Fare well weekend

Jessica Garrison

FASHION ISLAND -- The fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad

kept people away from the Taste of Newport festival on Saturday night,

but overall, the 11th annual food fair was a huge success, organizer

Richard Leuehrs said.

More than 70,000 men, women and sticky-fingered children flooded the two

blocks of food, booze and loud ‘80s bands that transformed Newport Center

Drive over the weekend.

Between them, festival participants consumed 8,000 pieces of cake from

the Balboa Dessert Co., 2,700 miniature muffins from Mrs. Beasely’s and

more than 1,500 slices of key lime pie, for which the key limes were

flown in from the Florida Keys.

“We were Oscared,” said Leuehrs, the chief executive officer of the

Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce, explaining that for the first time in

the festival’s history, attendance Saturday evening declined.

Proceeds from the event, which cost $10 to get in and between $1 and $4

for samples of food from more than 35 area restaurants, will go to the

Chamber of Commerce, which will then distribute grants to local

charities.

Most of those gyrating to REO Speedwagon on Sunday evening or stuffing

their faces with fried calamari, chocolate souffle and Thai noodles had

fun, rather than charity, on their minds.

“It’s incredible,” Harrison Phelps of Irvine said. “We came for REO

Speedwagon, but the food is great.”

Sweaty-faced restaurant owners agreed.

“We’re getting fabulous exposure,” said William Carpenter of the

Bluewater Grill, between serving dizzying amounts of shrimp cocktail.

“And the sun is out today.”

Audrey Filipek of Newport Beach concurred, although as she spun herself

dizzy trying to keep track of her fast-toddling 18-month-old son,

Benjamin, she confronted the festival’s major drawback: it was very easy

to lose your companions among all the food.