Grill

Starting Nov. 28, Wildfish Seafood Grille in Newport Beach will offer its exclusive “12 Cocktails of Christmas,” drink menu, a collection of drinks with the tastes of the holidays. The tastes will include a Pumpkin Pie Martini, consisting of Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Pumpkin Liqueur and a dash of cream; and a Candy Cane Martini with Grey Goose Vodka and Bols Candy Cane Liqueur adorned with a miniature candy cane. In addition to creative drinks, the Wildfish Seafood Grille, at 1370 Bison Ave. — near The Bluffs dining and entertainment center — also serves prime seafood, USDA prime steaks and delectable desserts.

With football season getting into gear, Rudy’s Pub and Grill’s staff will have its work cut out for it. The sports bar is a local favorite on the Balboa Peninsula, and during big games, the spot is standing-room-only. We checked in with Head Chef David Baumann to see how he’s preparing.   It’s football season, with the NFL kicking off Thursday and the college season already underway. What does that mean for the bar? It’s busy.

It is no surprise that the words from the Doors’ “Soul Kitchen” always pop into my head at Sol Grill. Though Jim Morrison never stepped foot into the bistro by the beach, I am fairly certain this was similar to the Venice Beach café he wrote about more than 40 years ago. Everyone who is artistic or creative needs that place to hide, to feed one’s soul and escape from the banality of most of society. It is that “clean, well-lighted place” Ernest Hemingway wrote about that both my soul and my mind seem to crave.

Memorial Day weekend often has been thought of, informally at least, as the kick-off for the summer season. Probably because in March and April you can still sense that struggle between spring and summer as the cooler temperatures give way to more consistently sunnier days. But by the end of May, baseball season is well on its, way and those heat waves, like the one we experienced this week, emerge. So it’s natural that our thoughts often turn to getaways, barbecues, surfing, moonlit strolls on the beach with that special someone.

COSTA MESA — A red and white “Now Hiring” sign hangs from the awning of the Corner Office Sports Bar and Grill, behind a line of cars that crowd the end of this mostly deserted parking lot. Inside, the neon Budweiser and Miller beer signs shine over the windows. Five widescreen televisions, renowned for showing five different games at once, loom impressively on the wall. The other doors at the Lakes Pavilions Retail Center are locked, with windows showing barren counters and the residues of moving out. Before long, the entire center is expected to be demolished to make room for a high-rise residential complex.

Condiment tables surround the booth, offering every thinkable topping for a grilled corn-on-the-cob. Tony Boghosian has a thing or two on kitchen aficionado Martha Stewart when it comes to corn, or so he says. And from 10 a.m. to midnight at the Original Charbroiled Corn stand in the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, he proves it. Boghosian, 24, of San Diego went to school to become a doctor but decided he liked selling corn better. He's been helping out in the business since he was just 9 years old. It may sound simple but the Boghosian boys — Tony, his brother and two cousins — will be the first to point out it's not all it's shucked up to be. The first and most important ingredient is farm fresh corn, Boghosian said.

Cosi, a chain restaurant that recently opened at Metro Pointe at South Coast, plans to offer free s'mores — the campfire classics made from graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows — from July 22 to 26. Customers can enter the restaurant any time during open hours and request a free s'more, one treat per person. Staff members will bring out a wooden tray with a tiny hibachi grill in the center, then let diners skewer and roast their own s'mores. The restaurant's online store — www.getcosi.