LA’s renowned wine expert Ian Blackburn of LearnAboutWine is expanding his wine education classes in OC at the St. Regis Monarch Beach! The super popular classes that sell out each month are geared for everyone from novices to wine pros, and he even has a Wine Credential Program for consumers and trade professionals.
The first St. Regis class, an introductory wine camp, starts Thursday from 6:45 to 9 p.m. You can learn wine basics (and more) from A - Z at the luxurious resort setting. Not only Ian’s guests have fun at wine camp, they can taste seven varieties of fine wines, learn about production, pairing, purchasing tips, and wine history. Check out the wine list you’ll be tasting: Cakebread, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley; Louis Jadot, Pouilly Fuisse, Burgundy, France; Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay, Napa Valley; Domaine Carneros, Pinot Noir, Carneros; Duckhorn, Merlot, Napa Valley; Silver Oak, Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; and Turley, Zinfandel, Old Vines, California.
The class costs $59 for non-members or just $39 for members. Sign up here.
You can join the LearnAboutWine membership program that gives special benefits, events and advantages like free corkage at SoCal’s hottest restaurants! For more info on LearnAboutWine and its membership program check it out here. And for the upcoming calendar of events, check here.
The St. Regis Monarch Beach at 1 Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. 310.451.7600.
Foreign Exchange just opened its fourth OC store at Irvine Spectrum Center. Other locations include Brea, Santa Ana, and Westminster.
The store features cutting-edge fashions for men and women as well as a trend-conscious private line by Foreign Exchange. You can find shirts, graphic tees, sweaters, jackets, pants, and denim. Besides dressing you, its goal is to bring different cultures together through fashion. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Foreign Exchange is next to Barnes & Noble adjacent to Carousel Court at Irvine Spectrum Center. 949.585.5134.
One of our all-time favorite OC based artists, the incredibly talented Zoey Stevens, is debuting his latest works, the Alice in Wunderland (Out of the Shadows) series at m modern in Palm Springs Friday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The show runs through April 18.
Zoey is big time. His high profile clients include Tom Hanks, Snoop Dogg, Steven Spielberg, Howard Stern, and Kanye West. He just returned from Las Vegas where he commissioned three large pieces for the Hard Rock Hotel. And Zoey has raised more than $500,000 for JDRF and other select charity events through live painting demonstrations and donating art works. At events, he’s appeared alongside Jay Leno, Warren G, The Black Eyed Peas, Dana Carvey and many more.
The females who posed as characters in Alice in Wunderland (Out of the Shadows) include his favorite model, his beautiful wife, Jennifer and for Alice, he chose friend Kit Pistol, a “Project Runway” designer. Zoey’s portrays the story from Alice’s perspective, a modern girl, enhanced with pop culture images as metaphors and characters. Zoey incorporated at few notorious Rappers to “Tea Time” to “add a bit of madness to the piece.” His inspiration for the series came from Salvador Dali’s interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classic story. One piece for each chapter of the story, 12 pieces total.
The showing is free and open to the public. Complimentary cocktails too! 2500 N. Palm Canyon Dr., # B5, Palm Springs. 760.416-3611.
Still looking for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? Join The Friends of Dorothy Guild, which has raised more than $300,000 for AIDS Services Foundation OC in just three years, at its annual free Friend-Raiser at Lexus Newport Beach on Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. The event includes free food, wine tasting, informal modeling from John Varvatos South Coast Plaza, and two raffle items (a South Coast Plaza shopping spree and one-year valet parking pass). You’ll hear the great plans for this year, meet its 2010 steering committee, and all money raised goes to AID Services Foundation OC! Lexus Newport Beach is located at 3901 MacArthur Boulevard in Newport Beach.
OPAH at The Market Place in Irvine just added new spring fixed price menus for lunch and dinner. Lunch entrees cost $10, and three-course dinner menu costs $30. And every item on the dinner menu is 50% off on Monday nights! Just a few items on the menu: grilled shrimp tacos; lobster and ricotta ravioli with tomatoes, smoked bacon, sweet peas, arugula and lemon saffron cream; and Kobe beef sliders. You must know, Opah is famous for its warm chocolate croissant bread pudding served with vanilla bean ice cream and bourbon anglaise! The Market Place, at 13122 Jamboree Road, off Irvine Blvd. in Irvine. 714.508.8055.
Hear the maestro: One of the world’s most acclaimed maestro’s Valery Gergiev of Russia will be performing with the Mariinsky Orchestra this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. 615 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Find tickets and more info here.
Indian Style: Can’t wait for this! Garden Patch Market, OC’s largest Indian specialty food store at Irvine Market Place, is hosting a Food Tasting Festival on Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. The event features India’s cuisine and culture with more than 100 food samples, including pickles, curries, snacks, sweets, breakfast items, sauces, and more. Also, enjoy music, free henna tattoos, and giveaways throughout the day, including a two-night stay at a Newport Beach hotel. 13230 Jamboree Road, off Bryan, (between Target and Bank of America) in Irvine. 714.508.7700.
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