ANOTHER BITE-SIZE ATTRACTION : A Taste of Orange County Offers a Smorgasbord of Savory Samples

Want to sample some of the best restaurants in the county without paying the high prices of haute cuisine? At this year’s A Taste of Orange County, you can do that plus more without emptying your wallet.

Chefs from throughout the county will offer bite-size portions of everything from sushi to boysenberry pie at the three-day event beginning Friday on the green at the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine.

Thirty-eight restaurants are scheduled to take part in this fourth annual edition of the charity event, surpassing last year’s high of 29. There are also more high-end restaurants participating this year, according to event organizers.

Five Crowns in Corona del Mar will offer a prime rib sandwich with whipped cream horseradish sauce, while Sfuzzi of Costa Mesa will cook up pancetta-wrapped shrimp with garlic mashed potatoes. Guest restaurant Tommy Tang’s of West Hollywood--the only non-O.C. entry--will be cooking up lobster tail and live soft-shell crab. And for a truly decadent dessert, Bistro 201 will offer a double-chocolate souffle with whipped cream.

If you are looking for more down-home fare, Mrs. Knott’s Restaurant, of Berry Farm fame, will have its famous fried chicken and, of course, boysenberry pie. And Burrell’s Bar-B-Que will have finger-lickin’ ribs.

For those of legal age who wish to wash down their food with spirits, there will be booths selling beer, margaritas and Mud Slides, a drink made with Kahlua.

Prices for food and beverage samples will range from $1 to $5, with the average taste running about $3. Visitors to the event can buy food tickets for $1 each at booths scattered throughout the grounds. All proceeds from the event will go to charities that benefit children.

If you are more interested in learning the secrets of the chefs than just eating their culinary creations, cooking lessons will be offered at the Hiram Walker’s Culinary Showcase. There you can learn from the techniques of Pascal Olhats, from Pascal in Newport Beach; Vijay Khosla, owner of Natraj Cuisine of India in Laguna Beach, or Giovanni Caporicci of Ice Sculptures Unlimited. (See schedule, page 6.)

Children have not been forgotten in the event. On “Children’s Street,” local businesses and organizations will provide educational activities including a video theater and artifacts display presented by the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and face painting. Gymboree will have a play area including equipment designed for climbing, sliding, ball playing, tumbling, rolling and other movements for youngsters under age 5.

Blockbuster Video will offer its “kid print” program, in which children are videotaped free of charge, for easy documentation in case of an abduction.