There are a few restaurants that earn the title of 'legends in their own time' for their ability to maintain high standards through changing times that are counted not in years but decades.
Such a restaurant is the Golden Dragon located at 2023 Harbor Blvd., in Costa Mesa.  It has been family owned and operated by the Wang family since the day it opened in 1975. 
A lot has happened to Costa Mesa in the last 43 years since the Golden Dragon opened. The surrounding bean fields are gone along with Nehru jackets and hula hoops but the traditional Mandarin cuisine,  friendly atmosphere and service at Golden Dragon has continued to make it one of the best restaurants in Orange County.
Certainly the Southern California Restaurant Writers believe so since the restaurant has  receives the Gold Award for Excellence an unprecedented 29  years in a row and was one year named Restaurateur of the Year.
Yuau-Der Wang and his wife, Chi-Yun are still active in the business they founded so many years ago. Now, however, they  have their son, John, as restaurant manager overseeing day to day operations.   But most days  you can still count on Mother Chi-Yun  to be on hand to greet customers.
The Golden Dragon is a fine dining restaurant with a intimate full service bar and lounge, a  dining room with booths and tables and a private room for small parties as well.  This is a restaurant with a very large menu with choices for al a carte selections as well as complete dinners.  For such quality and service prices are surprisingly modest.
Our dinner, it could be called a banquet, opened with special egg rolls with mushroom, shrimp, chicken and vegetable and the shrimp toast.  Next came the hot and sour soup with shrimp and won tons.  Entrees which arrived family style included Lucky shrimp with a garlic white sauce, string bean beef, Walnut chicken with glazed walnuts and honey sweet sauce, a specially prepared roasted eggplant and the house fried rice with shrimp, pork, mushroom and shredded vegetables.  Besides traditional Chinese sweets  the restaurant also now features some popular western desserts which have become very popular.
John Wang,  of course grew up in the family business, and took over as manager many years ago.  The menu  here is classic Chinese dining with a serene atmosphere and decor, outstanding cuisine and attentive attention from a well trained staff, many with years of experience at the restaurant.
Golden Dragon is located at 2023 Harbor Blvd., in Costa Mesa with ample off street free parking.   The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, lunch starting at 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Dinner from 4:30 to 10 p.m.  On weekends the restaurant is open all day from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.  For reservations call 949 542-7162.

Southern California has contributed to the creation of new beverage cocktails through the years.  The Margarita was first made at the Tail of the Cock Restaurant on La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles by Bartender John Durlesser.  The year was 1939.
On the Sunset Strip the Cock and Bull Restaurant and Lounge launched vodka in California with a drink called the Moscow Mule.  And just down the street at legendary Scandia Restaurant a Viking named Ludwig came up with a drink called the BullShot.
This proved to be something of lifesaver for those suffering from a 'morning after' hangover.  It was made with Akvavit and beef broth, and other mystery life restorers.  In Huntington Beach something called the Harvey Wallbanger enjoyed a bright but somewhat short time of fame.
All of this was brought to mind when this Writer attended the Tequila Patron event,  held in Los Angeles.  This was the contest for the "2018 Margarita of the Year"  with seven competing bartenders and their own new creative Margarita cocktails.  The contestants came from Boston, Seattle, Mexico City, Japan, Spain  and of course one from Los Angeles.
The event was staged in classic Hollywood fashion at the Mack Sennett Studios.  Those of us attending were given a Patron passport listing each cocktail with a photo of the creator and recipe of the drink and after sampling each entry had our passports stamped.  After this we were asked to vote on what was our favorite.  Our vote was for the Passion Fruit Margarita created by Aaron Joseph of Baltimore.  When we left this was leading the field in votes.
To go with these exciting creations there was a wonderful array of appetizers passed by a team of youthful waiters who all looked like applicants for  cinema studios and cameras. The Los Angeles entry was La Margarita created by Jorge Ortega who has been behind the bar at a number of the city's hotspots.  To complete the scene we all had the opportunity to taste the winner of last year's winner, The Coralina Margarita, created by Riesler Morales of Mexico City.
The Patron contest was well attended and for this Writer a visit to the Mack Sennett Studios was a reminder of how much of Hollywood's early cinema was created there.

We discovered some most interesting wines at the Mondrian Hotel recently.  It was a seminar on the wines of the Alentejo region of Portugal conducted by Evan Goldstein. 
Our instructor began with a slide presentation that pointed out the 4000 year wine history of the region beginning with an early people named Tarlessians, followed by Phoenicians and then the centuries of Roman influence.  The Moors were then in the country when wine making lagged but had recovered in the 16th and 17 centuries.
There are nine regions of vineyards and winemaking in Portugal which is actually the size of the State of Maine.  Despite this relatively small land mass  Portugal ranks ninth in the world in vineyard acreage and fourth in Europe. 
This seminar emphasized the wines of Alentejo and our tasting included eleven wines, one sparkling rose, two white wines and nine red wines.  Evan explained how the vineyards and wines of Alentejo still use the local varietals in their wines and often traditional procedures in the making of the wines.
While Portugal has been known for centuries for its Port wines actually only 34 per cent of the wine made each year is Port with the still table wines dominating production.
We were very interested in learning more about the local grape varietals which for the white wines included Arinto, Anteo Vaz and Roupeiro  Most of the red wines we tasted were made from one or more of the local varietals.  These included Manterido, Trincadeira, Aragonez, and Tuta Miuda.  Also included in most of the blends we tasted included  well known varietals like  Petit Verdot and Alicente Bourschet.  We noted that every wine we tasted was between 14 and 14.5 per cent alcohol.Evan pointed out that in Alentejo the winemakers still use some local winemaking processes.  As an example all the wines are fermented in large hand made clay pots.  Each of these pots has individual characteristics that do effect the fermenting grapes according to the winemakers, adding to distinct flavors in the finished product.
 One of the wines which received the most points on our score card was Procura Tinto made by Susana Esteban who was recently named on of the country's winemaker of the year. It was a blend of two of the local grapes, Trincadeira and Aragonez and Alicante Bouschet.  It was from the subzone of Portalegre.  Another wine we particularly liked was a Tinto by Granja Amaraleja from that subzone.  It was 100 per cent Moreto, another local varietal.
For a wine to qualify as DOC/P Alentejo it must include 75 per cent of local varietals.  The red wines we tasted ranged in vintage from 2011 to 2015 and had much time in both oak barrels and bottle.A selection of Portugal meats and cheeses were served and accompanied the tasting of the wines.
It proved to be  another learning experience about wine.

