Dinner

Sgt. Steve Burdette of the Newport Police Department said he’ll open some of his gifts with his wife and two children once he gets home from work Christmas day. But while at work Friday, he enjoyed a hot meal with his secondary family at the Police Department that was catered by the Balboa Bay Club and paid for by the department’s police employees and the police management associations. It’s Burdette’s second year in a row working Christmas. Burdette was promoted two years ago to sergeant.

Seniors seeking some dinner and entertainment are encouraged to make reservations for the Costa Mesa Senior Center’s dinner theater scheduled for Friday, organizers said. The event, the first of two scheduled for the year, will feature live entertainment from music group the Company Three Trio, and a catered meal from Newport Rib Company. The cost is $10 for members and $17 for non-members. Center Executive Director Aviva Goelman said comedians, musicians, and actors have performed before.

Like love and marriage, and a horse and carriage, some things go together so well, you hardly want to contemplate one without the other. If your classic pairings include dinner and a great flick, check out the Newport Beach Public Library's newest set of "Timeless Treasures." Shelved at the Central Library, the "Dinner and a Movie" collection features videos and DVDs paired with cookbooks that reflect their spirit. There are obvious duos, like "Forrest Gump" and "The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook," the latter offering an inspired catch of kabob, gumbo and Creole recipes.

Newport Beach-based celebrity chef Jamie Gwen is set to front the third Flavors of Orange County dinner and fundraiser on behalf of the American Liver Foundation. The Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach, formerly the Sutton Place, will be the setting for the Jan. 29 event, which will feature some of the finest dining in Orange County. The premise for the party is that a lineup of celebrity chefs will each prepare an incredible five-course dinner accompanied by the appropriate wine for a table of 12. In other words, everyone in the ballroom will be enjoying their own dining experience prepared by a particular chef.

Set to a Caribbean theme, the Commercial Real Estate Women of Orange County will host its annual summer dinner at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the Balboa Yacht Club. The event includes a live and silent auction as well as live entertainment, with all proceeds benefiting WISEPlace, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit supporting homeless women with shelter, food and supportive services. Last year, the dinner raised more than $12,000 for the charity. Tickets may be purchased at the door and are $95 for members and $105 for nonmembers.

"There is a new world order. And there is the old world order," offered Jonathan Adelman, a professor at the University of Denver and keynote speaker at the Jewish National Fund's Tree of Life awards dinner held Sunday evening at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa. "The old world order is defined by hatred, hostility, prejudice and war. The new world order is defined by trade and international commerce, technological and scientific advancement, communication and cooperation, and peace." Adelman, an international relations expert and advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, came to Costa Mesa to deliver a message of hope to some 500 dinner guests who gathered to pay tribute to two locals working for the new world order.

Dorothy and Donald Kennedy are in the social spotlight this week. They are among the most distinguished of Orange County's first families ? not simply because they are descendants of pioneer stock, but also because they are first when it comes to supporting every possible worthwhile community project. The Kennedys lent their formidable reputation in support of the Orange County Special Olympics at an exciting reception and dinner held at the Santa Ana headquarters of their company, First American Trust.

JOSEPH N. BELL Dear Arnold: I've got to tell you up front that I won't be at your bash at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine on Tuesday. I would have enjoyed watching the Lincoln Club and the New Majority co-habiting, even from a distance, but sending my regrets isn't just a matter of money. It's true, I can't afford even the $1,000 bleacher seats that would probably put me somewhere in the neighborhood of Bakersfield at your dinner. But the bottom line is that I'm into saving California, too, but not the way the high rollers at your dinner have in mind.

Heralding the 2009-10 social season on the California Riviera, South Coast Repertory Theatre threw a most elegant ball Sept. 12 in Newport Beach. The Balboa Bay Club & Resort transformed its handsome ballroom into the perfect setting for “Nothing But Blue Skies…from now on.” The party theme was taken from the classic Hollywood film and title song written by Irving Berlin . Glamorous event Chairwoman Bette Aitken , wife of repertory board chairman Wylie Aitken, joined her committee in selecting a theme representing optimism in the face of difficult times.

The Mesa Verde Convalescent Hospital will serve a spaghetti dinner to raise money to buy toys for kids at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Moved by the sadness of children spending their Christmas in the hospital, the men and women at the Costa Mesa facility are holding the meal in their dining room Dec. 7 with seating times at 2, 3, 4 and 5 p.m. Activities Director Joyce Rivera planned the event, which is the first of its kind at the convalescent hospital. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $8.50 for children younger than 12. They can be purchased in advance by calling (949)

Los Angeles-based healthy salads and sandwiches eatery Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop will expand into Orange County with the April opening of a Costa Mesa location. Greenleaf opens April 30 on East 17th Street, between Orange and Santa Ana avenues, in a 4,200-square-foot space reflective of the restaurant-meets-farmstand atmosphere signature to its Beverly Hills and Century City locations, according to a news release. Developers submitted plans for the project, which is the largest of the Greenleaf locations, to city planners in May, according to Daily Pilot archives . The restaurant will open at 8 a.m. daily and offer breakfast, lunch and dinner items consisting of a variety of salads, wraps and sandwiches.

