rjwong

Ore, Try this place in Burbank: Monte Carlo Delicatessen & Restaurant 3103 W. Magnolia Blvd.; Burbank, CA 91505; (818) 845-3516 (near the intersection of W. Magnolia Blvd. and N. Fairview St.) They sell freshly-made gelato which they get locally. BTW, Mario's was written about a while back by David Shaw in the LA Times. Ore, Welcome back to LA, man!!

It must of been in the very late '80's or early '90's when I drove up the PCH beyond Hearst Castle to Monterey/Carmel area. I stopped at Nepenthe. I ordered the Ambrosiaburger for $9 and ate it outdoors. How do you know the price? I still have a copy of the menu after all these years!

LA Times Food Section -- May 11, 2005 Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that does not please you, try clicking this link here, enter the URL address of the LA Times and proceed accordingly. Some content is in the premium section called www.calendarlive.com, which require an additional fee. The hungry mind / by Regina Schrambling With memoirs from food celebs selling like Big Macs, we've worked up a voracious appetite for the Next Big Thing: serious -- and seriously readable -- food literature. Writing about food is now the trend and the wave shows no sign of peaking. Publishers are looking for the next Anthony Bourdain or Ruth Reichl. Somehow food is being brought into a broader context than what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Includes the side article, A banquet of storytelling There are two discussion threads related to this topic: Is Food Lit the Next Big Thing? Cookbook writers on eGullet; who has done or is working on one? Straight off the carts of Bombay / by Barbara Hansen A buffet of snacks makes for casual, colorful entertaining. Set up dishes at outdoor tables, then let guests do their own sampling and garnishing. A caterer, Raunaq Savur from Bombay (nka Mumbai), prepared a buffet of Bombay street snacks at someone's home in Simi Valley. Savur's party idea is perfect for casual California entertaining. Includes five recipes: Bhel puri (Snack mix with vegetables); Pav bhaji (Spiced mashed vegetables with soft rolls); Lamb frankie; Tamarind and date chutney; Green chutney Vineyards with pedigrees / by Rod Smith A historic land registry seeks to preserve Napa Valley's agrarian identity -- and its marketability. There are three landowners that claim George Yount's vineyard site is on their land, with the victor's vineyard being certified by the Napa Valley Historic Vineyard Registry, a project of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, or NVG, a growers' advocacy organization. Establishing historical vineyard pedigrees in the valley may prove to be controversial. Included is a vinicultural history of the Napa Valley with some litigious flavorings. Opening soon, they promise / by Susan LaTempa Lately, a number of high-profile L.A. area restaurants-to-be seem to be stuck in a rut. These include: ex-Water Grill chef Michael Cimarusti's new restaurant, Providence with general manager Donato Poto (formerly of Bastide) at the former Patina space on Melrose; chef-partner Christopher Blobaum's Thomas Schoos-designed Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica; the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse in the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel with acclaimed architect Richard Meier brought in; the new Gonpachi restaurant on La Cienega at the former Ed Debevic's site; the Dodd Mitchell-designed steakhouse called Lodge, formerly the Korean restaurant Temple on La Cienega. Always a classic at heart / by Leslie Brenner You can keep your artichokes à la barigoule and your baby ones shaved thin and fussed over with olive oil on a plate. Sure, barigoule is delicious, stuffed with mushrooms, ham, bacon and