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Front Page Letters Subscribe Archives Contact Us Advertise Stu News Laguna Menu Front Page Letters Subscribe Archives Contact Us Advertise Stu News Laguna Subscribe | Advertise Search Search Volume 9, Issue 38 | May 10, 2024 TOP HEADLINES THIS ISSUE TOP STORIES THIS MONTH And the burger voted BEST in Newport Beach is… Chef Jamie Gwen, John Wortmann and Ray Jacobi met on Wednesday and did the tasting of the five finalists. The judges rated each burger on a variety of characteristics, including meat quality, presentation, taste and texture of the bun. And the winner is… Click to read story... Newport Beach Surf & Turf Polo Classic 2024 brings sport, fashion and fanfare to Peninsula Park Held on Saturday, May 4 and fittingly on the same day as Kentucky’s Run for the Roses,” the Newport Beach Foundation presented their Newport Beach Surf & Turf Polo Classic 2024 at picturesque Peninsula Park. Check out the story and photos to see who attended and who won the matches… Click to read story... TOP STORIES THIS MONTH Dick Pickup passed after spending a typical morning doing what he loved There are few exceptions when a 90-year-old passes, and people call it unexpected,” but Dick was one of those, given his active and engaged lifestyle. Despite his age and success, retirement was never in the cards for him and his influence in our city will be felt for generations to come… Click to read story... Balboa Pharmacy celebrates a century of healthcare excellence in Newport Beach To commemorate this milestone, Balboa Pharmacy will host a series of events throughout the year, including customer appreciation giveaways, raffles, drawings and a grand celebration on Thursday, May 16… Click to read story... Share this story... And the burger voted BEST in Newport Beach is… By GARY SHERWIN They tasted. They chewed. They considered. They deliberated. And now the long-awaited votes are in for the Best Burger in Newport Beach. As many of you know, Visit Newport Beach and Stu News partnered together to celebrate some of the finest culinary creations our city has to offer. Newport Beach has some truly excellent restaurants, and we thought it would be fun to call attention to places in town that prepare some absolutely delicious food. What better way to do that than to have a contest? Click on photo for a larger image Courtesy of Visit Newport Beach Gary Sherwin Several weeks ago, we asked you, our loyal readers, to nominate and then vote on who you thought had the best burger. And you responded with gusto with more than 1,300 of you weighing in. Then we took the Top Five nominees and brought in a superb panel of judges to blind taste the finalists and decide the winner. Chef Jamie Gwen, John Wortmann and Ray Jacobi met on Wednesday and did the tasting of the five finalists. Each burger was presented on its own merits and no restaurant was identified. The judges rated each burger on a variety of characteristics, including meat quality, presentation, taste and texture of the bun. If you want to see how it all went down, here’s a video of the process and some of the judges’ comments: The votes were tallied and after some healthy debates, the judges made their call on a secret ballot. And again, it’s important to note the judges had no idea of who they were voting for in this process. So, drumroll, please… the winner is The Mayor’s Table at Lido House . The judges loved Chef Riley’s burger and the quality of the meat and its simple preparation. The Mayor’s Table has received many accolades for this burger over the years and it was also named Best Burger in Orange County by a local newspaper when the restaurant opened in 2018. Stu News Publisher Tom Johnson and I, along with the judges, called Lido House General Manager Andre Brose to congratulate him right after the judging. Andre immediately pulled the Lido House associates together to celebrate the big win. We are humbled and so honored by this,” Andre said. This is so exciting for our team and our hotel.” Tom and I will be heading over to The Mayor’s Table in the next week or so to present the big plaque, which will hopefully be displayed in a prominent place in the restaurant. The Mayor’s Table had formidable competition. The other finalists were Billy’s At The Beach, The Place, Cassidy’s Bar & Grill and Balboa Island Market & Grill. I can assure you they are all superb burgers, and the finalists were named after 25 other restaurants were nominated. All five burgers were remarkably different, but I would recommend all of them for various reasons. Tom and I also want to thank the finalists for preparing their burgers and packaging them for pickup. For example, The Place normally doesn’t open for lunch, but brought a crew in just to participate in the contest. That’s dedication and a competitive spirit! Believe me, these judges took the process seriously. All three of them are connoisseurs of good eating and Jamie is a veteran of many TV cooking shows and studied under famed chef Emeril Lagasse. Of course, Ray famously ran the iconic Ritz Restaurant for many years, and John is a member of the prestigious Les Amis d’Escoffier Eating Society. I want to thank them for giving so much of their time this week and doing the hard job of eating delicious burgers while everyone else was still at their desks working. I guess you could say that this is considered really working as far as they are concerned. So, we have our Best Burger, and while many Newport Beach folks will still argue for their favorite, please know that the democratic process played itself out here. While we are still digesting our Best Burger, we are already preparing for our next contest – who has the best Lobster Roll. We are fully aware that having a Lobster Roll on the menu only pertains to a select group of restaurants in town, but we are calling on all restaurants to participate. If you don’t have a Lobster Roll on your menu now, it’s not too late to think about creating one and getting people enthusiastic about it. We’ll announce the next contest dates shortly, so stay tuned. In the meantime, stop by The Mayor’s Table and try out their award-winning burger creation and congratulate Chef Riley. It’s definitely a showstopper! Gary Sherwin is President & CEO of Visit Newport Beach and Newport Beach & Company. Open story in new window… Share this story... Newport Beach Surf & Turf Polo Classic 2024 brings sport, fashion and fanfare to Peninsula Park Held on Saturday, May 4 and fittingly on the same day as Kentucky’s Run for the Roses,” the Newport Beach Foundation presented their Newport Beach Surf & Turf Polo Classic 2024 at picturesque Peninsula Park. Click on photo for a larger image Photos by Cara Garcia/Courtesy of Newport Beach Foundation Newport Beach polo player Jeff Rewald #2 heading down the field This second annual event and a highlight of the spring season, fused sport, style, fashion and entertainment with community engagement. Guests were encouraged to dress to impress in their finest polo or Kentucky Derby-inspired attire…and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Fashionable ladies opted for florals, wide-brimmed hats and fascinators, while men donned sports coats and dress slacks, many sporting fedoras. Click on photo for a larger image (L-R) Newport Beach Mayor Pro Tem and Past Chair/Founder Newport Beach Foundation Joe Stapleton and Julie Jacobs with Jen O’Neill and Newport Mayor Will O’Neill Click on photo for a larger image (L-R) President of Code Four Eric Schmitz, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Stapleton, Newport Beach Foundation Chairwoman Antonella Castro, Esq. and Newport Beach Councilmember Lauren Kleiman Creative flair took front and center for the hat contest on the field, overseen by Christine Farah and judged by John and Anne Wortmann. The winner was Olga Loero, suited in red, with her wide-brimmed hat festooned with red roses, organza and feathers. Click on photo for a larger image Olga Loero, winner of the hat contest, and she had fierce competitors...