Taste of Orange County

Saturday nights through the end of March, you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Ramos House Café with a four-course tasting menu of Irish specialties. The menu includes potato pancakes with Irish salmon, Irish stew and whiskey bread pudding, among other items. Saturday nights through March 27, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. $60 per person. 31752 Los Rios St., San Juan Capistrano. Call 949-443-1342 for reservations.

On Thursdays, the crow bar and kitchen offers a slew of late-night specials from 10 p.m. until close. Choose from $5 burgers, $8 flatbreads and 50 percent off select appetizers. On the drinks side, draft beers like like Craftsman 1903, Palm Ale and Karl Straus Big Barrell Double IPA are $4.50, select wines and well cocktails are $5 per glass, and you can take 30 percent off of all bottled beers. 2325 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. www.thecrowbarcdm.com 

OC Restaurant week will continue through March 13 at a majority of the current participating restaurants. Prix-fixe lunch menus are $10 to $20, while dinner menus are $20 to $40. If you plan on taking advantage of these deals next week, visit the Restaurant Week Web site to make sure your eatery of choice is still participating. www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com 

If you plan on parking it on the couch to watch the Academy Awards this Sunday, you may want to consider watching at Kimera in Irvine. The restaurant is hosting its second Oscar Viewing Party beginning at 5 p.m. Diners are encouraged to get all dolled up for Kimera’s red carpet, compete with “media” interviews before entering the restaurant. There will be hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, champagne split, gift bags, a silent auction and prizes for the best dressed and other categories. 21 and over only. $89 per person. 19530 Jamboree Road, Irvine. 949-261-1222. www.kimerarestaurant.com  

There’s quite a bit of buzz circling the St. Regis lately. First, Stonehill Tavern has appointment of Brian Black as executive chef. Black replaces Adam Keough, who left the restaurant to pursue travel and research in Asia. Black is a Culinary Institute graduate who has worked for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Aqua (which later became Stonehill Tavern) and as sous chef and chef de cuisine at the Loft at the Montage Laguna Beach.

The St. Regis has also unveiled a program for oenophiles who want to learn in a formal setting. Learn About Wine, an L.A.-based program, has partnered with the resort to offer one-night classes and a four-week “L.A.W. School” credential program. Some of the courses to look forward to:

• Intro to Wine. March 18 or Aug. 19
• Greatest Wines of the World. April 22
• Palate Builder/Taste Like a Pro. June 17

L.A.W. School courses begin May 6 or October 7 and run for four weeks each. Courses are in the evenings from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visit www.stregismb.com  or www.learnaboutwine.com  for more information and a complete schedule.

Morton’s the Steakhouse (photo above) is featuring a Glenlivet whiskey tasting at two of its OC locations this month. Diners can try four of its single-malts, including 12-year, 15-year, 16-year and 18-year. A representative of the company will be on-hand to talk about the whiskies. Tastings will be paired with hors d’oeuvres like smoked salmon pinwheels, sliced tenderloin on crostini, broiled sea scallops and petite filet mignon sandwiches. The first tasting is on Thursday at the Anaheim location (1985 S. Harbor Blvd.; 714-621-0101), while the second is on March 16 in Santa Ana (1641 W. Sunflower Ave.; 714-444-4834). Cost is $49 per person. www.mortons.com 

Is bacon is a bit more up your alley? You might want to head over to the Anaheim White House Thursday night. Chefs Jamie Gwen and Bruno Serato have dreamed up a four-course menu with bacon as the star of each. You’ll try things like candied bacon martinis, maple bacon biscuits and filet mignon with bacon mushroom sauce. 6:30 p.m. $40 per person. 1887 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim. 714-772-1381. www.anaheimwhitehouse.com 

The next installment of OC Restaurant Week is upon us again, and some of your favorite restaurants are gearing up to offer some great deals. The week begins Sunday, Feb. 27 and runs through March 6. Check out www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com  for a full list of participating restaurants.

The Winery Restaurant & Bar is kicking off the week with OC Restaurant Week Eve, where the week’s official cocktail will be unveiled. There will also be giveaways, like entertainment and OC staycations. The event is free to attend, but you have to RSVP by clicking on this link  to JILL-FM (92.7 FM), one of the sponsors of the event. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. 2647 Park Ave., Tustin. 714-258-7600. www.thewineryrestaurant.net 

When dining out, be sure to ask about the Golden Foodies card, a free card that diners can use for the remainder of the year that provides spiffs like 15 percent off of bills, free appetizers and desserts and special prices on wine. Visit www.goldenfoodiescard.com  for more information.

Also: Taco Rosa presents a culinary demo and a Milagro tequila tasting with Chef Ivan Calderon tomorrow at 3 p.m. Tacos Coreanos are Korean-inspired street tacos (think the Kogi BBQ truck!) with chipotle BBQ pork ribs with Korean relish served with homemade tortillas and sides. Also includes dessert. $25 per person. 2632 San Miguel Road, Newport Beach. 949-720-0980. www.tacorosa.com 

And one last bit of good news for the weekend: The OC Weekly reports that Pizzeria Mozza, the Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich outfit in Los Angeles, will open an OC location at 800 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. Read more about it here .