RESTAURANT ROUNDUP:

After the triple punch of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, many Newport-Mesa residents have likely exhausted their budget for wine and merriment.

But for those whose thirst now exceeds their wallets, the Five Crowns restaurant is here to help.

The Corona del Mar English-style institution offers a special Monday night wine menu year-round, featuring wines at a 20% to 40% discounted price.

Some of the bottles arrived at Five Crowns with a missing or damaged label; others were dropped from the main wine list due to diminishing supply or were surplus bottles from special wine events.

Susan Ballou, a spokeswoman for Five Crowns, said the restaurant had offered the Monday night wine menu since midway through last year, but only a few customers had picked up on it.

She said it was an ideal package for a time of year when budgets were tight.

“Now’s when people are thinking, ‘Well, I really blew the budget. Time to cut back,’� she said.

The Five Crowns is located at 3801 E. Coast Hwy. in Corona del Mar.

The restaurant opens for dinner at 5 p.m.

Call (949) 760-0331 for more information.

Second Restaurant Week nears opening

Diners planning to attend the second Newport Beach Restaurant Week can check the fixed-price three-course menus online before the event begins Jan. 20.

Peggy Fort, the spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Restaurant Assn., said she hoped to have nearly all the menus posted by Friday. More than 50 restaurants have signed up for the citywide festival, which runs through Jan. 24. An opening gala is scheduled for Jan. 14 at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort. For more information, visit www.newportbeachdining.com.

— Michael Miller