parsley, braised in white wine and finished with butter. And I love eating shaved artichokes — in a restaurant. Includes a side article, How to trim an artichoke, and three recipes: Shallot vinaigrette; Bouchon house vinaigrette; Artichokes vinaigrette Her favorite gin partner / by Anne Willan Tender, buttery Parmesan cheese balls pair perfectly with a martini. Here's to Aunt Louie's recipe. Still looking for love in L.A. / by David Shaw In 50 years of pizza eating, he has yet to find a hometown pie that wins his heart. Where is that pepperoni d'amore? Los Angeles does not make a great pizza, Shaw exclaims. And especially a pizza like Lombardi's in New York. There may be some goods reasons why L.A. is not the pizza place like other cities. Ohh, the e-mails are going to pile in! French fashion plate / by S. Irene Virbila Ortolan on 3rd St. is given a 2½* rating. Former L'Orangerie chef Christophe Emé and his partner, actress Jeri Ryan, have opened a glamorous French restaurant for a new generation. It got off to a rocky start back in February. But the meal improves with each visit, and a new manager is smoothing out the front of the house. If Emé and his staff keep it up, Ortolan could well be on its way to becoming the French restaurant that has it all. WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2003 Viña Alarba Old Vines Grenache: Catalonia; about $6; hearty; goes with cured meats, barbecue. It's hard to find a wine with so much character at this price. Tonight's Special Is Paper / by P.J. Huffstutter Haute cuisine and extreme science collide at a Chicago restaurant. A 20-course meal costs $240, but don't expect lettuce in a Caesar salad. Homaro Cantu, owner and executive chef of Moto restaurant, creates non-traditional meals, to say the least. ”Cooking is all about technology and having fun with your food," said Cantu, 28. "We're here to help gastronomy catch up to the modern age." There are two discussion threads about this article & Moto restaurant: L A Times article on Moto Restaurant; Does LA have chefs like Cantu and Chefg? Moto Restaurant; the time has finally arrived For the record Farmers market listings — The list of farmers markets in last week's section should have included the Westwood Village Farmers Market, Thursdays 1 to 7 p.m., Weyburn Avenue at Westwood Boulevard. (310) 208-6115. The hours for the Wednesday Santa Monica market are 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., not 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as reported. Nasturtium recipe — Last week, a recipe for nasturtium pesto called for three bunches of nasturtium flowers. It should have specified that each bunch is about a dozen flowers. Use about three dozen flowers for the recipe. Garfield High School — An article in last week's Food Section about Weiser Family Farms said that Garfield High School, where Sid Weiser was a counselor, is in Alhambra. It is in East Los Angeles. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Sunset dining: a time to coast / by Leslie Brenner Critic's notebook on Ocean and Vine at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. With chef Gregg Wangard, who comes to Loews via The American Club in Kohler, Wis., the owners of Ocean and Vine are going more for Hollywood hip than beachy cool, with the back-lit bar and the sleek lounge furnishings. Drawing mouths to the flame / by Charles Perry Darkness falls, the snacks come out and that whole immemorial thing of gathering around a fire works its magic. Includes five restaurants: Beechwood on W. Washington Blvd. in Venice; Ma'kai Lounge on Broadway in Santa Monica; O-Bar on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood; Dominick's on Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood; Pacifico's on Culver Blvd. in Culver City.

