DIGEST: Los Angeles Times Food Section

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- October 19, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Acres of apples / by Charles Perry

Oak Glen, with its myriad varieties, is just a country drive away. About 75 miles east from downtown Los Angeles in eastern San Bernardino County, Oak Glen has become an apple lovers' mecca with about 100 varieties, most of them are not available at farmers markets. So you have to make the trek up there, out in the country. But be careful! In drought years (fortunately, this year set records for rainfall), when there aren't many wild berries in the hills, bears have been known to come down and raid the apples. Bears!

Included are three side articles: “Apple country address book” , “Bushels of reds, greens and golds” & “Apples available at Oak Glen: The list”

Also included are three recipes: Apple crème brûlée; Caramelized-apple gâteau basque; Marinated shaved apples with spiced apple granité

There's a discussion thread on this topic: APPLES! tis the season

Pinot king's ouster shocks wine realm / by Russ Parsons

Richard Sanford is a seminal figure in the world of Pinot Noirs, with his 1982 founding of Sanford Winery and Vineyards. Then late last month, Sanford suddenly announced he was leaving it all behind. He and his wife, Thekla, were moving on to start a new enterprise, Alma Rosa Winery and Vineyards. The news came as a shock. What happened? Richard Sanford: “This is the thing that is so damned awful about this," Sanford says. "People here have wondered for a while what was going on, but I think out of courtesy they didn't ask. People have been very supportive, but it is kind of wearing."

The bakeries are here! / by Betty Baboujon

COULD L.A. be turning into a real bakery town? It seems to be shaping up that way, judging from all the dough on the rise. Here are a few names and places: Parisian master baker Eric Kayser, New York restaurateur Maury Rubin, pastry chef Michelle Myers, Belgian company Le Pain Quotidien, Japan-based cream puff specialist Beard Papa's, Santa Monica chef Hans Röckenwagner ... The new arrivals — particularly Kayser's Breadbar and Rubin's City Bakery — could signal that L.A.'s bakery culture is finally starting to grow up.

A rustic dish with flair / by Barbara Hansen

Cocido, a favorite in Mexican kitchens, gives the season's vegetables a chance to shine. A soup served all over Mexico, cocido is comprised of beef shank and some seasonal vegetables, accompanied by spicy salsa and Mexican rice. It's light but satisfying, fabulously flavorful and not at all fussy.

Included are three recipes: Cocido; Salsa for cocido; Mexican rice

Exotic fish migrate to L.A. plates / by Leslee Komaiko

When it comes to fish, Los Angeles chefs are cultivating a taste for the exotic. Hebi, triggerfish, Japanese ayu, aji, kampachi, and uku, a Hawaiian gray snapper are some of the lesser-known fishes being served in Los Angeles. And chefs can't help but fall for these fish.

Harmonic convergence at the beach / by Susan LaTempa

Chakra mixes it up, with a playful Orientalist look and an appealing Pan-Asian menu. Colin Sako and his colleague, Lisa Elliot have opened up Chakra, a five-month-old Pan-Asian restaurant in Manhattan Beach, with a menu mix of traditional dishes (such as satays, summer rolls and pad Thai), cross-cultural creations (lemon grass ceviche, Asian ratatouille) and Cal cuisine with a twist (guava sake mahi mahi, lamb shanks braised in Thai mussamam curry).

Why not paint the night red? / by Leslie Brenner

Chapter Eight in Agoura Hills is given a 1½* rating. Welcome to the sleepy, pastoral bedroom community of Agoura Hills. Chapter Eight Steakhouse & Dance Lounge is the new scene for steaks and dancing, with its red, red, red, decor, kind of like Las Vegas ... or Palm Springs. Executive chef Eddy Shin (formerly of Nick & Stef's steakhouse downtown) ... approaches the steakhouse menu with such a measure of creativity and earnestness that you really want to like everything. In fact, his simplest dishes work best.

There's a discussion thread on Southern California steakhouses: "Southern California steakhouses" post on Chapter Eight (with photos)

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Domaine du Vissoux Moulin à Vent: Beaujolais; about $22; lush and age-worthy; goes with grilled sausages, roast birds and fall's braised meats and daubes. The taste is gorgeous ripe fruit with something earthy to keep you coming back to the glass for another sip.

Robaire set the couscous standard

I enjoyed the well-researched and gloriously illustrated article on couscous ["Marrakesh Express," Oct. 5]. However, I was shocked that it didn't mention Robaire's French restaurant on La Brea. Robert Robaire was undoubtedly the first to serve "double-steamed" couscous in Los Angeles, going all the way back to the early 1950s.

It's the incredible growing prices

REGARDING "Incredible Shrinking Restaurant Scene" [Oct. 5], there's only one reason all but 500 people have stopped going to fancy restaurants. It's the prices, stupid! Whether it's because of higher rents, labor and food costs, greed or whatever, the bottom line is it costs too darn much to go out to dinner these days.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Fine dining, at arm's length / by Leslie Brenner

Critic's notebook on Valentino in Santa Monica. Last spring, owner Piero Selvaggio brought in 32-year-old Lombardy-born Ezio Gamba. Shortly after his arrival, the a la carte portion of the menu was replaced with an all fixed-price format, with options like "classic menu," "tasting of Italian traditions" and a six-course chef's tasting menu. Then, at the bottom of the menu: "A note from chef Ezio: If you do not see your favorite dish, do not hesitate to ask; we will prepare it for you. If you do not have one, we will create it for you." What fun!

New toque / by Leslee Komaiko

A new chef can bring renewed excitement not only to the plate but also to an entire restaurant.

Includes five restaurants (with new chef): Joe's (Joshua Gil) on Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; Gardens Restaurant (Ashley James) on S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills; P6 (Robert Lia) on Agoura Road, Westlake Village; O-Bar (Scott Hawley) on Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; Polo Lounge (Robert Allen) on Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- October 26, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Cocktails, amici? / by Regina Schrambling

There's a delicious new ritual of savory bites and light drinks the Italians call aperitivo. Let's join them. When you order wine in Italy, instead of chips or peanuts, it comes with snacks like salami, cheese, olives, and bread, and you're only charged for the wine. ”With aperitivo, ... the idea is, 'You're drinking with me, I'll find something in my house to eat, but I don't know what I have, we'll see'” ...