When Newport Beach Mayor Nancy Gardner delivered a two-word state-of-the-city address to the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce last month ("it's fine"), people thought she was mostly joking. Turns out she wasn't. Gardner slightly elaborated on that theme Friday night at the annual mayor's dinner, hosted by the advocacy group Speak Up Newport. She said the City Council and its administrators have reshaped the government the past two years, and now it is time to take a breath, to see how the major changes work out. Beyond that, she proposed revamping the city's TV station, better chronicling the area's history and identified some long-term goals.

Several local restaurants will be showing off their most popular dishes during Newport Beach Restaurant Week, which kicks off Friday. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version incorrectly said that Five Crowns is serving mushroom soup, a gem lettuce and Point Reyes salad and Jidori chicken. The restaurant is serving Mary Alice's pride salad, roasted parsnip soup and braised Boulder Valley shortrib, among other items. Also Bryon Freeze's title is chef de cuisine, not chief de cuisine.

The Pelican Hill Golf Club was the setting for a spectacular day of golf pre-holidays benefiting the Literacy Project Foundation of Orange County. A picture-perfect day made for an outstanding first annual golf tournament that organizers billed as "Fore Dreams. " Co-chaired by a duo of dynamic gals, the beautiful (inside and out) Jeannie Lawrence and Sue Tucker , some 225 golfers and their guests participated in the day-long event that included 18 holes of golf at Pelican Hill on a course considered one of the top 100 public golf courses in America.

A Newport Beach tradition at Christmas time once again filled the grand ballroom of the Balboa Bay Club & Resort with a major dose of family warmth and togetherness. On Dec. 23, the Costa Mesa-based All-American Boys Chorus attracted some 250 guests for the annual holiday dinner and concert of the season on the coast. Led by executive director Anthony Manrique and musical director Wesley Martin , the chorus performed with musical perfection for the crowd of multi-generational family members united to share in the joy of the season.

Fact: Having a holly, jolly holiday season means eating holly, jolly feasts with family and friends. From crisp apple strudels to schnitzel with noodles, these are a few of everyone's favorite things. But when it comes to funding a feast that can fill up a table of tummies, your wallet quickly becomes far from full. Fear no more, holiday host extraordinaire. With these simple steps, you can feast like royalty with time, money and, as is the case with all holiday meals, yummy food to spare.

COSTA MESA — About 150 people poured into Estancia High School's gym to celebrate the life of Jim Scott, an avid school booster who pioneered the building of the school's football stadium that today bears his name. The memorial coincided with the Battle of the Bell, a ritual he created in the mid-1980s to foster community traditions and a friendly competition between Estancia and its cross-town rival, Costa Mesa High, said son Jim Scott Jr. The ceremony began and ended with a bagpipe, whose player wore a red kilt and Scott Clan shirt.

Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach was the setting for an underwriting dinner to benefit the upcoming 40th anniversary of Maestro John Alexander's association with the Pacific Chorale. Chaired by hosts Mart and Margie Hubbard , and Jan Landstrom , the evening brought together ardent benefactors of the Pacific Chorale, most notably Mary and Phil Lyons , Warren Coy , Margaret Gates , Vina Williams and Tom Slattery . These generous donors along with fellow Pacific Chorale supporters Dardie Dunlap , Ruth Ann and John Evans , Valerie and Hans Imhof , Sally Anderson and Tom Rogers , and Elizabeth and John Stahr raised $139,700 to underwrite the 40th anniversary concert on Nov. 6 honoring Alexander at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

The OC Skateboarding League hopes to raise $10,000 at an awards dinner Thursday evening to continue and expand its programs. Newport-Mesa Unified school board Trustee Katrina Foley founded the nonprofit last year to support local middle- and high-school skating teams. More than 150 students skate for 20 teams across the county. Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor high schools are among the participants. The awards dinner at the Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club in Fountain Valley will feature a silent auction, skate videos and guest appearances by as-yet-unnamed industry pros.

Maybe it's the super-secret ingredient in the fish batter, but something keeps locals coming back year after year — 64 years to date. The annual Lions Fish Fry & Carnival is set for this weekend, so club members are busy wrangling thousands of pounds of potatoes, fish and cole slaw into place. Organizers try to walk a tightrope between tradition and change. "There are a lot of new carnival rides, and we've got a lot of really good entertainment on the stage," Costa Mesa native and Lions Club board member Mike Scheafer said.