Cheese

There is a 640-pound block of cheese at the Orange County Fair. Let that soak in for a moment. There is more than a quarter-ton block of cheddar at the fair, and no one gets to eat it. For many who stop to gaze at it in it all its yellow glory, the cheese is a beacon of hope and curiosity. One 5-year-old boy said enthusiastically he’d eat the whole thing, if only he could fit it in his mouth. One fair visitor, Vern Steger, looked at it and could only wonder, “How many bottles of wine would it take to get a good proportion to wine and cheese?

Say cheese. The Orange County Fair is once again bringing smiles to the faces of thousands of residents from our county and beyond. Not to mention a variety of cheeses, served up in a variety of ways, including on hats crafted by some, well, crafty senior citizens. It?s all things cheese ? the theme extends to smiling for a doozy of a camera, but more on that in a minute ? at the fair this year, keeping in line with the ?Say Cheese? theme that organizers came up with months ago. But it?

Kathy Mader Everybody say cheese! No, this is not a family photo, but the battle cry of Mi Casa Mexican restaurant on the corner of 17th Street and Santa Ana Avenue in Costa Mesa. For some, Mi Casa is a guilty pleasure -- a place where nothing, and I mean nothing except for the prices, has changed in 30 years. For the crowd of regulars who jealously guard Mi Casa, it can be their one and only source of true "Mexican" food. But no matter how you look at Mi Casa, it is a local favorite, and there is always a crowd.

While Orange County Fair officials are still glowing from this year's record attendance, they're already looking ahead to 2008. The theme will be "Say Cheese!" And a few elements that helped make this year's fair a success will likely be back next year, said Orange County Fair Senior Vice President Steve Beazley. Some possibilities for the 2008 fair are a new sand sculpture with moving parts — something the company behind this year's sculpture, Sandscapes, has never done before.

Organizers of this year’s Orange County Fair had barely put the cows out to pasture before plans were underway for the next fair. Discounted presale tickets for the annual event, themed “Say Cheese,” are on sale through July 10. The fair runs from July 11 through Aug. 3. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and $3 for children 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger get in free. For information, or to purchase tickets, call (714) 740-2000 or go to www.ocfair.

Saturday morning, a number of families stopped by and stared as three artists worked on the Orange County Fair’s annual sand sculpture. Most of the time, though, their eyes weren’t focused on the work in progress — rather, they watched a tiny hole on the top and waited for the mouse to appear again. Sandscapes, a San Luis Obispo-based company that designs sand sculptures around the world, has brought its craft to the Orange County Fair each of the last two years and a number of times in the past.

Where’s it at: Zinc Café and Market, 322 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, (949) 719-9462. What’s in it: Valerie McDaniel, wine and cheese educator for the cafe, hosts an evening of wine and cheese every Friday. Each occasion has a theme, and McDaniel — who is very knowledgeable and personable — features boutique wines such as Spanish whites, California whites and French reds. Cost: $12-15 for three wines and $12 for cheese plate Why you should order it: McDaniel sets the mood with soft lighting and French jazz and provides an atmosphere conducive to learning about wine.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District offers menu choices at elementary schools. Here's what's being served this week: TODAY: Turkey and cheese sub or bean and cheese burrito, corn on the cob, fresh fruit, Baked Cheetos, choice of milk WEDNESDAY: Munchable lunch salad or toasty dog (all-beef hot dog with cheese wrapped in whole-grain bread), potato wedges, fresh strawberries, choice of milk THURSDAY: Munchable lunch salad or chicken patty sandwich on a bun, baby carrots with ranch dip, fresh fruit, choice of milk FRIDAY: Munchable lunch salad or two soft beef tacos, lettuce, salsa and cheese, diced mixed fruit, whole-grain chocolate chip cookie, choice of milk MONDAY: Munchable lunch salad or Oscar Meyer all-beef hot dog on a bun, potato rounds, fresh fruit, choice of milk

Running a shop stocked with imported and domestic artisan cheeses is a lot like taking care of children. "Every morning I take the cheese out of the case to see how it's doing," said Dawn Mednick, co-owner of the Cheese Shop at the OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa. "I unwrap the paper and make sure that it's not too moist. "It's a lot of work. It's a lot like running a preschool. When I see a cheese that didn't get proper care, it's like I lost my own kid. " Opened Jan. 28 in the Mix - an eclectic indoor shopping hub at 3313 Hyland Ave. that's reminiscent of San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace - the store offers 45 cheeses, meats, sandwiches, chocolates, spreads and other pairings that complement the Mix's wine and coffee vendors.

