The 14th annual Taste of Newport begins Friday at Fashion Island.
Among those serving tastes from their restaurants' menus is Dennis
Brask, chef at Five Crowns Restaurant in Corona del Mar.
On Friday, City Editor James Meier stopped by Five Crowns to chat
with Brask about his favorite tastes as well as those of the
thousands who'll sample his restaurant's tastes.
How long have you been involved with the Taste of Newport?
Since the beginning. Though I was gone for a few years and they
continued while I was gone.
What got you involved?
It goes back to when it was the Salute to the Arts. Of course now
it's the Taste of Newport. We used to be indoors, with a booth and a
couple other people. And it's grown to taking up the north end of
Fashion Island and attracting tens of thousands. So, just about from
the beginning.
What do you plan to offer tasters this year at the Five Crowns'
booth?
We do the same thing every year. I'd probably be lynched if I
didn't do our roasted prime rib sandwich, with au jus and fresh
whipped cream horseradish and we do our signature raspberry creme
brulee.
We've added two and taken away from it over the time, but those
are the two things that we've always taken and are the most popular.
Like I said, I wouldn't dare not do it.
What else did you dare to bring?
Oh, we've brought crab cakes and pasta dishes, etc., etc., but the
public has always told us, by their participation and what they've
bought, that that's what they want us to bring.
When you're not cooking or eating own food, what do you try when
you're at the Taste?
A little bit of everything. It's a great venue. There's always the
new people who are there for the first year and I always love to see
what they're doing. I actually collect a list of hints of the places
to try, the new places on the block, and see what they're offering.
Then, I go back later for dinner.
Are there any particulars that you forward to every year?
I spend a lot of time in our booth, so I can't say. Royal Thai is
a great friend. We've done a lot of things with them, so that's a
must touch-base-with, along with Villa Nova.
So, at your booth, do you show people how to make this great food,
too?
Pretty much, the lines are so long and the service goes so fast.
Most of the roasting we do is done here [at the Five Crowns]. We do
finish off the creme brulee at the Taste, which is torching the sugar
on top and caramelizing it, which draws a lot of attention and is
really fun because you get to interact with the public. They say,