Includes four recipes: Crostini tonnato (tuna crostini); Sage risotto bites; Hazelnut pesto puffs; Stuffed fried olives; and the side article, “Just a slice away”

For luxury that's worth the wait / by Donna Deane

Lower the flame, slow down the scramble and transform eggs into pure bliss. This is a recipe for slow-scrambled eggs. And I do mean S-L-O-W. Slow-scrambled eggs take at least 10 minutes and up to 25 minutes, depending on the temperature of the eggs, the pan and even your kitchen.

Includes three recipes: Slow-cooked scrambled eggs with bottarga; Slow-scrambled eggs with prosciutto; Tweety scramble

A toast to Turin / by Regina Schrambling

EVEN as food has become a bigger part of the ritual of aperitivo in Italy, drinks will always be the essential ingredient. Coke does turn up on the occasional cafe table, but more often alcohol is involved. And it's not always what you would expect ... Wine is clearly the drink of a new generation all through Italy.

Includes two recipes: Negroni and Spritz

Woodsy toss in the pan / by Russ Parsons

ONE morning recently, I woke up and realized summer was over. Though I live miles from anything like a forest, the cool, damp air carried a perfume that reminded me of a walk in the woods, feet shuffling through a deep thatch of wet, fallen leaves. I snuggled deeper into my comforter and dreamed about mushrooms. The fungus of his dreams has to taste woodsy and wild and it takes just one simple trick: Do everything backward.

Includes two recipes: Mushroom hash and Mushroom and winter squash gratin

Dead heads / by Susan LaTempa

The souls of the departed return to their former earthly neighborhoods on Día de los Muertos (Nov. 1 and 2), and in many households they're welcomed with an ofrenda, or altar, decorated with photos, mementos and small sugar sculptures (alfeñiques) including sugar skulls or calaveras. Calaveras are offered to the living as well, exchanged by children or given as sweet treats or favors during holiday visits.

Selecting just the right aperitivo / by Leslie Brenner

Vermouth, bitters and beers A list of recommended selections with retail locations in the area.

Classic stew, spiced the Malaysian way / by Barbara Hansen

RENDANG is a favorite dish at our local Malaysian restaurants, but there's rendang and then there's rendang. Times staff writer Charles Perry came across an exceptionally rich and luscious version of the spicy stew during his travels in England this summer. This recipe is from Lagenda, the restaurant of the Holiday Villa Hotel in London, which is part of a Malaysian-based chain.

With holidays nearing, get ready to talk turkey / by Cindy Dorn

IT'S time to order heritage turkeys before they're all gone. Some deadlines are as early as Nov. 5, and I'm not talking turkey. Well, you know what I mean ...

A colorful bazaar of dazzling flavors / by Susan LaTempa

At cozy Cayenne, Middle East meets West in rustic mezes, refined falafel and hearty sandwiches. Cayenne on Beverly Blvd. is a busy neighborhood cafe that has an atmosphere with many moods. Like a quirky friend who's got a different take on things, Cayenne's full of pleasant surprises.

At your service? / by Leslie Brenner

Belvedere at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills is given a 1* rating. You'd expect to be pampered at the Belvedere, the dining room in the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel. It's a “once upon a time” review about a fancy restaurant that's pretentious, haughty, stuffy, and intimidating. You probably thought restaurants like this were ancient history, especially in Los Angeles. Well, keep reading ...

There is a discussion thread about this article: The Belvedere, Beverly Hills Hotel

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Hartford Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, California: Sonoma; about $20; Burgundian; goes with daubes and other stews, roast birds, grilled meat, cheese. Their wonderful Pinot Noir ... is priced like a bargain but tastes of luxury.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Quite a friendly surprise / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Bistro Provence in Burbank. While the location is in a strip mall, this bistro is the project of former Pinot Bistro chef Miki Zivkovic and maitre d' Stanko Mihajlov. The menu is strictly cuisine du marché and changes weekly ... The name suggests Provençal cuisine, but at this friendly neighborhood bistro Provence is more a state of mind than a collection of regional recipes.

Providing a big, big start to the day / by Dog Davis

Jack and the King go head to head in the race for meatiest breakfast sandwich.

Where's the boeuf? / by Leslie Komaiko

The French might be best known for their aptitude in all things amorous and their skill with a saucepan. But they work wonders with beef as well.

Includes five restaurants: French 75 on Jamboree Road, Irvine; Mimosa on Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Cezanne on Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; La Cachette on Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; Kendall's Brasserie on N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- November 2, 2005

The Cookbook Issue

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

NB At the bottom of this week's digest are a few discussion threads about cookbooks

So much new to savor / by Regina Schrambling

At last, a fall publishing season brings a crop of truly compelling cookbooks. If you were allowed to choose only ONE of the new cookbooks, you couldn't. It is truly a fall harvest full of new cookbooks.

Includes four recipes: Sogliole in salsa picante (sole in piquant sauce); Hassan's potato, olive and harissa tortilla; Beets with tahini; Deconstructed tomato bread (pa amb tomaquet deconstruido); and a side article, “Make room on your shelves”

There's a related discussion thread about this topic: Cookbooks published in 2005

Shelves and shelves of delicious reads / by Susan LaTempa and Charles Perry

Looking for the hottest new title from Japan or a first-edition Larousse? You're in luck. Southern California has the largest book market in the country. So, it's not unusual that there are many book stores specializing in ... cookbooks.

Includes the side article, ”Books for all kinds of cooks”

Tattered, torn and terrific / by Russ Parsons; Donna Deane; S. Irene Virbila; Barbara Hansen; Charles Perry; Leslie Brenner

Times Food staff writers offer up the books and recipes they'd never part with. For example, let's find out why Russ Parsons' favorite cookbook is Richard Olney's “Simple French Food.”

Includes six recipes: Chicken from the garden of St. Marcos (from "Mexican Cook Book Devoted to American Homes" by Josefina Velázquez de León); Standing rib roast of pork (from "Zuni Café Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers); Onion panade (from "Simple French Food" by Richard Olney); Almond torte (from "Chez Panisse Desserts" by Lindsey Remoulif Shere); Hollandaise sauce made in the electric blender (from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck) Côtelettes de porc au cidre (from "French Country Cooking" by Elizabeth David)

Sunday supper, with L.A. sparkle / by Russ Parsons

"At Lucques, Sundays mean three-course suppers with dishes such as grilled pork confit with braised rice soubise and roasted figs, or Tunisian lamb-and-eggplant stew with farro, parsley and harissa. Everyone is offered the same menu and everyone seems happy to be having it. Suzanne Goin's book, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques, is a collection of seven-years' worth of menus. And her restaurants ... are at the top of the Los Angeles dining scene.