Add 1 more: Julia Child's The French Chef cookbook. I bought it at a used bookstore I stumbled onto today for $6!!

I got off work early today. I went back home and decided to eat my leftover Chinese food from the other night. Before I did that, I decided to go to my nearby Costco's to pick up a few things before the store gets really crowded. As I was shopping, I was really ... getting ... hungry ... All of a sudden, a lot of things looked and smelled so tempting. The oven-fresh baguettes, the roast chicken, you get the idea. Fortunately, I had enough will power to stay focused, buy what I needed, and get home. Has this happened to you, going food shopping while hungry? Do you start buying more things just because your stomach is growling and you can't say no? Or does your mind overrule that ravenous beast?

LA Times Food Section -- May 4, 2005 Life of the market SPECIAL ISSUE | FARMERS MARKETS Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that does not please you, try clicking this link here, enter the URL address for the LA Times and proceed accordingly. Some content is in the premium section called www.calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee. Go straight to the source / by Betty Baboujon What to do with all those fresh vegetables and luscious fruit? Just ask the people who know them best. With fresh produce all around, some cook them without a recipe, just improvising. If you need recipes, get them and the vegetables from the farmers. And what easier farmer's recipe is there than rinse, dry and serve? Includes five recipes: Roasted carrots (from Maryann Carpenter of Coastal Organics); Strawberry pie (from Yoshiko Iwamoto of Harry's Berries); Nasturtium pesto (from Coleman Family Farms); Warm fenugreek salad (from Bill and Delia Coleman of Coleman Family Farms); Fava and corn salad (from Paul Thurston at McGrath Farms) Farmers markets: the list Every day of the week, long-running and brand-new farmers markets bring just-picked produce to a neighborhood near you. Around every corner / by Susan LaTempa Each neighborhood farmers market has its own flavor. Think yours is the best? You're right.Yes, there are the big farmers markets in Santa Monica, Torrance & Hollywood. Mind you, the smaller ones are thriving, ... bringing fresh produce to city dwellers while making it possible for small farmers to sell directly to consumers at retail prices. Includes the side article, Swing by with your basket Survival and success / by Russ Parsons The markets are at the heart of the Weiser farm's business, even as it struggles with growing pains. Russ Parsons chronicles the twenty-plus years of the Weiser family business and its recent successes and issues with the addition of Alex Weiser's brother Dan, who has an MBA from USC and was a sales executive at Disney. Includes 2 recipes: Shrimp in romesco with wilted spinach (from "The Zuni Café Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers); Grilled baby new potato salad (adapted from the just-published cookbook "The Swedish Table," by Helene Henderson) The many meanings of 'organic' / by Max Withers Demand for certified produce is up, but so is confusion over farming standards. Here's a look at what it all means. If the produce says “organic,” most shoppers would think the food is safer, better flavor and healthier, right? It's not that easy. Government standards, annual inspections by non-government agencies, and loads of paperwork have some farmers eschewing organic farming. And the confusion begins. Seafood that generates its own tropical heat / by Barbara Hansen In this article (titled “Regional dishes are the catch of the day” on the Web), Taquería Vista Hermosa on S. Grand Ave belongs to owner Raul Morales and his family, and it's the mariscos (Mexican seafood) that will remind you of Ensenada or Mazatlán. A proper noir mystery / by David Shaw Did this Paso Robles Pinot actually beat out a legendary Burgundy? It takes some sleuthing to find out. Wine detective Shaw gets to the bottom of this notion that in 1976 or '77, a Paso Robles Pinot Noir from Hoffman Mountain Ranch bested the “revered Domaine de la Romanée Conti” in a blind taste test. A charm that beckons / by S. Irene Virbila Joe's on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice is given a 1* rating. Owner/chef Joe Miller has been on his own since 1991 with Joe's Restaurant. Its atmosphere is laid back and relaxed to the satisfaction of its customers (Venice artsy types, young families with kids and Joe's loyalists from across town). But if the dinners I've had at Joe's recently are any indication, the restaurant seems to have lost focus ..., something is missing at Joe's these days. Maybe it's Joe. WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2004 Grosset “Polish Hill” Clare Valley Riesling: Clare Valley, Australia; about $30; cool and minerally; goes with raw or chilled shellfish, Dungeness crab, Thai and Asian food. This is an Australian Riesling that rivals the best from Germany and Alsace. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Here's to yesteryear / by S. Irene Virbila Critic's notebook on Tower Bar on the Sunset Strip. The new owner of the Art Deco-designed Argyle Hotel, Jeff Klein has brought back the Tower Bar, which first opened in 1929. The chef is Collin Crannell, formerly of Chloe. With the music of Billie Holiday & Nat King Cole in the background, the atmosphere is soothing and sophisticated. Old school / by Charles Perry Light, fresh, cutting-edge — that's not all there is to our food scene. Clubby is also in the house. Includes five restaurants: The Grill on the Alley on Dayton Way in Beverly Hills; Sir Winston's on Queens Highway in Long Beach; The Polo Lounge at Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills; Arnie Morton's of Chicago on S. La Cienega Blvd., also locations in Santa Ana, Burbank and downtown Los Angeles; Tam o'Shanter Inn on Los Feliz Blvd.

Rally's currently has 389 restaurants, mostly in the Midwest. ← Cool. Since I moved from Ohio to Illinois, all of the Rally's/Checker's that DID exist near where I lived all folded up and moved out of town. ← All the Rally's in this town closed up, too. Bummer. I liked their battered fries. The nearest one was converted into a Starbuck's and they really take advantage of that double drive-thru! ← There's a Rally's REALLY CLOSE to me. It's next to a Harley Davidson store. Just give me 20 minutes and I'll be back. Mind you, I haven't eaten there in years. I will always remember Burger King as the hamburger place where you can "have it your way." That appeals to the independent person in me, as the song goes, Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce. Special orders don't upset us ... Boy, I'm really showing my age!!

Credit should be given again to Taco Bell when they first came up with the idea of that little dog saying, Yo quiero Taco Bell. Afterwards, everyone was jumping on that bandwagon.

Mr. Ruhlman, I hope you win, at least for Cleveland's sake ...

I got inspired by Brithack's discussion thread American diner tour. In order to make things a bit organized (that's the librarian in me), I started this thread on diners located in California. Go ahead and put in your one-of-a-kind favorites. I'll start off with the Original Pantry on the corner of Figueroa & 9th in downtown LA. It's a historic diner since 1924. Open 24 hours. The decor is straight out of a Raymond Chandler novel. They serve chicken fried steaks on Tues. & Sat.

