INSIDE SCOOPS

A salsa concocted by two pepper enthusiasts who are growing rare

Peruvian peppers at OCC has touched some powerful palates. First lady

Hillary Rodham Clinton, a fan of salsa, requested a few jars after the

two tipped off one of her staff members about their creation.

“We think she can take the heat really well,” said pepper grower Carl

Will.

Calling it a night

Has the Newport Beach City Council lost its touch? Last week’s meeting

was finished by 8 p.m., a good two to three hours before it usually lets

out. An early end is practically unheard of. The previous meeting, when

the council members discussed and tabled the proposed Dunes resort,

lasted past midnight.

Perhaps city business is getting easier, or perhaps it was the absence

of the Dunes resort on the agenda.

Old boats, old mold

So where exactly do the cute, snubby noses on the skiffs from Newport

Harbor Boat Rentals come from? Shop co-owner Doug Turin says they’re from

an old mold that was created in former Balboa Pavilion owner Art

Gronsky’s kitchen.

As for the color of the boats, that’s supposed to be “Chesapeake

blue,” Turin said. What it looks like after it’s been floating in the

harbor for a few years, though, is another story.

No flash necessary

Ever been to Mardi Gras but modesty kept you from coming back with

those beads? At the Orange County Fair they’ll give you a strand of those

coveted pseudojewels just for entering the Brews and Blues Cafe.

Compiled by the Daily Pilot staff