Includes two recipes: Grilled quail with Sicilian breadcrumbs, pancetta and ricotta pudding; Olive oil cake with crème fraîche and candied tangerines

The real cost of a free meal / by Scott Martelle

A restaurant critic dines on the house, raising serious questions about the ethics of reviewing. eGullet is mentioned in the article. If the writer would only get the URL correct ... That's eGullet dot O-R-G ...

There's a long discussion thread about John Mariani and the ethics of reviewing: John Mariani

A crisp, mouth-watering, complex guide / by Leslie Brenner

Master Sommelier Vincent Gasnier boldly tackles the wide world of alcoholic beverages. "Drinks: Enjoying, Choosing, Storing, Serving, and Appreciating Wines, Beers, Cocktails, Spirits, Aperitifs, Liqueurs and Ciders" by Vincent Gasnier sounds rather overwhelming to be considered definitive. Mind you, Brenner states: If you could only have one book in your library to cover the entire potable world (make that the entire alcoholic potable world), this could be it.

Includes three recipes of drinks: Alcazar; Brooklyn; Champs-Elysées

Michelin unveils NYC stars / by Regina Schrambling

After months of anticipation and weeks of gossip, Michelin issued its first ratings of New York City restaurants Tuesday, and the results were mostly safe, with a few surprises.

There's a discussion thread about this topic on: Michelin Guide to New York est arrive!

A book for Dada cooks / by Wesley Bausmith

JUST out in a pocket-sized paperback edition, Allan Ben's "Art and Cook: Love Food, Live Design and Dream Art" (Universe, $23), takes an overtly arty tack to a book about cookery. The cover — reminiscent of Man Ray or René Magritte — features a surrealistic shot of an egg cracked open to reveal an eyeball, which stares, Cyclops-like, at the viewer.

Where looks are everything / by S. Irene Virbila

The Lodge in Beverly Hills is given a 1* rating. The Lodge in Beverly Hills is the latest hipster steakhouse. Its wacky woodsy décor gets the imagination going wild. That's good, because Irene is having a difficult time getting excited about another new hip and trendy steakhouse in the LA area. ... for people who think food matters, the Lodge doesn't begin to deliver. It's just another steakhouse dressed to kill.

There's a discussion thread about this topic: Southern California steakhouses

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Domaine de la Janasse Terre d'Argile Côtes du Rhône Villages: Rhône Valley; about $19; aromatic and concentrated; goes with sausage and cheese, hearty soups, braised duck legs, roasts. ... a lovely ruby red with notes of spice and wild herbs in the perfume.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Pleasing a tough customer / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Literati II on Wilshire Blvd. After being in business for seven months, Literati II has just added weekend brunch. Irene and family members tried that place. And a very lovely time is had by all. Even my mother.

Why are restaurants so noisy?

In this edition of “Ask the critic,” S. Irene Virbila explains why restaurants sometimes ratchet up the racket.

There's a discussion thread about this topic: Noisy restaurants

Brunch sans buffet / by Leslie Komaiko

There's a time and place for lavish buffet brunches, but sometimes all you want are some killer pancakes or eggs made to order.

Includes five restaurants: M Café de Chaya on Melrose Ave., L.A.; More Than Waffles on Ventura Blvd., Encino; Duke's on Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; Axe on Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; The Hungry Cat on N. Vine, Hollywood.

Here are a few discussion threads about cookbooks:

"So You Want To Write a Cookbook"

Food Reference Books

Cookbook writers on eGullet

Cookbook Shelving and Storage

Cook Books-How many do you Own

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- November 9, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Japanese pop / by Linda Burum

Izakaya, those trendy late-night gastropubs, are bursting onto the scene here. Izakaya (ee-zah-KAH-yah) is a Japanese pub or tavern that serves small dishes that are to be shared, in a sense, Japanese tapas. A little drinking-and-eating at a communal table or a dining bar in front of a chef at an open kitchen until the late hours of the evening, and you have an izakaya, to cultivate a relaxing setting that encourages warm communication.

Where to gather for sakana and sake / by Linda Burum

Even as we go to press there are more izakaya opening their doors throughout Southern California. Here are the many we love, but this is not an exhaustive list. Kanpai!

These drinks are all the rage / by David Lansing

Juicy, light and inventive, shochu cocktails go perfectly with the small plates at izakaya everywhere.

Includes four recipes of drinks: Sora (sky) martini; Aloha; Cherry blossom; Geisha House shochu cocktail

Fall's golden globes / by Russ Parsons

Don't let the name fool you. Winter squash are here now -- and they are demanding star treatment. Winter squash are harvested in the fall and they store very well during the winter months, thus the name. With all the various colors, shapes, sizes, and textures, their beauty ... makes them one of nature's more versatile vegetables: Until you're ready to eat, you've got a holiday centerpiece.

Includes two recipes: Winter squash risotto with walnuts and fried sage leaves; Caramelized winter squash

Dark layers of mystery / by Barbara Hansen

Invite Mexican chocolate for dessert and its beguiling flavor will keep everyone guessing. Although used mostly in hot drinks and savory moles, Mexican chocolate is rarely used in desserts. And why not? Given these nuances of flavor, a dessert made with Mexican chocolate is irresistibly intriguing. It's chocolate, but with a subtle, mysterious difference.

Includes three recipes: Churros and chocolate dip; Mexican chocolate layer cake; Mexican chocolate flan

Battle of the braisers / by Donna Deane

EVERY fall, when braising season begins in earnest, we pull out our favorite heavyweight: a 5.5-quart round Le Creuset enameled cast-iron pot. This time around, it was Le Creuset versus two new braisers: 5-quart Staub La Cocotte braiser and 5.5-quart Emile Henry Flame-Top Stewpot. Who won? Well, read the article ...

There is a discussion thread about: Le Creuset

Vanilla, chocolate or porcini? / by Leslee Komaiko

Bastide and other L.A. restaurants serve up icy starters. What is this? Ice cream ... as an appetizer? Yes, you have read correctly. Think fennel, smoked corn or even Japanese rice.

