Sea bass and rockin’ bass

At the 20th Annual Taste of Newport this weekend, there will be 35 restaurants, three bestselling rock bands and at least one secret revealed.

That would be the recipe for the New York Food Company’s Chilean sea bass, which Executive Chef Larry Flentie will be demonstrating Friday and Saturday nights. The Thai-marinated sea bass with red pepper broth and soba noodles is a favorite menu item at Flentie’s catering company, and over the years, the company has kept mum when customers asked how to prepare it.

“I have sent that Chilean sea bass all over the United States in our private jet catering,” Flentie said. “I have served it at at least 1,000 weddings in my 16 years at the company.”

This year, though, the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce — a frequent customer of the New York Food Company — invited Flentie to give a cooking demonstration at the Taste of Newport, and the veteran chef decided to make it a pair of nights to remember. It may not be the only memorable part of this year’s Taste of Newport, however, as the chamber has increased its number of restaurants from last year by a quarter and anticipates a bigger-than-usual crowd.

Friday through Sunday, 35 restaurants will set up booths and give out food samples at $1 to $7 each, while 15 wineries will join the festivities and Third Eye Blind, Styx and UB40 will provide entertainment covered by the general admission charge. Blanca, Mastro’s Steak House and the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina’s new Back Bay Bistro are among the restaurants joining the event for the first time.

The 35 participating restaurants tie the event’s all-time record, according to chamber spokeswoman Jessica Quadra.

“This is definitely one of the highest years we’ve had,” she said.

WHERE: Newport Center Drive, Fashion Island

WHEN: 6 to 11 p.m. Friday; 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday

ADMISSION: $22 in advance; $25 at the gate; $1 to $7 for tastes and $125 for VIP concert tickets

INFORMATION: Call (949) 729-4400 or visit www.tasteofnewport.com