DaVinci Gives Italy Northern Exposure

An Italian restaurant on the Santa Ana/Tustin border has reopened with a new name and new operators.

DaVinci Ristorante is the work of Mike and Layla Boyajian, who have owned the restaurant for almost 30 years but who had leased it to other operators.

DaVinci is inside the Bluebird Inn, which the Boyajians also run. The restaurant was formerly Puccini, which featured Southern Italian cooking, and before that, the Warm Table. DaVinci’s food is from Northern Italy, the Milan area, said Layla Boyajian.

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11:30 to 2:30 Monday through Friday. The lunch menu lists pasta dishes from $7.50 to $8.50. There’s crespelle farcite ai funghi con salsa al formaggio, for example, which are crepes filled with mushrooms and cheese sauce.

The lunch menu also includes a third course of meat, poultry and fish for about $9.50 to $12.50. One selection is sminuzzato di tacchino con peperoni, or turkey strips with pepperoni.

Dinner, served from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, offers an entirely different menu of pasta and risotto dishes for about $2 more.

The third course, again, is slightly more expensive than lunch, at $12.50 to $17.50. One interesting selection is the dadolata di halibut con fonduta di cipolle, or halibut pieces with onion fondue.

2222 E. 1st St., Santa Ana. (714) 285-1130.

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Antonello Ristorante is the host of a charity benefit evening Sunday that will feature Northern Italian cuisine, wine tasting, casino games and dancing. Two-thirds of the proceeds of the $75-per-person tickets will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Hours are 6 to 10 p.m., and reservations are recommended.

1611 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 938-1393.

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Pascal restaurant will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Moet et Chandon champagne Tuesday with a five-course dinner accompanied by various champagnes, including Dom Perignon, said owner Pascal Olhats.

A representative of Moet et Chandon, based in Epernie, France, will be on hand to talk about the winery’s history.

Dinner, which is $75 plus tax and tip, includes variations on smoked salmon, poached halibut, duck tenderloin with mushroom persillade, filet of veal with grape and foie gras sauce, and berries with peach coulis. Dinner begins at 7.

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

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Bagels and lox are the fare at a Sunday brunch hosted by the Mission Viejo B’nai B’rith. The buffet is held every other month. The buffet, which is $5 a person and begins at 10 a.m., includes traditional bagel accompaniments plus desserts and beverages. Reservations are required.

Mission Viejo Seniors/Community Center, 24932 Oso Viejo Road. (714) 859-3190 or (714) 472-0211.

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Gustaf Anders restaurant will hold its annual Swedish crayfish party Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will feature a menu of traditional Scandinavian delicacies for $39 per person, plus tax and tip.

Some of the food to be served includes dill cooked crayfish, Swedish style cabbage rolls, whipped potatoes and lingonberries, apple cake and aquavit, a Swedish brandy.

South Coast Plaza Village, 1651 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 668-1737.

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L.A. a la Carte, an annual food and music festival in Santa Monica, starts Friday night and runs through Sunday. The event features food from more than 40 Los Angeles-area restaurants, including Cha Cha Cha, Lawry’s, Tommy Tang’s and Papadakis Taverna.

The festival is on the grounds of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 3 to 12. Food and beverages cost about $1 to $5 per sample.

1855 Main St., Santa Monica. (310) 986-2735.