Thanksgiving SOS

Need help for Thanksgiving?

Where scene meets cuisine / by S. Irene Virbila

Wilshire in Santa Monica is given a 2* rating. Chef Christopher Blobaum is creating a menu that's highly seasonal. There's some very good food at Wilshire, and sometimes a few misses. Why, perhaps? Word of mouth about the hyper-glamorous garden and outdoor bar are drawing a crowd more intent on hooking up or partying than savoring the chef's high-concept American cuisine.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Viña Sila Naiades Rueda: Castile-Leon; about $26; aromatic and lush; goes with oysters, seafood risotto, paella, Dungeness crab. Barrel fermented, it has a lush texture and a perfume of citrus and honey, and enough acidity to make it a terrific wine with food.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

French spoken here / by Leslie Brenner

Critic's notebook on Bistro de l'Hermitage. A waiter speaks to you in French. It's packed with people young and old, drinking their wine and eating their foie gras or their entrecôte. But we're not in the 17th arrondissement; we're in Culver City.

Going places / by Leslie Komaiko

Got a yen to travel? You need only brave a bit of L.A. traffic for a taste of the Far East, Deep South or anywhere else your appetite desires.

Includes five restaurants: Housenka on W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills; Rubin's Red Hot on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; The Tudor House on 2nd St., Santa Monica; Gumbo Pot on W. 3rd St., L.A. (aka Farmers Market); Warszawa on Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica.

Edited to add a link

Edited November 10, 2005 by rjwong (log)

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- November 16, 2005

THE ESSENTIAL THANKSGIVING: PART 1 by Regina Schrambling

From turkey to perfectly baked pies, easy and elegant versions of the classics. Next week: Video turkey carving class with chef Josiah Citrin.

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Near the bottom of this week's digest are some discussion threads about Thanksgiving.

Fit for a Pilgrim / by Regina Schrambling

Rich and pure in flavor, heritage birds are taking a place at the table.

Recipe: Steam-roasted heritage or free-range turkey

Tool: Turkey roaster / by Regina Schrambling

Whether you want to capture the full flavor of a heritage turkey or keep a free-range turkey moist without brining, a Granite Ware roasting pan with a lid is essential.

Stuffing: It's an invitation to tinker / by Russ Parsons

Most of our Thanksgiving menus are so bound by family ritual they could be carved in stone. That's why cooks are so thankful for stuffing, the one dish we can really play around with.

Recipe: Chestnut-sage stuffing

Potatoes: Choosing sides? Why not have both? / by Regina Schrambling

Traditions are traditions, and potatoes are not just an essential ingredient. You have to have them twice in the same meal.

Recipe: Creamy mashed potatoes

Recipe: Sweet potato gratin

The tool: masher / by Regina Schrambling

Potatoes are done when they almost mash themselves: You poke one with a fork and it softens to a paste. But to get the maximum smoothness with a whole potful, you need the right tool.

Cranberries: The ultimate relish is fresh, fast, flavorful / by Barbara Hansen

For real cranberry zing, nothing beats this irresistibly easy and delicious recipe.

Recipe: Cranberry-tangerine relish

Gravy: And the rest is ... / by Russ Parsons

THERE are few foods on the holiday table that carry the mystique of gravy.

Includes a recipe for giblet gravy

The tool: fat separator / by Donna Deane

It all starts with the dessert / by Donna Deane

It's the day serious cooks have been waiting for all year. What better way to begin it than with the aromas of apple and pumpkin pie?

Pie recipe: Classic pumpkin

Pie recipe: Classic apple

The tool: rolling pin / by Donna Deane

Wine: You really can't go wrong / by Patrick Comiskey

There are great wines for every Thanksgiving dinner, potlucks included. Match the mood, and guests will forgive the driest of turkeys.

A wine for every holiday mood

Culinary SOS: The turkey talk starts up

Russ Parsons answers your important questions about holiday cooking and preparation.

***********************************************************

More Thanksgiving preparation tips

With holidays nearing, get ready to talk turkey / by Cindy Dorn

IT'S time to order heritage turkeys before they're all gone.

Pound per pound, which turkey tastes best? / by Leslie Brenner

Those 'heritage' birds promise better flavor than free-range and supermarket varieties. We put them all to the test.

Roasting pans: Stick with these / by Cindy Dorn

Get them shallow, strong and able to take the heat. Here are our tested best.

Meal planning guide

Here it is: your basic Thanksgiving game plan.

Brining the bird / by Russ Parsons

Go soak your bird. It's the best holiday advice you'll get.

The cranberries

With just a little extra effort, you can create a really special sauce.

Thawing a frozen turkey

The refrigerator, quick-thaw and microwave methods.

Congeniality by the bottle / by Leslie Brenner

A tasting finds easygoing wines for the meal's crazy array of flavors.

The feast's perfect match: Beaujolais crus / by Corie Brown

Go ahead, slather on the butter and heavy cream; Burgundy's "other" wine can handle the heavy lifting.

Roasting times

Cooking charts are not the best way to judge a turkey's doneness. Always use a thermometer.

The Tools

Here's a rundown on what's essential and what's just cool to have.

Hotlines galore

Toll-free telephone services and Web sites offer answers to cooking and food-safety questions during holiday preparation times.

***********************************************************

Here are a few Thanksgiving discussion threads listed below. Other Thanksgiving discussion threads can be found in the Special Occasions forum.

Thanksgiving: What's on the menu?

Thanksgiving Pies, Cakes, etc: What's on the menu?

My House Smells Like Thanksgiving: The prep has started!

Thompson's Turkey: I will baste for science

***********************************************************

You won't know what's missing / by S. Irene Virbila

M Café de Chaya is given a 1½* rating. Don't be afraid when you see the term “macrobiotic.” Chef Shigefumi Tachibe has brought a sophistication to this lifestyle championed by Japan's Michio Kushi. He recruited two other like-minded cooks: chef de cuisine Lee Gross and pastry chef Eric Lechasseur. Forget brown. The food at the new M Café de Chaya is nothing of the sort. It's so full of color and flavor that the adjective that comes to mind is vivid.