Book Alley on Colorado Blvd. (north side), near Vroman's. This is the place that I bought my previous two dozen. Go ahead and click here http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ndpost&p=875637

My friend and I went to the Palm in downtown LA. He had the 4-lb. lobster. I had the USDA Prime New York Strip (18 oz.), medium rare. We splitted the Gigi salad (iceberg, tomatoes, bacon, avocadoes, halved hard-boiled egg, blue cheese dressing, shrimp), which was fine. When the steak arrived, I cut into it and it tasted warm, not hot. It chews nicely. The melting quality wasn't there. The seasoning was sparse, which is fine. Overseasoning can be a bit much, IMO. Alongside the entrees were an order of their "half & half" (cottage fries & fried onions), which was okay. My friend enjoyed his lobster. For dessert, he had cheesecake and I had crème brulée. We both enjoyed our desserts. The service was wonderful. Because it was my friend's birthday, they comped the desserts. I think I almost covered all of the steakhouses in downtown LA. Yes, I'll need to go over to the Westside/Beverly Hills area. Not only do I have to be rich, but I also have to look rich (or beautiful). Life is so hard ...

You must be up from that nap by now...LOL ← It also depends what kind of tables vegasreporter spent many hours at, besides the cafe & dining tables ...

Add 3 more books: Jones, Evan. Epicurean delight: the life and times of James Beard. I bought this one at the same bookstore in Pasadena. They're still having a huge book sale (now 50% discount). Yard, Sherry. The secrets of baking. I went to the LA Times Festival of Books on Sunday and saw Sherry Yard doing a cooking demo. So, I HAD to buy her book and get it personally autographed. McGee, Harold. On food and cooking. I went to Costco today and they had it for $21.99 ($35.00 retail).

Be still, my anxious heart! Varmint, Mr. McCord, Dean: Congratulations!!

As for me, I always tip in cash. And I make certain my server gets the receipt folder or tray (containing the tip) in hand with a spoken comment from me, "I want to make sure you get this. Thank you." The only times I tip with a credit card is when I'm really strapped for cash or the service is rather perfunctory.

LA Times Food Section -- April 27, 2005 Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. Some content is in the premium section called www.calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee. Where cool is hot / by Russ Parsons Water Grill's new chef, David LeFevre, has a radical approach to cooking fish: Take it nice and slow. The results are sublime. Low-temperature cooking techniques are definitely a departure from the more traditional grilling, pan frying and sautéing. Includes the side article, Four easy techniques, and four recipes: Confited yellowtail with ginger-carrot purée and warmed Asian vinaigrette; White-wine steamed sea bass with horseradish crème; Slow-roasted arctic char with vegetable 'risotto'; Cold-poached halibut with coriander-cucumber yogurt Fresh and luscious / by Carolynn Carreño This is ricotta at its best, whether made from cow's milk or sheep's milk. And here in California, you're so close to the source. As member of the whey cheeses, ricotta is more than that flavorless, rubbery, cottage cheese-like curd in the refrigerator section of grocery stores. Cow's milk ricotta is available all year round and made fresh right here in Los Angeles (actually South El Monte). Includes three recipes: Warm ricotta soup; Tortelloni with sage butter; Fried ricotta Napa center's power grab / by Corie Brown With plans for a glitzy awards show, Copia aims to unseat the Beard Foundation. With the James Beard Foundation in the throes of a financial scandal, those at Copia, a 3-year-old West Cost cultural center founded by Robert and Magrit Mondavi, are calling that “timely opportunity.” There is a discussion thread about this article here. A wine for every fish in the sea / by Rod Smith Smith concludes that crisp Sauvignon Blancs, especially Sancerre and its close cousin Pouilly-Fumé (from Pouilly-Sur-Loire, just across the river) were ideal with just about any seafood. Includes the side article “Some Sancerres to sip” The look's the thing / by Leslee Komaiko The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter will recognize the contributions of architects and designers to the food scene of this city with the Los Angeles Restaurant Design Awards, a new annual juried competition. A crumbly favorite Recipe for strawberry scones from Annie Miler of Clementine near Century City. Don't pity the gefilte enthusiasts If you meant for your article ("The Fish We Love to Hate," by Laurie Winer, April 20) to be insulting to Jewish people who regularly include and enjoy gefilte fish during holiday celebrations, you succeeded. There is a discussion thread about this article here. Words for the Wine Guy Your article ("The Designated Wine Guy," by David Shaw, April 20) described my Wine Guy experiences perfectly, with but one exception. I would never ask restaurant dinner guests to split the cost of the bottles I bring. And although it may have worked well, so far, for you to do so, I humbly suggest that you stop. Charge 'em with an error / by David Shaw When die-hard Dodger fan Shaw heard that management had changed concessionaries this season, replacing Aramark with Chicago-based Levy Restaurants ..., “I thought the food might even be better. I was wrong.” A bustling brasserie: C'est chic / by S. Irene Virbila Brass.-Cap. American Brasserie on W. Channel Rd. is given a ½* rating. Bruce Marder's new restaurant at the beach is his take on traditional French cooking. It's hard to fathom how someone can get the décor so right, but the food so wrong. WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2003 Copain Viognier Broken Leg Vineyard: Anderson Valley; about $28; ripe and lush; goes with summery salads and light main courses. ... beguiling scent of flowers and ripe peaches and rich, mouth-filling texture. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Felicity in Los Feliz / by S. Irene Virbila Critic's notebook on Breakfast at the Alcove on Hillhurst Ave. With its bungalow setting and old French garden tables set out under the trees, the Alcove only looks laid back. This place is together. Who is the top dog? / by Dog Davis L.A.'s one heck of a hot dog town. And Wienerschnitzel has put a new one on the block. Breakfast alfresco / by Charles Perry Nothing beats breakfast out of doors, when you can find a good place to do it. Includes five restaurants: Clementine on Ensley Ave.; Bel-Air Hotel on Stone Canyon Road; The Raymond on S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena; Pane Fresco at the Brentwood Country Mart on San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood; Jinky's Café on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks & also on 2nd St. in Santa Monica.

