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Soup Dumpling Favorite Din Tai Fung Now Serving at Irvine Spectrum Center

Issue # 0585

Author

Joshua Tjia
10 Mar

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🥒🥟🥢 Soup Dumpling Favorite Din Tai Fung Now Serving at Irvine Spectrum Center

🍀🛼 Roll Into St. Patrick’s Fun at Irvine Inline’s Skate Night, March 14

🍧🍨 Celebrate Gelatissimo’s 1st Birthday with $1 Gelato Scoops at University Center

☁️🍦☁️ Cinnamoroll Horchata & Vanilla Soft Serve Returns to Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine

💤📖  Grab Your Pillows: Family Fort Night Brings Stories and Dancing to Irvine Library

🫘🍓 Feel-Good Foods: Recipes That Help Support Mood and Mental Wellness

🐄🐎 Saddle Up: Young Explorers Invited to Discover Cowboy Life at Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp

🌸🛍️🌸 Celebrate Spring at SpringFest in Irvine with Food, Music, Shopping, and Family Activities

🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐈🐕 Happy Tails: 11 Pets Adopted and 8 Reunited With Owners at Irvine Animal Care Center

🎾 Irvine Tennis Player Learner Tien Upsets Ben Shelton to Reach Indian Wells Fourth Round

🏀 UCI Women’s Basketball: Hunter Hernandez Wins Fifth Big West Player of the Week Award

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚔🚦 IPD Arrest Two in Burglary Case After Discovering Stolen Items During Traffic Stop

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

🌟🏪🎉Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

What did the Dalmatian say after his meal?

That really hit the spot!

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

Soup Dumpling Favorite Din Tai Fung Now Serving at Irvine Spectrum Center

Din Tai Fung has opened a spacious new location at the Irvine Spectrum Center, bringing its famous soup dumplings, xiao long bao, to Irvine. The family-owned Taiwanese restaurant—founded in 1958 and now with more than 165 locations worldwide—is known for its dumpling-making process, with chefs crafting each dumpling in a visible showcase kitchen.

  • Signature dishes include Kurobuta pork xiao long bao, crab-and-pork dumplings, shao mai, pot stickers, spicy wontons, noodles with Angus beef and Szechuan peppers, garlic string beans, and cucumber salad.

  • The restaurant has received global recognition, including Michelin stars for its Hong Kong locations and praise from critics who call its dumplings among the best in the world.

Roll Into St. Patrick’s Fun at Irvine Inline’s Skate Night, March 14

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on wheels at The Rinks Irvine Inline on Friday, March 14, from 6–9 p.m. Enjoy a festive evening of roller skating, music, and a raffle during the session.

  • 🎫 Admission is $18 and includes a raffle ticket, with $7 skate rentals available.

  • 🍀 Guests are encouraged to wear green and bring friends for a fun St. Patrick’s Day skate party.

Celebrate Gelatissimo’s 1st Birthday with $1 Gelato Scoops at University Center

Gelatissimo is celebrating its first birthday with a sweet promotion on Saturday, March 14 starting at 3 p.m. The first 100 customers can enjoy $1 gelato scoops, and guests can also enter a giveaway for free gelato for a year (one scoop per week for 52 weeks). Stop by the University Center location to try freshly made, small-batch gelato, snap photos, and celebrate the shop’s first year.

Cinnamoroll Horchata & Vanilla Soft Serve Returns to Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine

The Horchata & Vanilla Soft Serve has returned to Hello Kitty Cafe Irvine, bringing back the sweet swirl fans love. The treat is topped with a Cinnamoroll cookie, adding an extra touch of cuteness to the dessert.

Grab Your Pillows: Family Fort Night Brings Stories and Dancing to Irvine Library, Mar. 13

Build, relax, and celebrate at Family Fort Night with the Irvine Public Library on Friday, March 13, from 5:30–7 p.m. at University Park Library. Families are invited to bring pillows, cushions, and blankets to build cozy forts, enjoy storytime, and join a fun dance party.

Register at yourirvine.org.

Feel-Good Foods: Recipes That Help Support Mood and Mental Wellness

Foods rich in whole grains, lean protein, vitamins, and minerals may help support mood and steady energy levels. According to a UCI Health dietitian, highly processed comfort foods high in fat, sugar, and salt may provide brief satisfaction but can lower mood afterward. These recipes from UC Irvine culinary expert Jessica VanRoo combine nutritious ingredients that may help support overall mental well-being.

  • Chocolate Raspberry Quinoa Breakfast Bowl: Quinoa provides complex carbs, protein, and fiber for steady energy, topped with fruit for added nutrients and antioxidants.

  • Sicilian Chicken & Vegetable Skewers with Pesto Farro: Lean chicken, zucchini, peppers, and onions provide protein, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins that support brain function and energy. Served with fiber-rich farro.

  • Strawberry Yogurt Bites: Greek yogurt and strawberries create a light frozen snack with protein, calcium, and probiotics that support gut health.

Saddle Up: Young Explorers Invited to Discover Cowboy Life at Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp

Children ages 5–8 are invited to explore the history of ranching at Bommer Canyon Preserve during the Cowboys of the Irvine Ranch interpretive program on Wednesday, March 18 from 10–11:30 a.m. Hosted at the Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp, the activity introduces kids to what life was like for cowboys about 100 years ago. Participants will learn about native animals, enjoy a story, take a short 0.5-mile guided walk through the Nature Garden to see historic ranching remnants, and finish with an arts-and-crafts activity.