WINES OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Domaine Saint-Amant 'La Tabardonne' Beaumes de Venise: Rhône Valley; about $17; smooth and lush; goes with: Drink it as an aperitif, with Asian seafood dishes, roast birds — and Thanksgiving dinner. Ours is not to wonder why, but to drink and enjoy.

2002 Stoller Vineyards Pinot Noir: Willamette Valley; about $40; rich and velvety; goes with roast birds, braised and roasted meats, pretty much everything. This Pinot should make beautiful music with the Thanksgiving turkey.

For the record

Mexican chocolate cake — The recipe last Wednesday for Mexican chocolate layer cake left out a step in the instructions. The melted chocolates should be added after beating in the egg yolks and vanilla. For a complete version of the corrected recipe, go to www.latimes.com/mexicanchocolatecake or this alternate link.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Ribs worth waiting for / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Boneyard Bistro on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. Since it had been open only just over a week, I didn't bother to make a reservation. How busy could it be after 8 on a weeknight? Twenty minutes. This father-and-son team of Preston & Aaron Robins is serving up “barbecue & beyond.” Aaron's culinary experience includes working at Charlie Trotter in Chicago and Flying Saucer in San Francisco, but this is his first restaurant on his own.

Turkey and trimmings, by the slice / by Leslie Komaiko

A new pizza at Taste on Melrose Avenue flaunts its turkey-and-trimmings appeal to anyone who just can't wait for the big day.

On 'cue / by Leslie Komaiko

Barbecue is the ultimate finger food.

Includes five restaurants: Zeke's Smokehouse on Honolulu Ave., Montrose; The Pig on N. La Brea Ave., L.A.; Santa Maria Barbecue Co. on Culver Blvd., Culver City; My Brother's Bar-B-Q on Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; Outdoor Grill on Washington Place, Culver City.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- November 23, 2005

THE ESSENTIAL THANKSGIVING: PART TWO

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Near the bottom of last week's digest (16 November 2005) are some discussion threads about Thanksgiving.

Video How-to: Carve a turkey with Mélisse Chef Josiah Citrin

Really, no need to panic / by Leslie Brenner

Too much to do? At least the green vegetables will be a snap. Blanch them, then forget about them till the very last minute.

Includes a recipe for Meyer lemon green beans and the side article, “Variations”

Let that wine genie out of the bottle / by Corie Brown

YOU'VE wandered the aisles of wine shops, imagining what would really delight your guests; you've sought out the most delicious possibilities your budget will allow. But there is still one more thing you can do that will almost invariably enhance whatever wine you have decided to serve at Thanksgiving dinner: Decant it.

Includes the side article, “Knowing how and when to pour”

The final flourish / by Russ Parsons

With the right knife and a few sharp moves, carving a turkey is easier than you think.

Includes the side article, “The tool: carving knife”

A taste of the first feast / by Charles Perry

THE oldest dish on the Thanksgiving table is succotash, a Native American combination of corn and beans that is likely to have been served at the first Thanksgiving.

Includes a recipe for succotash and the side article, “The tool: paring knife”

A little crunch, a touch of crisp and--wow / by Charles Perry

Celery sticks meet Marcona almonds when you add smart touches to the time-honored relish tray.

You're a few keystrokes away from T-Day tips

Online: See a companion video to today's carving story by Russ Parsons featuring Mélisse chef Josiah Citrin, right, who demonstrates how to carve a turkey. ...Go to www.latimes.com/thanksgiving

The tool: decanter / by Leslie Brenner

When looking for a decanter, any clear glass or crystal vessel with a wide enough, easy-pouring mouth will do.

***********************************************************

Gentlemen, stop your Lamborghinis / by S. Irene Virbila

Mastro's Ocean Club Fish House in Newport Beach is given a ½* (half a star) rating. The people behind Mastro's steakhouses has opened a seafood house and there's never a slow night. That's 475 reservations on the weekends and close to 300 on weeknights. No head chef here, just line cooks. And for those who hanker for a Rat Pack moment ... and don't care that much how it tastes, well, Mastro's Ocean Club will treat you like the Chairman of the Board.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc: Marlborough, New Zealand; about $12; lively and crisp; goes with roast birds, steamed shellfish, raw oysters and clams, seared scallops, grilled shrimp. The price couldn't be better. Drink up.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Crème de la crème of chain-store puffs / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Beard Papa Sweets Café at the Hollywood & Highland Center. This voluminous Japanese-based chain makes freshly baked puffs that are hand-filled to order with custard that's fresh every couple of hours. This may be the new Krispy Kreme.

Sugar rush / by Leslie Komaiko

If you're going to indulge in something sweet, and 'tis the season, make it worthwhile.

Includes five places: Auntie Em's Kitchen on Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock; Leda's Bake Shop on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Apple Pan on W. Pico Blvd., West L.A.; Urth Caffé on S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; Amandine on Wilshire Blvd., West L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- November 30, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Our brilliant blues / by Regina Schrambling

Creamy, rich and intense, the new American farmstead blue cheeses are uniquely linked to the land. David Gremmels and Cary Bryant became the owners of Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon by accident. Since that time three years ago, these artisanal cheese makers are now churning out blues that hold up against or even surpass the European classics.

Includes three recipes: Apple-wild rice salad with blue cheese and Calvados dressing; Roasted green beans with blue cheese; Grilled steaks with blue cheese and cranberry confit; and the side article, “Blue cheese in an American vein”

A bowl of Mexican soup / by Barbara Hansen

The origins of tortilla soup may be a mystery, but its intriguing flavor has long made it a California favorite. Tortilla soup can be called “a sort of soul food soup,” as Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy puts it. There are many variations to making this soup. However, to Kennedy, the soup ought to include epazote. "A tortilla soup without epazote is not worth eating, to my mind. But I'm a purist," she says.

Includes three recipes: Café Verde tortilla soup; Black bean tortilla soup; Sopa de bolitas de tortilla (tortilla ball soup)

With reds and whites so sweet / by Leslie Brenner

Stilton and Port — they go together like, well, like Roquefort and Sauternes. They're the Astaire and Rogers of food and wine pairings. They're both fabulous on their own, but put them together, and they swing. Mind you, buying Port or Sauternes could break the bank. Amazingly, ... tasting American blue cheeses with stickies — sweet dessert wines — from around the world turned up some fabulous unexpected matches.

