Setting Up a Tea Time at Tustin’s McCharles House

For an early celebration of Mother’s Day, McCharles House will present a Laura Ashley Tea on Sunday, at which tea sandwiches, scones and sweets will be served with Fortnum and Mason Queen Anne Tea. The sittings, at noon, 2 and 4 p.m., will also feature showings of Laura Ashley home furnishings and fashions. On hand will be Lucy Roman and Diana Rosen, publisher and editor, respectively, of the quarterly publication Tea Talk, and Susan Hendrickson, West Coast editor of Victoria magazine. The cost is $18.50, including tax and gratuity, and reservations may be made through the Laura Ashley shop in Santa Ana, (714) 834-1211, or McCharles House, (714) 731-4063, which is at 335 S. C St., Tustin.

Wines from Robert Mondavi will be showcased at a dinner at Lotus Court Chinese Cuisine on Friday. The evening will feature eight wines, beginning with the 1990 Fume Blanc Reserve to be served at the 7 p.m. reception. The nine courses will include sauteed king clams; a platter of shrimps in garlic sauce and scallops, clams and mussels in black bean sauce; Peking duck, and flaming black pepper steak. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. The price is $45 and includes tax and gratuity. The address is 181 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton; (714) 738-3838.

Chef John McLaughlin will pair five courses with the wines of Clos Du Val for a Winemaker Dinner at JW’s in the Anaheim Marriott on Friday. Menu highlights include a vine-ripened tomato and avocado salad, and filet of veal. McLaughlin and Close Du Val’s Mark Meisenheimer will appear after dinner (which costs $60 per person including tax and tip) to discuss the menu. Seating by reservation only, between 6 and 10 p.m. The hotel is at 700 W. Convention Way; (714) 750-8000.

South American and Southwestern cuisines and live music are featured at Mucho Gusto, which George Gallardo, former owner of El Matador in Costa Mesa, has opened with partner Bob Kurtz. The menu at the new Costa Mesa nightspot emphasizes salads, seafood and chicken. A Rio de Janeiro blue salad ($4.95), for example, mingles apples, raisins, European greens, almonds and bleu cheese in lemon oil-base dressing. Caldo de Mares blends seafood in a vegetable broth, with cilantro, onions and tortillas ($9.95). Lunch specials start at $3.95. Entertainment begins at 9 p.m., and there is no cover charge. Mucho Gusto is open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily at 263 E. 17 St.; (714) 631-4009.

Starbucks Coffee Co. has opened its second Orange County shop, in the Walnut Village Center, Culver Drive and Walnut Avenue in Irvine. The company, named after the coffee-loving first mate in “Moby Dick,” began in 1971 in Seattle. Like the first Orange County location, in Corona del Mar, the Irvine spot features a coffee bar with espresso, latte, cappuccino and pastries. The store also sells whole coffee beans and coffee appliances. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is (714) 857-2737.

Baja Joe’s Fish Tacos recently made its debut in Mission Viejo, at the spot formerly occupied by Mrs. Garcia’s. According to owners Jack and Kathy Siart, the accent in this quick-service restaurant is on healthful Mexican, with lean meat, skinless chicken, canola oil in place of lard, and “no microwaves, no can openers.” They even prepare their own salsas (six of them) daily. The menu ranges from a fish taco at $1.99 to a steak tostada for $4.19. In between are fajita burritos, vegetarian tostadas and breakfast and brunch offerings such as bacon, egg and cheese quesadillas. The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It’s at 28592 Marguerite Parkway, Suite C (at the corner of Avery and Marguerite parkways); (714) 347-0937.