wine – Page 4

Following the success of the inaugural event, the Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival returns to Newport Beach, CA October 2-4, 2015. The Festival begins on the evening of Friday, October 2, with the official Launch Party & Charity Event at Oak Grill and Aqua Lounge, one of Newport Beach’s hottest nightspots and dining destinations.

During the Daytime Festival on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, enjoy live cooking demos with celebrity chefs, interactive wine panels with master sommeliers, mixology courses and live jazz. Our Grand Tasting Pavilions will boast 30 of OC’s finest restaurants with over 200 wines poured for tastings. Saturday and Sunday daytime events takes place at the Newport Beach Civic Center. Net proceeds from the weekend benefit charity partner Project Hope Alliance.

Grab your tickets and get ready to eat, sip, and have fun! Peep the list of participants here:

Saturday Line-Up

Sunday Line-Up

See you there! Cheers!

We did a 12 course tasting here and it was an incredible dining experience. Our server Francesco “Franco” was the best server, EVER. I love his sexy accent.

Our party of 12 started off with Prosecco, a platter of cheese, olives, grapes, and honey with black truffle.

Here’s the list of the rest of the dishes:

brazino in crosta di sale sea salt crusted seabass in lemon and olive oil
grilled scampi
new zealand langostino
26 oz bistecca prime grilled tuscan style porterhouse
black squid tagliolini with baby calamari and bottarga
uni spaghetti
ravioli lobster and zucchini in fresh tomato sauce
ravioli ricotta and asparagi in white asparagus sauce
ravioli di zuzza pumpkin in butter sage

for desserts:

tiramisu
profiteroles
nutella tart pie
panna cotta

The entire evening felt like we were dining in Italy! It was lovely, authentic, and so warm welcoming. From the food to the service. It blew me away. The ambiance of the restaurant was dark, intimate, romantic. It’s one of those restaurants you want to bring a special person to or come celebrate something good. Will definitely be back.

Pro-tip: Valet for $7.