The two-day California Wine Festival returns to Dana Point for a weekend of world-class wines, gourmet bites, and live entertainment on Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa and the Sea Terrace Park, set above the Dana Point Harbor.
The festivities begin with the Sunset Rare and Reserve Tasting, with samples of limited-edition wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. The VIP experience includes a sparkling wine reception and an opportunity to meet winemakers and owners. A silent auction featuring rare wines and exclusive tasting tours will benefit the Sandy Feet Initiative, a nonprofit supporting siblings of children with special needs through beach activities like yoga and surfing. Live entertainment will be provided by Adam Lasher.
The Beachside Wine Festival will be the main event with wine tastings from hundreds of California’s finest wineries paired with gourmet bites from top local eateries. The festival will be complemented by live music from Upstream, a Caribbean steel drum band. For a premium experience, VIP guests will have early access to the festival, starting at noon, with exclusive access to reserve wines and gourmet food vendors.
California Wine Festival is a 21+ event, tickets are available for pre-sale here.
Zaytinya Culver City will be offering a special Greek Easter menu available for brunch during Easter weekend. The $55 four-course menu includes options like spring pea tzatziki, seared salmon, roasted asparagus with preserved lemon, and smoked lamb shoulder with lemon potatoes served alongside Zaytinya classics like hommus, crispy brussels sprouts, and olive oil cake. Signature cocktails include the Medi, made with mastiha liqueur, yuzu, lavender-infused honey, and cava bubbles, or the 3PM in Istanbul, with lavender tea infused vodka, grapefruit, strawberry Thai basil Aperol, vanilla, and lime.
Uchi West Hollywood welcomes Mexico City Chef Francisco Xavier Guzmán. From Monday, April 21 through Saturday, April 26th. Guzman and Uchi Chef de Cuisine Joel Hammond will collaborate on a menu featuring a blend of flavors and fresh ingredients foundational to both Japanese and Mexican cuisine.
Menu highlights include spring agua chile with tomatillo, English peas, fava beans, and squid as well as barbeque brisket and bluefin tuna al pastor maki with fermented pineapple, mitsuba crema, and black shallot salsa matcha.
The Fairmont Breakers Hotel will offer birds-eye views of the Long Beach Grand Prix From Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13 as well as indulgent, limited-time cocktails like the Victory Old Fashioned and the Gold Medal. The Final Lap caviar martini pairs the classic martini with an oyster and caviar. In honor of the milestone anniversary, each cocktail is priced at either $50 or $500.
What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink.
