Lobster Will Be the Life of the Party

A poolside lobster cookout will be held Saturday evenings, beginning this weekend, at the Calypso restaurant in Le Meridien Hotel.

A two-pound mesquite grilled Maine lobster will be served with corn on the cob, a baked potato, Caesar salad and a dessert buffet. The cost is $32 per person, plus tax and tip.

Live music is scheduled to accompany the dinner, which runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach. (714) 476-2001.

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Trattoria Spiga will hold a “carbo-loading” pasta dinner party on Thursday, June 3, to kick off the Mazda/Orange County Performing Arts Center Triathlon. The dinner, from 5 to 8 p.m., is open to anyone--not just competitors--and a portion of the $10 price will benefit the arts center.

Dinner includes an all-you-can-eat array of pastas and salads and the opportunity to meet some of the triathletes who will be participating in the competition June 6.

3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. (714) 540-3365.

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Carmelo’s has put together a Sunday family dinner offering a four-course meal for lower-than-usual prices: $13.95 for adults and $6.95 for children. Dinner is between 5:30 and 8 p.m.

Diners help themselves to platters of food. Each menu includes antipasti, an entree and dessert. A recent menu was mixed green salad, an appetizer of polenta with Italian sausage, sauteed cHicken breast wIth mushrooms, potatoes, vegetables and tiramisu, an Italian dessert.

3520 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar. (714) 675-1922.