Cocktail

It was the best fashion show produced in Orange County. Salvatore Ferragamo, in conjunction with the Guilds of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, presented an exclusive West Coast showing of the 2001 spring and summer Ferragamo collection. It could have been Paris. It could have been Milan. It could have been New York. It was Newport Beach. The setting was the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel. The capacity crowd of more than 500 ladies and gentlemen was dressed to kill and, more importantly, prepared to raise significant funds for the beloved Center.

When upscale steakhouses began their comeback several years ago, I wondered if it was just a passing fad, like cigar smoking or Tae-bo. After all, in this health-crazed area, how long could Orange County's finest continue downing artery-clogging steaks before overwhelming guilt sent them running to their therapists? Well, judging by the crowds at Fleming's Steakhouse in Newport Beach, red meat is here to stay. My new theory is that if we're going to splurge every now and then, let's do it right.

Fine dining in America has over the years taken on many guises. French restaurants once stood as the pinnacle of haute cuisine, but as American palates grew more sophisticated, various food styles have vied for the trendy diner's palate and wallet. High-end Italian is certainly stylish, California cuisine and its offshoot produce exciting ideas, and exotic Asian and Middle Eastern tastes now compete for a share of the honors. But despite all the trends and fashions, one style of dining has remained a classic American icon -- the steakhouse.

The next time the city gets around to designating a historical site, it should consider the town's oldest saloon -- Stark's. Considering the history and personality of the town, Stark's should have at least equal billing with McFadden's Wharf. Opened in 1902 by Henry Stark on that funny little half-block known as 21st Street, it was a familiar and popular watering hole and site of the town's oldest running poker game until some time in the 1950s. In 1960, Sid Soffer bought the place and renamed it Sid's Blue Beet.

Numerous national and international media outlets are reporting that golf superstar Tiger Woods, a part-time Corona del Mar resident, met with a self-alleged longtime mistress at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach for at least one of their 20 trysts. California cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs, 24, claims that she has had an affair with Woods, 33, for 31 months, according to comments attributed to her in various news reports. Grubbs said the pair met most recently in October at the Island Hotel, where they watched “Angels and Demons” and then had sex. Grubbs claims Woods has sent her hundreds of racy text and voice messages, and has published some of them in US Weekly, a national magazine.

A glamorous summer evening on the California Riviera raised more than $500,000 for the Orange County Museum of Art. The funds raised will benefit the museum's exhibition and public programs. Chaired by Newport's own "Perle Mesta" ? Maralou Harrington ? the party was a nonstop tribute to culture in this community. Organizers, including co-chairs Jennifer Segerstrom and Jennifer Van Bergh, call the once-a-year event "The Art of Dining." Cocktails were served at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Center at a private preview for patrons of the exhibition "Catherine Opie: In and Around Home."

As the very young and the very old began to head for the exits of Orange County's biggest election night party, Republican political donors, strategists and candidates headed to the elevators. In a wing of suites on the 16th floor of the Westin South Coast Plaza, several political action committees had rented rooms and thrown private parties for the local candidates they supported. Local Republicans seemed to be faring better Monday night than their national counterparts, but the mood was still somber as returns came in. Travis Allen, a candidate in the 72nd Assembly District race, and U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of the newly redrawn 48th district, were both leading late Monday night.

ROBERT GARDNER The Corona del Mar Centennial Committee interviewed a bunch of us old-timers a few days ago. After I left, I was trying to remember some of the early businesses in Corona del Mar and came up with the two markets -- the All American, now an Albertsons, and Coast Super, where the Health Emporium stands. We always shopped at the All American and continued when it became Albertsons. One day, however, I went into the Health Emporium, thinking to save myself several blocks of walking.

As the holiday season gets underway this weekend, here are a few insider tips on food, fashion and fabulous gifts. Over the past week, the Orange County the social crowd has turned out en masse for a dash of good cheer to get in the spirit. First stop, Tiffany & Co., where store director Michael Botsko introduced local VIPs to exclusive Tiffany leather goods designers Richard Lambertson and John Truex. The distinguished and talented pair flew in from New York to do lunch at Marché Moderne with some of O.C.'s most fashionable women (and a few men, too)