Fashion gets a night out

Newport-Mesa shoppers can enjoy one-night deals and entertainment benefiting a New York charity when Fashion’s Night Out at South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island on Thursday.

American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Co. and the city of New York created the international shopping event in 2009.

FNO returns to Fashion Island for the second consecutive year from 5 to 9 p.m., while South Coast Plaza retailers will participate from 6 to 9 p.m., according to the shopping centers.

This is the first year that South Coast Plaza has officially participated.

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Electric car dealership opens up shop

Chamber of Commerce membership director Tom Brennan places an info sheet on an all-electric Porsche Speedster replica at South Coast Electric Cars Wednesday. (KEVIN CHANG, Daily Pilot / August 31, 2011)

COSTA MESA — Were he still alive today, James Dean may have been a rebel with a “green” cause had he cruised the open highways in a 550 Porsche Spyder all-electric replica.

The sleek, semi-automatic, fiberglass vehicle powered by two lithium-ion batteries — one in the front and one in the rear, which provides additional stability though equal-weight distribution — is the newest all-electric roadster launched by South Coast Electric Cars.

The dealership held a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon, with public and city officials present. The 27,000-square-foot showroom at 1880 Newport Blvd. also features a selection of electric Vectrix motorcycles, Busetti Vortex mountain bikes and a Kandi COCO two-seater vehicle.

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Irvine council approves changes to mixed-use project near Great Park

IRVINE — On Tuesday night the City Council approved general plan and zoning changes to a project planned to ring the Orange County Great Park and provide $40 million in park infrastructure.

With a 3-2 vote, the council approved an amendment to the general plan, which includes the development of mixed-use neighborhoods consisting of 4,894 residential units and more than 1 million square feet of nonresidential space.

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New Newport Beach restaurant offers quick, healthy options

Freshii brings healthy fast food to diners with the opening of its first Orange County location last week in the Bluffs shopping center, according to a news release.

The Chicago-based franchise specializes in “Fresh food. Custom built,” according to its website. Menu options include salads, wraps, rice bowls, yogurt parfaits and soups with choice of 70 different fresh toppings.

Menu items include the Bangkok burrito, vegan wrap, spicy noodle bowl, antioxidant crunch salad, grilled steak salad or the choice to build your own meal. Prices range from about $4 to $9, according to the website.

The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 P.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 8 P.m. Sunday at MacArthur Boulevard and Bison Avenue in Newport Beach.

New bakery coming to Fashion Island

Baking classes and oven-fresh breads are coming to Fashion Island this October with the arrival of Belgian bakery and café Le Pain Quotidien.

The restaurant founded by chef Alain Coumont, with U.S. offices based in New York, features whole and half loaves of wheat, rye, spelt, and five-grain walnut breads. The menu also offers baguettes, French rolls, organic brioche, muffins and other pastries, according to its website.

Menu specialty items include cheese and hummus plates, open-faced sandwiches, quiche and other items.

Le Pain Quotidien will open in the shopping center’s Palm Court. The location will be the second worldwide to feature an on-site bakery and public classes, according to a news release.

It will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Menus and baking class information can be fount at http://www.lepainquotidien.us.

Seniors socialize at fitness expo

NEWPORT BEACH — The Oasis Evelyn Hart Event Center was transformed Wednesday morning into a shopping mecca for senior needs and resources with more than 50 local vendors.

The Oasis Senior Resources Expo, the first event of its kind at the center in about a decade, was expected to attract several hundred seniors, said Vicki Chin, center social services supervisor.

“People come here looking for senior products and resources and it’s like a one-stop shop,” Chin said. “They can compare different views and resources all in one place.”

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She says there’s ’365 Things to Do in Costa Mesa’

Holly Schwartz, vice president of media and marketing for Torelli Realty, created 365 things To Do in Costa Mesa. (Scott Smeltzer, Daily Pilot)

COSTA MESA — When you’re done reading this article, real estate insider Holly Schwartz has 365 ideas for what to do with the rest of your day.

As author of 365 Things to Do in Costa Mesa, a Torelli Realty blog that highlights local events, places and activities, Schwartz is the unofficial expert on what residents love most about the city.

“There’s so much going on here,” said Schwartz, Torelli Realty’s vice president of media and marketing. “Costa Mesa really is a small city with a big-town heart.”

The daily blog — now past the “365″ mark at 370 entries — is a constantly growing project, with everything from new restaurants, gallery openings, outdoor fairs, shopping and more, Schwartz said.

Some of her most recent posts include the opening of ZPizza’s ZCafe at South Coast Plaza, a girls’ skateboarding camp sponsored in part by Volcom, the opening of Five Guys Burgers & Fries and a list of restaurants participating in Costa Mesa Restaurant Week.

The former HGTV director and producer said she stays plugged into the heartbeat of the city by poring over local events pages in newspapers and magazines, talking to residents and connecting with readers through the blog’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/365ThingsToDoInCostaMesa. She’s also active onTwitter — an ideal format for short items — as @hollyschwartzOC.

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‘He was an incredible person to all of us’

NEWPORT BEACH — Friends and family of Robert Sattler filled the pews of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church to celebrate the life of the well-respected community figure.

Sattler, a long-time Corona del Mar Residents Assn. board member, cycling enthusiast and avid sailor, died Aug. 1. He was 90.

Sattler, known as “Biking Bob,” died from bladder cancer at his Newport Beach home surrounded by friends and family, according to his obituary that ran in the Daily Pilot on Aug. 4.

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OC Fair Express enjoyed record- breaking summer

COSTA MESA — Spurred by low fares and admission discounts, a record number of riders took a dedicated bus to the 2011 OC Fair, the Orange County Transportation Authority said.

The OCTA-operated OC Fair Express transported 25,669 riders over the course of the summer fair, compared with 6,161 in 2008.

The shuttle was not operated in 2009 and 2010, due to funding cutbacks, OCTA spokesman Joel Zlotnik said Wednesday.

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New coffee shop wants to have fun in slaying competition

Truman Severson makes a drink at Portola Coffee Lab at the OC Mart Mix on Thursday. (Scott Smeltzer, Daily Pilot)

COSTA MESA — Coffee shop owners Jeff and Christa Duggan have a rare weapon in the fight against bland morning joe: a specialty espresso machine dubbed the “Slayer.”

Foot traffic perks up early in the morning and again around lunch at the OC Mart Mix, 3313 Highland Ave., where the baristas at the recently opened Portola Coffee Lab serve up steaming mugs of organic coffee from Brazil, Tanzania, Guatemala and Ethiopia.

There is also the Show No Mercy house blend espresso, which promises to do just that to the competition.

“We really didn’t show the competition any mercy in creating that espresso,” Jeff Duggan said. “I’ll put that espresso up against any other on the market.”

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