Includes the side article, “Dessert wines to go with the blues”

Chewy chocolate cookies that will shake your world / by Barbara Hansen

These delectable chocolate cookies have a perfect go-with-coffee texture somewhere between chewy and crumbly that gives them an amusing fault-line top crust and a slightly softer inside ... Assistant food editor Susan LaTempa found them at the Grand Casino French Bakery in Culver City.

Spicy, and watch those tentacles / by Linda Burum

Octopus is the specialty at My Secret Recipe, where fiery sauces and fresh vegetables add balance to the delicacy. My Secret Recipe on W. 3rd St. in Koreatown helps satisfy that Korean passion for octopus, cooked in a variety of ways with nakzi (pronounced NAK gee) and its more diminutive shorter-legged relative chukumi (choo koo mee), far more tender than their larger rubbery relatives.

Cuisine célèbre, right next door / by S. Irene Virbila

Bistro Provence is given a 2* rating. Chef-owner Miki Zivkovic, former executive chef of Pinot Bistro, has opened up a French bistro in Burbank, in a strip mall. Surprised? Virbila responded to her Francophile friends, “Cut with the snobbism. It's good. You'll see."

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Rustenberg Stellenbosch Chardonnay: Stellenbosch, South Africa; about $15; supple and elegant; goes with grilled fish and seafood, roast chicken, seafood risotto. With its silken texture, lively acidity and beguiling aroma of white peaches and citrus, ... it's inexpensive enough to lay in a supply and declare it the house white.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Vietnamese comfort food in a hip space / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Indochine Vien in Atwater Village. With a simple and concise menu, late night hours and low prices, this Vietnamese cafe serving spring rolls, pho noodles, and banh mi sandwiches didn't expect these kinds of crowds so soon after two weeks. But somehow the word was out. And the young and the hungry from Atwater Village, Glendale, Los Feliz and Silver Lake were out in search of something good — and inexpensive.

Pho, and beyond / by Leslie Komaiko

Los Angeles and Orange County are home to the largest Vietnamese population in the United States. No wonder we're blessed with so many good Vietnamese restaurants.

Includes five places: Pho 97 on N. Broadway, downtown L.A.; Crustacean on Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Pho 999 on Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys; Gingergrass on Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake; Red Moon Café on National Blvd., West L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- December 7, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Return of the native / by Russ Parsons

Tiny, sweet Olympia oysters, a West Coast treasure, are making a comeback. The Olympia (Ostrea lurida), the sole oyster native to the West Coast, is small in size but huge in flavor. There were many during the time of the California '49ers. But by the early 20th century, the Olympias were starting to disappear. Although it is too early to proclaim a new boom for the Olympia oyster ... for the first time in a long time, its future looks bright.

Includes the side article, ”Where to buy Olympia oysters”

Come fry with me / by Donna Deane

Fritto misto, the crisp and golden 'mixed fry' that's an Italian staple, is popping up at restaurants all over L.A. -- and it's perfect for a cocktail party.

Includes two recipes: Valentino's fritto misto and Literati II's vegetable fritto misto

Is lunch the new dinner? / by Leslee Komaiko

Lunch debuts at three L.A. restaurants. Why are restaurants bothering with lunch service? Why the apparent comeback?

An old friend in new digs / by Susan LaTempa

Out Take Bistro, a polished favorite in Studio City, keeps the faith even as it changes its address. The larger space adds to the already-present comforts of civilization that diners expect, ... and a bit of élan — in their restaurants, without the high prices.

Oh, maybe just a taste / by Valli Herman

Through flickering candlelight, the gastronomically curious chart a course through the maze of offerings. This is a tasting. From wines to cheeses to mini-desserts to even squashes, these tastings are being organized everywhere, with their roots in menu dégustation, the chef's tasting menu. Why eat when you can taste?

An overnight sensation / by Donna Deane

Mix up a buttery yeasted dough the evening before, and bake a superb coffeecake for breakfast.

Includes the recipe, Overnight coffeecake

It's a peppery pasta / by Barbara Hansen

Enoteca Drago's spaghetti with pepper and pecorino cheese is deceptively simple but really shows off good cheese, says Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila. Best of all, it can be put together quickly with ingredients likely to be on hand. The recipe is from executive chef Michael Young.

Fearless frying / by Amy Scattergood

Although it isn't as difficult as you'd think to deep-fry foods at home (all you need is a thick-bottomed stockpot and more oil than you might otherwise use in a year), it can be a messy and somewhat tricky business, especially if you want to fry in large batches. Keeping the oil at a constant temperature, frying foods evenly, and preventing spatters and burns are all issues.

Energy enough to shout about / by S. Irene Virbila

Biggs in Long Beach is given a 2* rating. The owner, Bret Witke, had a number of familiar names involved in this Mediterranean restaurant with a California twist: Nancy Silverton, Amy Pressman, and the chef, Seth Greenburg, who was sous chef at Meson G. Biggs is strictly casual, lively, fun, and unpretentious. ... this restaurant has the menu and offbeat spirit to keep you interested time after time, which is exactly what's needed in a neighborhood place.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Bodegas Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero: Ribera del Duero, Spain; about $38; rich and full-bodied; goes with roast duck or pigeon, rack of lamb, braised lamb shank. The 2003 Dominio de Atauta has the breeding and finesse of a much more expensive wine.

LETTERS

Thanksgiving made easy

SO I had my laptop set up on the counter, with your pictorial "how-to" on carving the turkey booted up, much to everyone's amusement [latimes.com/thanksgiving]. Ha! That turkey came apart like a dream — no problem! That was the most helpful how-to-carve piece I've come across.

So many reviews, so few stars

WHY is so much space spent on reviews of restaurants that are given such bad ratings? Seldom does it seem that those reviewed get even two stars. Does The Times view the task of warning the public of rip-offs in dining more important than presenting those at which good food can be found?

In love with blue cheese

I loved Regina Schrambling's blue cheese story ["Our Brilliant Blues," Nov. 30]. My wife and I came upon the Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. in upstate New York. Its blue cheeses are out of this world, especially Ewe's Blue, a pure sheep's milk cheese.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A vine-covered bodega / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Bodega de Córdova on S. Fairfax Ave. Owner Kenny Córdova has a passion for Spain and Spanish wines. Thus, he opened this bare-bones Spanish wine bar with a limited menu (traditional tapas, nothing hot) and a “Cash only” policy. The place has such an endearing vibe, it's easy to spend a couple of hours nursing a bottle of Rioja ...