COSTA MESA - Zora McPhail, 11, is trying to raise money to travel as a student ambassador to Canada, where she will meet members of Parliament, build and sleep in a tepee, and learn about our neighbors to the north. There are plenty of cultural curiosities to explore as well. Canadians, for example, dip French fries in malt vinegar. "I want to try it," the young Costa Mesa resident said with a smile. "I don't know if it's going to be good. " Zora, a sixth-grader at the Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa, was accepted into the People to People Ambassador program, which President Eisenhower created to foster world peace through direct interaction between people of different cultures.

Newport Harbor senior Crystal Morales' life changed dramatically Tuesday as she was walking home from school. Just last week, Morales wrapped up an intense project as an editor and actor in a short student film. On Tuesday, the shy and creative teen was critically injured in a suspected DUI crash. The 17-year-old is scheduled to graduate this spring and possibly enroll in Orange Coast College culinary classes or in film courses, said her mother, Gloria Morales. Speaking from Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where Crystal is in a medically induced coma, Gloria's voice breaks up as she talks about her daughter.

IRVINE — With literally dozens of lineup configurations and in-match adjustments, UC Irvine men's volleyball coach John Speraw has constantly tinkered, this season, to build a better mousetrap. But with the Anteaters reeling late in the second set at home Wednesday against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival UCLA, which had embarrassed UCI Thursday at Pauley Pavilion, it was a freshman from Wisconsin who brought some much-needed cheese. Just as baseball jargon refers to a rising fastball as high cheddar, 6-foot-4 outside hitter Jeremy Dejno's heaters from the service line and at the net, helped the hosts overcome a 22-19 Game 2 deficit and go on to record a crucial 19-25, 26-24, 25-20, 25-15 triumph that clinched a berth in the MPSF Tournament quarterfinals.

If you haven’t already heard about David Myers’ Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa, you probably haven’t been paying attention because it’s been written up everywhere. The consensus is that the pizza’s just dandy, but short shrift has been given to the rest of the menu. We’d like to rectify that omission and commend chef Steve Samson for putting out some authentic Italian dishes, using good ingredients and letting them shine. The result is clean, simple and tasty food.

It was hard to convince my friend that real, authentic Mexican food can be found on the Westside of Costa Mesa. That area is a treasure chest full of sit-down and take-out places that cater to the predominantly Latino community that resides there. For us gringos smart enough to venture over there, we are treated to the same fantastic Mexican food that the locals get. La Cocina de Isabel is one of those places that I immediately think of when I want good, cheap Mexican food.

Tucked away on a quiet side street off Pacific Coast Highway, Michiko Soffer’s Nesai restaurant, at 217 Riverside Ave., is biting into Newport Beach Restaurant Week for the first time. Its menu features grilled artichokes and coffee-braised beef brisket. “I tried to pick things that I felt were unique and popular to the restaurant,” Soffer said. Restaurant Week returns to Newport Beach today with prix-fixe menus at more than 50 local restaurants. Some, like Nesai, are new to the Restaurant Week roster, while others are repeat customers.

Luxury dining at unbeatable prices? That’s just what you’ll find at South Coast Plaza’s “Fashion Plates,” a promotion going on through Sunday that features prix-fixe, three-course lunches for $20 and four-course dinners priced at $40. Here’s a sampling of the menus offered. At Charlie Palmer, you’ll be served chilled English pea soup; grilled Berkshire pork chop with braised pork belly; pan-roasted scallops with green asparagus risotto; and crisp oyster mushrooms; and molten chocolate, hazelnut gelato.