Did you know A.C. Slater from Saved By the Bell has a cookbook? Yes, Extra host Mario Lopez recently debuted a cooking tome called Extra Lean Family — and what's more is it's not even his first cookbook.
Lopez will appear at the Irvine Spectrum under the Giant Wheel on Thursday, Oct. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. to promote his book and show off his dimples and kitchen chops with radio host Jamie Gwen. He will make fish tacos, then do a book signing.
The event will also bring a dancing troupe and cooking demos from three soon-to-open Irvine Spectrum restaurants: Paul Martin's American Grill, Cucina Enoteca and Capital Seafood.
Brian Bennett, a founding partner at Paul Martin's American Grill, will make a butter lettuce and Point Reyes blue-cheese salad with candied walnuts, apples and maple vinaigrette. Executive Chef Joe Magnanelli of Cucina Enoteca will prepare homemade ricotta; and chef Bui of Capital Seafood will demonstrate how to make shrimp har gow dumplings.
]
The event is free, and other Irvine Spectrum restaurants will give out samples galore.
Here's a breakdown of some of the items from a few of the participating restaurants:
Capital Seafood: Hong Kong-style dim sum, pork and shrimp, fried shrimp with sugar cane, seafood seaweed rolls, juicy pork dumplings, spinach dumplings
Cucina Enoteca: bruschetta
Paul Martin's American Grill: all-natural, braised short ribs with mashed potatoes, horseradish cream and beef au jus
Veggie Grill: Chill Out wings
Chipotle: chips and guacamole
Dave & Buster's: baked mac and cheese
Ruby's Diner: sliders and fries
Red Robin: Southwest chicken salad
For more info about the event, check www.styleweekoc.com.
Follow Stick a Fork In It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook!
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.