We were able to capture some of the excitement of the Genesis Open Golf Tournament being held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.  This by attending a VIP cocktail party one evening of the four day competition that featured golf's famous including defending champion Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory Mcllroy, Justin Thomas and Host Tiger Woods.
Our event included cocktails and appetizers and the opportunity to once again visit the Riviera Club after a long absence.  It  took place in the Genesis Lounge.  This is a first class fan lounge which offers unobstructed views from tee to green.
Once again the Riviera attracted many of the game's biggest names.
Fortunately we have forgotten what our score card total was the last time we played a round at this challenging course.

Our attendance at the opening of Long Beach's new Cruise Terminal proved to be a most interesting experience.  Number one it is now the busiest in North America with Carnival  ships docking five days a week.  It encompasses the dome that originally was built to house Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose airplane.  Since 2003, when Carnival first came to Long Beach, it has been using just a portion of the Dome, but now will be utilizing all of the Dome for its operations.
Carnival also announced large expansions during the grand opening.  Next year the new Carnival Panorama will be located on the west coast and an expansion of the port  facilities at Ensenada is also planned.
What impressed us was the design of the new terminal.  It features California landmarks like a backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountain range as well as a replica of the Spruce Goose , also  a 1980s styled arcade which is available for all to enjoy.  It also offers  efficient facilities that provide  new embarkation procedures for cruise guests.
Also taking place at the opening was the arrival of Carnival Splendor which will be the largest cruise ship based year round in Southern California.  It joins Carnival Imagination and Carnival Inspiration which currently offer three and four days cruises to Ensenada and Catalina Island.
We had the opportunity to board Carnival Splendor and enjoy a wonderful luncheon in their premier Gold Pearl dining room.  As dazzling as the dining room was the menu handed to us.  Appetizers included Lobster Bisque, slow braised Pork Belly, and Crab & Shitake Risotto.  Salad a Kale or Romaine Caesar Salad.  Entrees included Seabass with roasted Cauliflower, Filet Mignon or Lasagna.  Dessert was warm melting chocolate cake with choice of ice cream or fresh fruits.
We chose the Lobster Bisque, followed by the perfectly prepared Filet Mignon and then the chocolate cake.
Our efficient waiter, Elder, also saw to it that our glasses of 2017 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc  from New Zealand and Frei Bros. 2015 Merlot from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley were never empty.
The arrival of Carnival Splendor means that  cruises from Long Beach will expand with more seven day cruises to Mexico as well as longer voyages to Alaska and Hawaii.  Together the three ships at Long Beach will serve some 600,000 guests annually.
Carnival President Christine Duffy was at the opening and told those assembled, who included travel agents, port officials and media, that the new terminal and additional ships showed Carnival's commitment to West Coast cruising.

 Each year the Kosher Food and Wine Experience gets better and better.  It has been our good fortune to attend a number of these events and we thought the one this week was just about perfect
The rooftop lounge and patio of the Petersen Automotive Museum proved, once again, to be the perfect venue for the 2018 K F W E. This year the annual festival included both an afternoon event for trade and media and then an evening planned for fortunate ticket holders.
 For February the weather was perfect with temperatures up to 80 degrees.  What happened to Winter?
For us it was a great opportunity to learn more about some of Israel's wineries and vineyards.
Domaine du Castel is an example of how a modern winery has developed on lands that first grew grapes in biblical times. It is located in the Judean Mountains with an elevation of 2500 feet and was founded in 1992. A large number of varietals do well here including reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The white varietals include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Gewurztraminer.
Carmel Winery is one of the oldest in Israel, founded originally by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Now Carmel has 3,500 acres of vineyards and operates four wineries. Some of Israel's best known vineyard regions are Upper Galilee, Carmel Mountains and Judean Hills.
Yatir Winery is located in the South, near the Dead Sea, on reclaimed land that was once part of the Negev desert, but now reforested as the Yair forest. Yatir makes Viognier, Rose and Yatir Mt Amsha, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz , Petit Verdor and Merlot.
Tabor Winery is located in Galilee but its vineyards spread over Mt. Tabor and the Golan Heights.
All the classic varietals are grown here with reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz and whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Roussanne and Barbera Rose
Also we noted a wine made as a blend of two Mediterranean varietals Marselan and Tanat..
Wines from fifteen countries were on display for tasting including Herzog Wine Cellars of Oxnard as well as Teal Lake wines from Australia, Alfasi from Chile and large selection of Chateau wines from France.
Some exciting foods were also offered providing tasty appetizers and specialties. Award winning Tierra Sur Restaurant, located at the Herzog Winery in Oxnard was present. Tevya's Ranch offered their premium grass fed beef. Then there were the appetizers from Sarah's Organic Gourmet.  La Gondola Restaurant was busy with some interesting appetizers as was Shiloh's Restaurant and Catering.  There were more food offerings this year including Harissa Restaurant and Got Kosher Catering.   All this on the top floor of the Museum offering fine views of the city on a sparkling clear day with spring like temperatures .

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