added a la carte suppers (priced from $10 to $13) to the Thursday-through-Saturday dinner menu. Dinner service is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The address is 335 S. C St. (714) 731-4063.

Disney Character Dinners, a popular summertime attraction at the Disneyland Hotel, are now served Friday through Sunday evenings year-round. Character Breakfasts, already a mainstay on Saturday and Sunday mornings, will continue on the all-year schedule. Dinner hours are 5 to 9 p.m.; breakfast is 7 to 11:30 a.m. Both, which are all-you-can-eat buffets, feature Goofy, Minnie Mouse and other Disney characters that visit with guests, entertain and pose for complimentary photos. Dinner is $14.95 for adults, $7.95 for children 4 to 12 years and $3 for children ages 3 and under. Breakfast is $10.95 for adults, $6.95 for ages 4 to 12 and $3 for 3 and under. The Disneyland Hotel is at 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. (714) 956-6406.

John Dominis recently inaugurated a special Sunday night prix fixe four-course dinner. It’s $25.95 per person and served from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The first course is a cold appetizer-- smoked salmon, jumbo shrimp or sashimi. The second is either New England clam chowder or a spring salad, and the entree may be sauteed mahi mahi with macadamia nuts and capers or braised Alaskan halibut with julienne of vegetables and lemon butter sauce. Dessert is macadamia or Kona ice cream served in a lace cookie with Kona coffee or tea. Diners may also order from the regular menu. The restaurant is at 2901 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Reservations: (714) 650-5112.