Why would you assume we're talking about Caucasians? ← Perhaps trillium read this part of Soup's initial post: BTW, nice pictures of your daughter! Do you have one of your husband in Korean attire?

Yes, omit the potato flour from the recipe entirely. I saw Sherry mark out that ingredient from the recipe on p. 26.

No, JFL. That's all the corrections she made. Sherry Yard does have her own website. Interestingly though, that thumb-print lime melt-away cookies is one of the recipes posted on her website. She does have a contact link to send e-mail messages.

Bump. On Sunday, I got to see Sherry Yard do a cooking demo at the LA Times Festival of Books 2005 over at UCLA. Wow! What a culinary treat! She was so energetic, so ebullient, so entertaining to the crowd. And she knows her stuff. So I HAD to buy the book, "The Secrets of Baking," which did win the 2004 James Beard Award for Best Pastry Book. When I got my book personally autographed , Sherry was making a few corrections on the book. I went back through the book and I'm making an errata list: p. 26: [omit the phrase “2 tablespoons potato flour (potato starch)”] p. 42: “1 ¼ cups heavy cream” [that's "one and one-fourth cups heavy cream"] p. 207: “3 : 2 : 1” [top line]; “SOLID LIQUID LIQUID” [middle line]; “Flour Butter Water or Sugar”[bottom line; omit the word “eggs”] p. 322: “Eight 3-inch savarin molds” [that's 8 three-inch savarin molds]

Holly, thank you for the clarification. As for reservations, one of my favorite restaurants does both. They set aside one-half of their tables for reservations and the other half for walk-ins. With that type of arrangement, they're able to accommodate both groups of customers. Mind you, this restaurant does a huge volume (500 on a slow night), and this is a high-end prime rib place and they are definitely into hospitality. From your restaurant experience at the medium to high-end scale, what percentage of revenue is generated from credit cards as opposed to cash? And pardon me for asking an obvious question, did your restaurant accept cash? Was that rare, I mean the entire bill paid in cash, not just the tip?

Here's some bibliographic information on the Grigson book: Grigson, Jane. The art of charcuterie. New York, Knopf, 1968, 1967. -- xiii, 349, xvi p. illus. 22 cm. -- LCCN: 68-23952 Originally published in 1967 under title: Charcuterie & French pork cookery.

Holly, what do you mean by a "no-show customer?" How can one be a customer if s/he doesn't show up in the first place? Does that mean, Customers are always right, even if they don't show up for their reservations and don't call to cancel? Back to topic, the only cash-only restaurants I recall are local Chinese restaurants in Chinatown (speaking around LA) & long-time restaurants that has had a cash-only policy for decades. Isn't Peter Luger's in NY cash-only? Having a cash-only policy can be an inconvenience to the customer. Mind you, credit card debt is a lot worse (I speak as someone who finally paid off my credit card, thank God!!). As for the restaurants, it sounds like payments by credit card is a "necessary evil," ehh?

