The Dose

Wild Strawberries Forever

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By Greer Wylder
March 14, 2012

Wild Strawberry Cafe in Newport Beach just celebrated its first year anniversary and we can’t believe we didn’t discover it sooner. Owner Natasha Kazic, originally from Montenegro, created a charming eatery with truly good food in the Design Plaza at Newport Center. The European-style café specializes in health-conscious crepes, homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and homemade pastries and baked goods. After a 100 lb. weight loss and a 40 day fast, Natasha says she found her purpose in life: to open a café to offer nutritious dishes made with less sugar, mostly gluten-free and other healthy options like almond milk and…

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Tacos Fore! Charity

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By Greer Wylder
March 13, 2012

Every year the Toshiba Classic makes its way to Orange County. And every year, 75,000 gentlemen and women descend on Newport Beach in the name of golf and charity. Over the past 14 years, the event has raised over $14 million for charity. This year, golfers and spectators alike will come together on Thursday, March 15 to benefit the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital. The complimentary event, held at Taco Rosa, will be a chance for guests to relax while tasting tequila, sipping wine, eating appetizers and bidding on an auction and raffle. Some of the…

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Sweet Bacon

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By Greer Wylder
March 12, 2012

It’s one thing to adore bacon, as former members of the Bacon of the Month Club, we get it. It’s another to call yourself the Bacon Vixen and dedicate years to perfecting handmade gourmet bacon candies. Meet Tara Simon of Costa Mesa, part-Pilates instructor, part bacon candy artist who founded The Sticky Pig candy bacon confections that will seduce any bacon lover. The next time you’re considering the perfect hostess gift, party favor, or just a box of treats for the bacon aficianado in your life, you’ll know where to turn. The Sticky Pig’s latest original bacon candy collection includes…

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Snack, Sip and Surf

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By Greer Wylder
March 09, 2012

The boutique hotel Pacific Edge in Laguna Beach will be offering a Snack, Sip & Surf event on Sunday, from 2 to 5 p.m. It’s an afternoon of food, fun and friendly competition including the best local mixologist, taco, and paddleboard team. Proceeds will go to Mauli Ola, benefiting children with Cystic Fibrosis. At the hotel's surf-themed ocean view cabanas, mixologists will create their own signature cocktail.  Attendees can vote on their favorite, and the winning drink will become the cocktail of the summer. The taco competitors include Olamendi's, Basement Table and La Sirena Grill serving up specialty tacos for…

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Local Brunch at SoCo

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By Greer Wylder
March 08, 2012

This Saturday at SoCo Farmer’s Market in Costa Mesa, Chef Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria, and Chef Joe Youkhan of Tasting Spoon will be teaming up to bring Orange County a brunch that will feature fresh, local ingredients. The meal, beginning at 11:30 a.m. is limited to 50 people with reservations. Those lucky 50 will enjoy a 5-course prix fixe menu. The brunch will start with a warm egg yolk from SoCo’s farm, topped with rosemary spring onion and cotija cream. Next, a wild mushroom dish will be served with white truffle, fava beans, and anson mills marscapone polenta. The…

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