Holiday cheer / by Leslie Komaiko

The new year is around the corner. It's time to raise of glass ... of Syrah or Gewurztraminer.

Includes five places: Bellavino Wine Bar on E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village; The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel on S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena; Broadway Deli on Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica; Coco Palm on Fairplex Drive, Pomona; XO Wine Bistro on Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- December 14, 2005

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Throw open the doors / by Russ Parsons

It's party season! Time to spread some holiday cheer with a glorious buffet that couldn't be easier. Russ Parsons details how to “really cut loose” at your holiday party with a buffet. All it takes is a little strategizing to get things right.

Includes four recipes: Tart of mixed greens; Dungeness crab salad with avocado and bitter greens; Carrots with smoky pimentón-orange glaze; Roast tenderloin of beef with horseradish crème fraîche

Sweets to make them swoon / by Susan LaTempa

No matter how wonderful the array of savory dishes on the buffet, at an open house some folks can't help but stop by the dessert table first. Who can blame them? For sweets lovers, a lavish display — and the possibilities of multiple choices — is an irresistible temptation.

Includes two recipes: Espresso angel food cake; Chocolate Rigo squares

Dazzling drinks, on the house / by Corie Brown

The right red and white, an affordable sparkler and a jazzy house cocktail: Now that's a holiday bar. And the challenges don't have to overwhelm you. But how do you set a holiday bar without going crazy, broke or both?

Includes three recipes for drinks: Golden Pommes (from Providence bartender Vincenzo Marianella); Purple Rain (from Wilshire restaurant bartender Dennis Lynn); Boston Sidecar (from Patina bartender Matt Duggan)

Wrapped up in the season / by Barbara Hansen

Have you noticed? In recent years, more and more Southern California families are adding a bit of Latino spice to the mix of foods from around the world we embrace at this time of year. Alongside such Christmas favorites as plum pudding from Britain, panettone from Italy and gingerbread from Germany, we've added a heaping platter of hot, fragrant tamales. If you want some tamales for the holidays, place your order as soon as possible.

Feel the warmth / by Amy Scattergood

What could be more inviting than a hot mug of rich, creamy, flavorful soup?

Includes two recipes: Roasted chestnut soup; Pumpkin soup

Trimming the table / by Laurie Winer

After all the shopping, the chopping, the cooking and the last-minute runs for ice, now comes the fun part. The aesthetically pleasing part.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2001 Aia Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville: Napa Valley; about $25; soft and lush; goes with roasted and grilled meats, poultry. For a Napa Valley Cabernet of this quality, it's a steal.

LETTERS

Just review the food, not the city

IT'S hard to fathom what belittling a city brings to a restaurant review ["Energy Enough to Shout About," Dec. 7]. At the very least, the attitude should be somewhat subtle and not blatant ridicule. If this sounds like petulance, well, maybe it is.

In essence, it's the words

I enjoy reading articles by Russ Parsons. Not only does he write interesting stories, he frequently stimulates the palate with his words.

A dish that doesn't need a recipe

I couldn't help smiling at this article ["It's a Peppery Pasta," Dec. 7]. I never knew one needed a recipe for this dish, which is what Sicilians/Italians throw together for lunch/dinner when we need something light and quick, don't have anything else on hand, or just plain feel like it.

For the record

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo...es-food]Oysters — An article in last week's section on Olympia oysters referred to Washington state's Olympia Peninsula. It is the Olympic Peninsula.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Presto chango: Italiano! / by S. Irene Virbila

Solare on Beverly Blvd. is given a 1½* rating. Chef-owner Paolo Giovani, who used to own Il Sole on Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood, moved into the former EM Bistro that quietly vanished after three months. And the menu is very familiar, just like every other Italian restaurant. Why another Italian restaurant? That said, at Solare, almost every dish is better executed than at most of the Italian spots around town.

A taste of pho, a dash of urban chic / by Susan LaTempa

Distinctive flavors come together splendidly at Benley, a Long Beach bright spot. Benley: A Vietnamese Kitchen on E. Wardlow Road, Long Beach, is located in a desolate sprawl-mall, instead of Long Beach's art neighborhood. That's no problem. Word of mouth rules.

Sunset and Vine blossoms / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Magnolia on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Cody Diegel, who came from the Belmont in West Hollywood, has designed a menu that can be described as either classic American or dead boring, depending on your perspective. And the location is ideal: park once (yes, ONCE), go to a movie and have a bite to eat at Magnolia. What a dream!

Skirt chaser / by Leslie Komaiko

The skirt steak may not have the glamorous rep of filet mignon. But we think it's positively delicious. Plus it's relatively inexpensive. No wonder chefs love it.

Includes five places: Lemon Moon on W. Olympic Blvd., West L.A.; El Torito Grill on Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; A.O.C. on W. 3rd St., L.A.; Lala's on Melrose Ave., L.A.; Beechwood on Washington Blvd., Venice.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- December 21, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

French for revelry / by Regina Schrambling

The late-night Christmas Eve dinner the French call réveillon celebrates in grand style, with oysters, caviar, foie gras -- and the quintessential bûche de Noël. Ariane Daguin, who owns the foie gras and game purveyor D'Artagnan, summarizes it quite well: “Réveillon de Noël is to France what Thanksgiving is to America." The réveillon is definitely focused on luxury and indulgence. Bon appetit et Joyeux Noël!

Includes five recipes: Braised chestnuts with fennel and onions; Scallop ceviche with caviar; Truffled capon; Joël Robuchon's orange-date salad; Bûche de Noël

Kreplach as good as gelt / by Laurie Winer

Watch out. Bubbie might just take credit for these fabulous Hanukkah dumplings. Don Dickman, formerly of Rocca in Santa Monica, creates kreplach, these Jewish raviolis used as soup dumplings, that are silky and bursting with flavor. Kreplach no longer have to be objects of horror and ridicule, especially to small children.