Celebrate Spring at SpringFest in Irvine with Food, Music, Shopping, and Family Activities

Join SpringFest, hosted by The Good Vibe Market, on Sunday, March 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Westpark Plaza in Irvine. The family-friendly event will feature 50+ small businesses, festival-style food and drinks, live music, and activities for all ages including face painting, caricatures, giant yard games, and photos with the Easter Bunny. Highlights also include stilt walkers, a bubble show, and a butterfly garden.

Upcoming Northwood High School’s Music Calendar

  1. March 11, 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Spring Vocal Music Concert, NHS Theater

  2. March 13: Night of the Arts – Jazz Ensemble I, Wind Symphony, Philharmonic, NHS Theater

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://timbmusic.org/events/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School's Music Calendar

  1. March 12: Orchestra Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  2. March 13: Band Music Festival Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

  3. March 16: Wind Ensemble & Philharmonic Festival, IHS Performing Arts Center

  4. March 20: WHS Carnival

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.whs-music.org/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School’s Vocal Music Calendar

  1. March 20, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://woodbridgechoirs.weebly.com/calendar.html

Upcoming Irvine High Choral’s Music Calendar

  1. March 13: Spring Rally

  2. March 15, 3:00 PM: Plotkin Foundation Performance, Plotkin Art Gallery

  3. March 17, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, Irvine High PAC

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.ihschoralmusic.org/calendar.html 

Upcoming Portola High School Music’s Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.phsmusicbooster.org/buy-ticket

Happy Tails: 11 Pets Adopted and 8 Reunited With Owners at Irvine Animal Care Center

Between March 2–8, the Irvine Animal Care Center celebrated 11 adoptions, including

  • 4 dogs (Mr. Pickles, Polar, Poppy, and Ruby)

  • 7 cats (Cheddar, Colby, Gouda, Mushu, Nile Jr., Peaches, and Soot)

  • During the same week, 6 dogs and 2 cats were reunited with their owners.

For adoption details and shelter hours, visit cityofirvine.org/animals.

Irvine Tennis Player Learner Tien Upsets Ben Shelton to Reach Indian Wells Fourth Round

Learner Tien of Irvine defeated eighth-seeded Ben Shelton 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to reach the fourth round for the first time. The 20-year-old hit 15 aces and won 82% of his first-serve points in the two-hour, 10-minute match, improving to 2-0 against Shelton and moving up to No. 23 in the live ATP rankings.

Watch the highlights here

UCI Women’s Basketball: Hunter Hernandez Wins Fifth Big West Player of the Week Award

Senior guard Hunter Hernandez earned her fifth Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award after leading UC Irvine to a share of the Big West regular-season title. Hernandez finished the regular season with a school-record 603 points as the Anteaters set program highs with 26 overall wins and 17 conference wins and secured the No. 1 seed in the Big West Championship.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Women’s Water Polo

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Concordia, 6:00 PM

Women’s Tennis

  • Tues, Mar 10 – vs Richmond, 12:00 AM

Men’s Tennis

  • Wed, Mar 11 – vs VCU, 12:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball

  • Wed, Mar 11 – vs UC Santa Barbara, 6:00 PM

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Baseball

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Riverside, 2:00 PM

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Riverside, 1:00 PM

Men’s Tennis

  • Tue, Mar 10 – vs Mt. San Antonio, 2:00 PM

Men’s Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Orange Coast, 6:00 PM

Women’s Flag Football

  • Thu, Mar 12 – vs Cypress, 4:30 PM

  • Sat, Mar 14 – vs Long Beach State, 12:00 PM

Women’s Beach Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 13 – vs Santa Ana, 10:00 AM

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated With March Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

March 2026

Tuesday, March 10

  • Tennis, Boys - 3:15 PM vs San Clemente

Wednesday, March 11

  • Beach Volleyball, Girls - 4:00 PM vs El Dorado

  • Lacrosse, Girls - 4:30 PM vs Santa Barbara

IPD Arrest Two in Burglary Case After Discovering Stolen Items During Traffic Stop

Irvine police arrested two individuals after a traffic stop on Thursday near Michelson and Norton involving a car driving without license plates. During the stop, officers became suspicious of the driver and passenger’s explanation and searched the vehicle, discovering stolen packages, drugs, and a backpack containing a passport that did not belong to them. Police later confirmed through surveillance footage that the backpack had been stolen from a parking garage earlier. Parisa Gholamzadeh, 32, of Tustin, and Mehran Mavandadnejad, 55, of Irvine, were arrested on burglary charges.

Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

We know our community is brimming with businesses that have fascinating stories and big hearts. If you’re a local business owner making waves, crafting unique experiences, or simply putting a smile on our faces, we want to chat with you! “Irvine Insider” is eager to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our city. Let’s collaborate and let the community know what makes your business special.

Click the link below and fill out the Local Business Spotlight Application Form to be featured and let’s celebrate the spirit of Irvine together!

Irvine Insider is sent to a local audience of Irvine residence Monday through Friday with 50% - 60% open rate. Our newsletter is a great way to reach Irvine residents.

  • Kaiser Permanente Irvine Farmers Market

  • Saturday Farmers Market at Mariners Church Irvine

    • When: Saturday, 8 AM - 12 PM

    • Where: 5428 Bonita Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603

  • Great Park Certified Farmers Market

  • Manassero Farmers

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Where: 33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA 92604

  • Tanaka Farms

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 5 PM

    • Where: 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA 92612

    • More Info:Tanaka Farms

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