Let the Champagne Tasting Begin

Tapas Grill will celebrate the opening of the Olympics in Spain on Saturday with an international champagne tasting, live flamenco and a tapas buffet. The hours: 6 to 10 p.m.; the cost: $10. Tapas is at 4251 Martingale Way, Newport Beach. Information: (714) 756-8194.

Tutto Mare will spotlight the wines of Castello di Gabbiano of Tuscany at a dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Monday. The six courses include a salad of grilled zucchini, eggplant, cannelini beans and marinated duck breast with truffle vinaigrette, and filet of beef braised with R&R; wine and wrapped in puff pastry and baked with balsamic vinegar sauce. The cost: $62, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations: (714) 640-6333. The restaurant is at 545 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

Chef Robert Reash Jr. will create a five-course dinner to complement Benziger wines on Tuesday at John Dominis. A reception at 6:30 p.m. will feature appetizers such as Osetra caviar on roasted red bell pepper blinis, to be served with 1988 Benziger Carneros Brut. The 7 p.m. dinner will spotlight an entree of marinated veal tenderloin on a hickory ham salad with caraway potatoes and a black bean and goat cheese sauce. That course will be paired with 1988 Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon. The cost is $55 per person, tax and gratuity included. (714) 650-5112. The address is 2901 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach.

The words at Benihana in Newport Beach this month are manager’s treat . Those who say them will receive a dinner for two at the Japanese steak house for $25. The offer is good Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 to 10 p.m., through the end of the month. The meal includes Japanese onion soup, salad, shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, teriyaki beef, chicken with sesame seeds, white rice and green tea. The address is 4250 Birch St.; (714) 955-0822.

Chef Bill Bracken’s new summer menu in the Pavilion at the Four Seasons Hotel Newport Beach reflects the season with entrees such as wood-grilled swordfish with black beans and roasted bell peppers, and poached Dover sole in citrus vegetable sauce. Dinner entree prices average $22. New items on the appetizer list include warm duck salad with onion marmalade and Cabernet vinaigrette, and sauteed prawns and steamed Maine lobster with angel hair pasta in Port lobster sauce. In addition to the seasonal changes on the menu, there are more than a dozen daily specials. The address is 690 Newport Center Drive. Reservations: (714) 759-0808.

The indefatigable Lucy Luhan (who owns Luciano’s, that romantic Italian dinner house in Dana Point with the newly redecorated library room, and also the bistro-style What’s Cooking in Newport Beach) has changed the name of her third enterprise from Ellis Island to Lucy’s Grill and Club BBG. And although much of the accent is on the entertainment (the club has two dance floors, a deejay and live band), the dining room still serves dinner. You’ll find the same pastas and pizzas served at Luhan’s other restaurants, with all prices under $9.95, except for some grill specials. Dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. At the end of this month, Lucy’s will begin serving breakfast, 6 to 10 a.m. on weekdays, 7 to 11 a.m. Saturdays. The address: 353 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. (714) 673-7800.

The Pleasant Peasant, recently closed for remodeling, has reopened with a fresh new look. The wallpaper is gone. Now white-washed pine walls are complemented by new paintings, blue and white linens and Laura Ashley curtains. Lisa and Laurent Ferre have also added a long bar in the front for drinks and hors d’oeuvres. They serve lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinner Monday through Thursday, 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday till 10 p.m. Closed Sundays. The address is 4251 Martingale Way, Newport Beach. (714) 955-2755.

The opening of Praveen and Geeta Bansal’s new Indian restaurant in Laguna Beach, Bombay Duck, is now scheduled for the end of next month. Praveen will remain at their first restaurant, the Clay Oven in Irvine, while Geeta will be in charge of the new location, at 229 Ocean Ave., behind Kachina. The menu here will be different from that of the Clay Oven, “a little more creative,” says Praveen. Bombay Duck will have indoor and outdoor seating for a total of about 50 people, and will be open for both lunch and dinner.