New Hue for Wilhelm’s New Eatery

David Wilhelm’s newest venture (if you’re counting, this makes seven in Orange County) has a new name. The original, Indigo, it seems, was already taken (in L.A.), so the new restaurant in the newly expanded and reopened Bowers Museum will be called Cafe Topaz. Slated for a Dec. 7 opening, the 160-seat restaurant will have a full-service menu of Wilhelm’s signature eclectic cuisine. It will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. (714) 953-4368.

Trees chef Russell Armstrong, whose ancestors weren’t far behind the first Pilgrims (Armstrong says they came on the ship Providence in 1683), is determined that no turkey will be mangled in the carving on Thanksgiving. So he’ll offer a free one-hour seminar on preparing and carving the gobbler on Monday at 4 p.m. 440 Heliotrope Ave., Corona del Mar. (714) 673-0910.

A group of 35 third-graders will gather at Carmelo’s Ristorante in Corona del Mar on Tuesday to experience firsthand what the pilgrims really ate at the first Thanksgiving dinner. And it won’t be turkey, which owner Carmelo Manto says wasn’t originally served. Instead, the students from teacher Mary Roberts’ class at Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach will dine on duck, venison, leeks, squash, corn bread, apples and berries. In this living history lesson, pupils will dress like Indians and Pilgrims. They’ll also meet Margaret Sarracino, an American Indian, who will explain the significance of Thanksgiving from her people’s perspective.

When Restaurant Antoine at Le Meridien Newport Beach throws a B.Y.O.B. party, it means Bring Your Own Burgundy. This Friday and Saturday, tote yours to accompany a five-course menu. Highlights: quenelle of pike and crayfish with a Nantua sauce, and roasted Guinea hen with gratineed potatoes and artichoke chips in a Pommard sauce. $65 per person plus tax and tip. 4500 MacArthur Blvd. (714) 476-2001.