LA Times Food Section -- April 20, 2005 Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com requires registration. Some content is in the premium section, called calendarlive.com, which requires an additional fee. Beneath its shell / by Regina Schrambling The subtle almond brings out the best in almost everything, especially in spring. The uniqueness of almonds is explored, from mature, roasted or green, from California to Spain. Includes three recipes: Veal with Marcona almonds; Almond watercress pesto; Flourless almond-chocolate cake The fish we love to hate / by Laurie Winer Yes, it’s almost Passover, and it’s time for gefilte fish. Gefilte fish is explained, and there are a few fish stories included as well. Includes two side articles: “Gefilte fish: The not-so FAQs” and “All gefilte are not created equal” It's showtime for sorrel / by Donna Deane The herb with that distinctive zing deserves a starring role. And right now, it's at its best. The lemony tanginess of sorrel makes it so versatile and springtime is its showtime. Head for the farmers market, and big bunches are yours for a song. Includes three recipes: Sautéed chicken breasts stuffed with sorrel; Sorrel soup; Sorrel flan Where sandwiches know no borders / by Linda Burum In Westwood Village, a whimsical new café offers multicultural riffs on banh mi. East West Sandwich on Westwood Blvd. takes this combination of French baguette filled with Vietnamese meats and/or vegetables to new heights. Purists cry out “Sacrilege” but they should be reminded of banh mi's multicultural beginnings. Leave it to the wine guy / by David Shaw Being the designated wine connoisseur is a role laden with both small joys and potential pitfalls. Shaw tells about how he decides which wines to bring or order, whether among friends or among people he doesn't know well. New York cookbook wins big / by Russ Parsons "Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food," written by a Manhattan radio personality, was the surprise winner of the cookbook of the year award from the International Assn. of Culinary Professionals at its annual awards ceremony Saturday in Dallas. Book fair features culinary talent (LA)Among the cookbook authors appearing at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is Sherry Yard ("The Secrets of Baking"), who demonstrates recipes at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. And let's not forget Russ Parsons, who will be in a panel discussion at 3:30 p.m. Sunday on “The Life and Legacy of Julia Child.” Simple is the new trendy / by S. Irene Virbila Nine Thirty at the W Hotel in Westwood is given a 2½* rating. Given this location's past history, Virbila was not expecting much from this restaurant. Beyond the dominating bar scene is the dining room drenched in amber-tinted lights overhead. Executive chef Travis Lett's menu is more like Chez Panisse than Sona. This is easygoing food, ideal hotel food ... WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila 2003 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, California: Napa Valley; about $75; rich and opulet; goes with roasted meats and game. Velvety and intense, and tasting of black currants and tobacco ... And kosher. Yes, kosher. For the record Pan dulce price -- A chart in last week's Food section with an article about Latino bakeries gave an incorrect price. The panadero at El Rinconcito del Mar bakery in Los Angeles is three for $1, not three for $14. Cookbook photographer -- An article in last week's Food section on “Crave,” a cookbook by Ludo Lefebvre, identified Steve Wayda as a photographer for both Playboy and Penthouse magazines. Wayda is a photographer for Playboy magazine; he no longer contributes to Penthouse. Restaurant flag -- In the April 6 Food section, an article about Baby Blues Bar-B-Q in Venice said that a flag of North Carolina was painted on its front window. It is a flag of Tennessee. *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Calendarlive Stories on Thursday Literati's new edition / by S. Irene Virbila Critic's notebook on Literati II on Wilshire Blvd. The chef is Chris Kidder, who was chef de cuisine at Campanile a while back, and his food definitely has that California-Mediterranean thing going for it. Bruschetta / by Charles Perry Since the '80's, this humble appetizer has evolved to become almost a meal in itself. Includes five restaurants: Pecorino on San Vicente Blvd.; Ammo on N. Highland Ave.; Il Fornaio on N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, with other branches in Irvine, Manhattan Beach, Del Mar and Pasadena; La Terza on W. 3rd St. (on Tuesday nights with Nancy Silverton's “Tavola Italiana”); Antica Pizzeria on Maxella Ave. in Marina del Rey