Greer’s OC: Claw your way toward Crab Tuesdays

Experiencing a culinary delicacy doesn’t get much better than Crab Tuesdays at AnQi Gourmet Bistro & Noodle Bar at South Coast Plaza. It’s a rare weekly foodie event hosted by celebrity Chef Helene An, the matriarch and executive chef of all An Family restaurants.

She travels from Beverly Hills to cook her famous garlic roasted crab that she perfected at Crustacean in Beverly Hills and San Francisco decades ago, served with her legendary garlic noodles. (Even AnQi’s Chef Ryan Carson doesn’t know her garlic roasted crab and garlic noodle recipe.)

An prepares the meal in her secret kitchen that only family members and chefs who have worked with the family for more than a decade can enter. The crab Tuesdays experience is limited, so it’s best to reserve your Dungeness crab order a minimum of 24 hours in advance.

The roasted crab dish is available in the shell ($48) or shelled ($53), which is easier to eat; in the shell is preferred by the An family. Along with the crab, you can order appetizers and other courses, such as the char-grilled jumbo prawns with saffron fries, fra mani chorizo, manilla clams, piquillo pepper fumer and quinzoi liaison a la carte.

AnQi is adjacent to Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 557-5679 or visit https://www.houseofan.com.

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Fall by the beach

As soon as Labor Day comes and goes, the summer crowds in Laguna Beach will be gone, yet the beautiful weather will be breathtaking. So a stay at the oceanfront Inn at Laguna Beach can make a perfect getaway. Everything you need is within walking distance: the beach, shopping, art galleries, restaurants and the Laguna Art Museum.

The Inn at Laguna Beach overlooks Main Beach, Laguna Village and Heisler Park, and it’s offering a special fall rate that’s hard to beat: From $139 per night, you can book a village view room. Just book the room online at https://www.innatlagunabeach.com or call (888) 740-7178 by Sept. 10, for a stay from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. Mention the promo code: PROOCT. The rate doesn’t include resort fee, incidental charges or taxes, and blackout dates can apply.

Inn at Laguna Beach is at 211 N. Coast Hwy. in Laguna Beach.

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Opt for organic

Sprouts Farmers Market is celebrating its grand opening at its new East 17th Street store in Costa Mesa. Find incredible savings on great-tasting, fresh foods and a variety of popular items for just $1 and $2 through Sunday.

Sprouts features natural, organic and indulgence foods at a great value, including heaps of fresh produce, all natural meats, fresh seafood delivered almost daily and more than 300 bins of bulk rice, spices, nuts, grains and coffee.

It’s open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 222 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa. For more information, visit sprouts.com.

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Five Guys, one more location

The DC-area burger chain with a cult-like following, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, has hit Orange County big time with seven locations, most recently at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

Five Guys is famous for its ultra-simple menu: just grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled veggie and cheese sandwiches, French fries and Cajun fries, Coke and water.

Not sure why you need this many options, but they say there are 250,000 possible ways to order a burger. Five Guys prides itself on fresh ground beef burgers and a menu that’s completely trans-fat free.

Five Guys Burger and Fries is in Costa Mesa at 3030 Harbor Blvd., (714) 549-0135; in Huntington Beach at 18645 Beach Blvd., (714) 861-4448; and in Fashion Island at Atrium Cafés, which is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, call (949) 219-0655.

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Get away with golf

Thanks to new value-driven golf getaways at Pelican Hill, golf enthusiasts can be treated to luxury stays, professional instructors and the chance to play at one of the most spectacular golf courses on the SoCal coast.

Starting in the fall, Pelican Hill Golf Club will be offering value-driven golf getaways and top instruction programs at both its ocean-view courses.

The Resort at Pelican Hill features 36 holes of ocean-view golf designed by the renowned Tom Fazio, as well as the Pelican Hill Golf Academy led by Glenn Deck, considered one of top 100 golf instructors in the country.

One of Pelican Hill’s golf getaway packages, the Guys’ Golf Getaway, runs Sept. 5 through Dec. 30 and includes two nights in a spacious villa with personal butler service; one golf round with forecaddie; dinner at Pelican Grill, the Golf Club’s 19th Hole and Newport Coast’s Sports Center; and a haircut and hot lather shave in the Spa’s traditional barber chair. Packages start from $1,450 for two nights (based on double occupancy in the two-bedroom garden-view Villa).

A two-night minimum stay, which excludes tax and gratuity, is required. Also available Sept. 5 through Dec. 30, the Golf Academy Total Tune-up Package offers a private half-day clinic for experienced players to work on their fundamentals. Advanced golfers can pick up new techniques, or beginners can learn the game.

The package includes two nights in a bungalow guest room; a private 45-minute lesson at the Pelican Hill Golf Academy and 2.5-hour nine-hole playing lesson with Deck. The package starts at $1,685 for two nights. A two-night minimum stay is required, based on availability and excluding tax and gratuity.

One weekend of each month, the Pelican Hill Golf Academy will offer four different half-day golf schools dedicated to help improve or enhance a specific part of the game of golf. Private lessons are available at all times to provide customized and individual instruction based on the skill level of any player. The workshops cost $225 per student.

For Golf Academy reservations, contact Deck at gdeck@pelicanhill.com or (949) 467-5810. For accommodations, spa, dining or golf reservations, call (800) 820-6800.

Pelican Hill is at 22701 Pelican Hill Road South in Newport Coast.

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.