Astronaut Conrad to Help Benefit Reach New Heights

Astronaut Charles (Pete) Conrad, who rode the Apollo 12 to the moon for the second lunar landing, will be on hand Sunday at a fund-raiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park.

More than 15 local restaurants will set up booths to serve food and wine, organizers said, and Conrad will assist in auctioning donated items. One item is an American flag he took to the moon.

Tickets are $25, and all but a nominal amount goes to benefit the club.

Participating restaurants include the National Sports Bar & Grill, Olive Garden, Aroma, the White House, Red Lobster, Hof’s Hut and Baker’s Square.

The event, which is the third such annual fund-raiser held by the club, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on the club’s grounds.

7758 Knott Ave., Buena Park. (714) 522-7259.

*

Wine lovers are invited to bring their own red or white Bordeaux wines to dinner tonight and Friday at Restaurant Antoine. Chef Jean Pierre Lemanissier is preparing a five-course dinner to complement the wines.

Dinner includes fresh Dover sole with black mussel sauce, roasted wild squab salad with truffle dressing, sauteed New York steak with bordelaise sauce, and a dessert of fresh strawberry terrine with icing and macaroons.

The price is $65 per person, plus tax and tip. The dinner will be served from 6 to 10 p.m., and diners are invited to call ahead to discuss wine choices with Adam Gutteridge, maitre d’ and manager at the restaurant.

Le Meridien Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. (714) 476-2001, ext. 2158.

*

Natraj Cuisine of India has opened a restaurant in Laguna Hills. Owner Vijay Khosla said he will be serving the same mugali-style cuisine as can be found at the original Laguna Beach location. Menu items include chicken tandoori, fish kabobs, chicken tikka, curry dishes and naan bread. Prices are $5.95 to $10.95 for entrees.

There was also a Natraj in Mission Viejo, but Khosla said he had to shut it down five months ago when the landlord decided to demolish the shopping center.

The Laguna Hills restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays till 10:30 p.m.

24861 Alicia Parkway. (714) 581-4200.

*

You could hop a Concorde and fly to Lyon, France, for an evening. But it might be simpler to stop by Pascal on Monday night. The restaurant is serving a Lyon-style dinner, accompanied by a presentation by the French office of tourism. And guest French chefs have been invited to join diners at each table.

The dinner includes sausage baked in a crust, curly endive salad with warm smoked bacon, pike quennelle (which is a dumpling stuffed with pike and crayfish), and chicken prepared with truffle sauce, in the style of Chef Paul Boucuse.

The cost is $65 per person, which includes tax, tip and wine.

1000 Bristol St., Newport Beach. (714) 752-0107.