RESTAURANT ROUNDUP:

A La Carte Gourmet, an eclectic restaurant that opened in Laguna Beach 23 years ago, has opened a second location in Newport Beach.

The restaurant at 704 E. Balboa Blvd. draws from Italian, French, Japanese and American cuisine, with a menu including Chinese chicken salad, Thai noodles in peanut sauce and Cajun chicken breast sandwich.

A La Carte also offers take-out food and picnic meals on the go.

The restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with dinner served from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Call (949) 673-7173 for more information.

‘Wine Captain’ celebrates anniversary

Tommy Martin, known as the “Wine Captain” of the Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar, is celebrating his 40th anniversary with the restaurant this month.

A native of Liverpool, England, Martin became a steward on Atlantic ocean liners in the 1960s and worked in a New York restaurant before heading to California. He worked as a bartender at Five Crowns briefly before taking charge of the restaurant’s wine selections. Martin makes wine recommendations to Five Crowns’ guests and publishes a wine list of “Tommy’s Top Ten Treasures” for diners.

“The secret of life is loving what you do,” Martin said in a release. “I feel blessed to have been at Five Crowns. It’s the best company you could possibly work for. The coworkers here are like family.”

Five Crowns, at 3801 East Coast Highway, is open for dinner nightly and for Sunday brunch. Call (949) 760-0331 for more information.

— Michael Miller