Greer’s OC: A week of perfect prix fixe
Foodies will love the return of Orange County Restaurant Week starting Sunday through March 5. They capped off the restaurants this year to 100 — to keep it even more special. It’s a great week to try new restaurants — the list is perfect for everyone, from upscale to casual and family-friendly options. Prix fixe menus will be set at $10, $15 and $10 per person for lunch, and $20, $30 or $40 per person for dinner. You can search for your favorite restaurant by city, and see the entire list at https://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.
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A slice of the Mediterranean
When Armenian-born, Syrian-raised Sousanna Alexander couldn’t find her favorite sandwich she grew up eating along the Mediterranean — a sujok sandwich with delicious spicy sausage tomatoes, pickles pressed in Mahdnakash bread — anywhere in Orange County, she fixed that problem.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t I just open a tasty place with a cozy feeling and great food?’” Alexander recalled.
Last month, she opened Zeytoon in Laguna Beach, a tiny deli and market that serves her favorite sujok sandwich along with about nine other grilled flatbread sandwiches that we can’t get enough of.
Alexander is an interior designer by trade, but she knows great Mediterranean foods, and she’s bringing those flavors to Laguna Beach via Zeytoon’s chef, Sri Lankan-born Brazil Uluwita, who grills turkey panini, manaeesh (an oregano thyme spread with olive oil on flatbread); Zeytoon’s signature flatbread with green olives, herb, light mozzarella, red and green peppers and tomatoes; and toshka marinated ground beef spread and pressed in a pita bread.
Zeytoon means peace and prosperity to everyone throughout the world, which is a lovely sentiment. But selfishly, we’re just happy that Alexander couldn’t find her favorite sandwich.
Zeytoon also imports Italian desserts and hard-to-find Danesi gourmet coffee for espresso and lattes and has a deli section for hummus, chips and gourmet sodas to go.
Zeytoon is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 412 N. Coast Hwy. in Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 715-9230.
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Some bling with your bathtub
You can own a one-of-a-kind vintage bathtub completely blinged out in Swarovski crystals. And as the proud owner, you’ll be helping to find a cure and improving the quality of lives of those suffering from diseases.
Mom of four and dedicated visionary Lori Gardner spent three years attaching 45,000 rose pink Swarovski crystals by hand to a baby cast-iron claw-foot tub, now on display at Fleur de Lys in Costa Mesa. She chose Susan G. Komen for the Cure Orange County as the beneficiary of the sale of her first tub.
She’d like to continue decorating more tubs for causes, including light blue for Chelsea’s Light, light green for muscular dystrophy, gray for diabetes and clear for the cause of the purchaser’s choice. You can find out more about the Diamond Bathtub at https://www.thediamondbathtub.com.
Fleur de Lys is at 369 E 17th St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (949) 548-0810 or visit https://www.fleurdelysus.com.
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A night of rock opera
For one night only, classic opera will meet rock! Opera superstar Renée Fleming is giving Orange County an exclusive experience of covering indie rock songs at 8 p.m. April 5 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. By the way, we loved Fleming’s rock-tinged album “Dark Hope.”
She will be performing classical opera selections in the first half of her performance, and the second half will solely be rock. Some covers will include Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Arcade Fire and the Mars Volta.
So that everyone can see this exclusive performance, many tickets will be priced at $25. Tickets in the orchestra section will start at $85.
You can also purchase tickets in prime box circle seats and attend a reception with Fleming. Tickets are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, online at https://www.philharmonicsociety.org and at the center box office at (714) 556-2787.
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.
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Discount on facial services
If you’re looking for a well-respected solution to non-surgical facial procedures, consider Dr. Robert Nettles in Corona del Mar. His modern face restoration services include everything from Botox and fillers to more complex “nose jobs” and under-eye fillers to make those terrible bags disappear.
He created and pioneered this procedure and can achieve a precise and natural result in under an hour. He can smooth, sculpt and lift just like a traditional nose job on your lunch hour, with no down time, no bruising, very little pain and minimal swelling.
Nettles is offering an exclusive discount to Greer’s OC readers: $150 off for first-time patients. He has been featured on Bravo, Discovery Health and “Good Day LA” and in dozens of magazines.
Nettles’ clinic is at 2515 E. Coast Hwy., Suite 3B in Corona Del Mar. For more information, call (949) 274-4225.
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Get a new look for your home
On the hunt for fine furniture, European antiques, window coverings and more? McKee & Company Home, a renowned home furnishings, accessories and interior design store, just opened a second Orange County location at Corona del Mar Plaza. Its original store is in Dana Point, near the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.
McKee & Company carries an international selection of unique products, many of which are hand-made by artisans. Choose from furnishings inspired by European country décor, as well as beach-inspired furnishings perfect for its coastal location.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Corona del Mar Plaza at MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 706-8600 or visit mckeeco.com/home/.
GREER WYLDER writes Greer’s OC for the Huntington Beach Independent each Thursday and the Daily Pilot and Coastline Pilot each Friday. She’s the founder and president of greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining, music, events and trends. Her blog can be viewed https://www.greersoc.com and she can be contacted at greer@greersoc.com.