Tasty way to experiment

More than 30 restaurants from around Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine will tempt the palates at this year’s Taste of Newport, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce officials announced this week.

“I feel good about the whole list — we have a nice variety of restaurant and types of restaurants,” said the chamber’s special events director, Karin Graves. “The Taste of Newport was founded to market the great restaurants that our community possesses … and we want to showcase what Newport has to offer.”

Of the eateries scheduled to set up shop Sept. 15 through 17 on Newport Center Drive in Fashion Island, eight are new to the event, including Chronic Cantina, a Costa Mesa Mexican restaurant and bar set to open today at Triangle Square.

“It’s the best event in Orange County,” said Chronic Cantina’s co-owner Keith Scheinberg. “It’s a good way for everyone who hasn’t made it out to get a good taste and feel of the restaurants you haven’t been to…. It’s good food and good people; you just can’t go wrong.”

The food will be accompanied by wine from Coppola Estates, Beringer, Ste. Michelle, Geyser Peak and W.J. Deutsch, as well as a Bacardi martini bar.

THIS YEAR’S RESTAURANTS