Includes four recipes: Chicken liver filling; Roast brisket filling; Chicken broth; Kreplach

Cider's promise? Look west / by Charles Perry

Rows of gnarled Pinot Noir vines slumber under a gray winter sky beside acres of apple trees. The vines belong to Bethel Heights Vineyard, one of the top Pinot producers in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The apple orchard — owned by Mimi Casteel (whose parents own Bethel Heights) and her husband, Nick Gunn — produces hard cider. There has been a revival in cider making over the last 15 years. Despite New England's cider-making heritage, the new cider wave is largely a West Coast phenomenon.

Includes the side article, ”Spritzy or still, it's a sipping showdown”

Christmas Eve is for the birds / by Leslee Komaiko

Holiday dinner in Los Angeles means alternatives to the traditional Christmas goose. The big holiday dinner in LA is on Christmas Eve and duck is being served. Mind you, goose is still on the menu. Explains Spago chef Lee Hefter, “It's also a tradition at the Beverly Hills restaurant. Since we opened, we've always had Christmas goose."

When salad meets risotto / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: Could you please get the recipe for a starter of shaved baby artichokes piled on a cake of risotto at Napa Valley Grille? It is the flavors of the artichoke that are delicious.

Drink in a bit of New York / by Laurie Winer

Certain things you have to go to New York to experience. A chopped liver and corned beef sandwich at the Carnegie Deli. A transit strike the week before Christmas ... The classic coffee-to-go cup is now available wherever you may be.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Clos des Brusquières Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Southern Rhône; about $30; rich and full-bodied; goes with roast goose or duck, a daube or stew, standing pork rib roast. The taste is warm and burnished, with just enough of something rustic and wild to keep you coming back to the glass sip after sip.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Call it home-field advantage / by S. Irene Virbila

Vermont in Los Feliz is given a 1½* rating. Owners Michael Gelzhiser and Manuel Mesta took over this location in 1997 with a definite vision in mind. There's certainly no other spot anywhere else on the Eastside that so perfectly looks the part of serious restaurant. The American bistro serves a very eclectic mix of Los Feliz locals, and while it had its ups-and-downs in the last few years,

... the kitchen seems to have regained its mojo.

A taste of old L.A. / by Charles Perry

Trendy L.A. eateries come and go, but these classics stand the test of time.

Reinventing, for the big wheels / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Spago in Beverly Hills. Just before noon on Fridays, the valets are lined up outside Spago like a chorus line ready to go on stage. Friday lunch is big. Very big. And at the holidays, even bigger.

Let's do lunch / by Leslie Komaiko

Lunch has a tendency to be ho-hum. You're in, you're out. The menus all sound the same. There has to be something more to lunch. At these five spots, there is.

Includes five places: Hotel Bel-Air on Stone Canyon Road, Bel-Air; Zov's Bistro on E. 17th St., Tustin; Polo Lounge on Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills; Campanile on S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; 230 Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- December 28, 2005

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

A luscious year's top 10 / by Leslie Brenner

How to choose the best of 384 recipes? One dish at a time (and then back for seconds). And the recipe “winners” are:

* Lentil and duck salad with hazelnut dressing

* Slow-roasted shoulder of pork

* Sugar snap pea soup with Parmesan cream

* Bhel puri (snack mix with vegetables)

* Tortilla Española with shishitos

* Nancy Silverton's burgers

* Pear and cardamom upside-down cake

* Slow-scrambled eggs with prosciutto

* Mushroom and winter squash gratin

* Sage risotto bites

Let the sparks fly / by Amy Scattergood

So when you're planning what to serve your guests as you wait for the year to click down, consider using actual fire. A fire in a sauté pan, to be exact, or the largely forgotten art of the flambé. Before you get started flambéing your meal and impressing your friends, first, a little history and science lesson wouldn't hurt, ehh?

Includes three recipes: Caramelized apples with cinnamon crepes; Flaming cherries over individual chocolate cakes; Steak au poivre with portabello sauce; and two side articles, ”Play it safe” and ”Flavor in a flash”

... and truly distinctive Champagnes flow / by Patrick Comiskey

Champagne is lot of things. It's luxury in a bottle. It's New Year's Eve, a 10-year anniversary — or really any celebration. It's the best way to drink bubbles. It's the apogee of brand-name cachet. And don't forget that Champagne is also ... a wine. While Burgundy has over 200 wine appellations, Champagne has only one. And yet in terms of soil and climate, Champagne is every bit as complex as the rest of France.

Includes the side article, “A tasting of terroir-driven Champagnes”

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2002 Glen Eldon Dry Bore Shiraz: Barossa Valley, South Australia; about $25; full-bodied and lush; goes with braised lamb shank, roast goose, standing rib roast. Velvet in the mouth, it's a live wire, with a bright acidity and lingering finish of spice and vanilla.

For the record

Foie gras — An article in last week's Food section on réveillon said foie gras was invented in France. The practice of force-feeding geese to yield fatty livers was developed in ancient Egypt.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Las Vegas, lighted by stars / by S. Irene Virbila

Joël Robuchon at the Mansion is given a 4* rating. S. Irene Virbila is having a culinary epiphany at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. ...[H]ere I am, in the most unlikely place on the planet having one of the greatest French meals I've ever had in this country. And Robuchon's name is above the door. This is more than a review; this is truly a vicarious dining experience, complete with culinary biography of Joël Robuchon and due credit to his team of professionals. The entire experience at Joël Robuchon is pure pleasure. Everything together — the food, the room, the service, the company — is the definition of true luxury ... [T]his is one restaurant where I'd unhesitatingly spend my own money for a special occasion. It's worth it.

There is a discussion thread about the restaurant: joel robuchon

The pleasure of a blend / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on La Botte in Santa Monica. Antonio (Toni) Muré & Stefano de Lorenzo, both formerly of Piccolo, decided to open a grander, more upscale Italian at Santa Monica Boulevard and 7th Street. More regional dishes, more formal service, open for lunch weekdays & dinner nightly, quite ambitious for a new restaurant. Santa Monica surely deserves one more Italian restaurant. Why should Brentwood get them all?

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- January 5, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Warmth of Provence / by Anne Willan

Daube, the hearty dish that marries wine and meat, is a slow-simmered winter wonder. Daube (pronounced “dobe”) has its origin in the south of France, in the Occitan, but is closely associated with Provence. Meat & vegetables marinated in wine for three days, topped with seasonings & aromatics, cooked gently for three to four hours. The whole process is quite leisurely. As the Provençal saying goes, "It's as easy as daube."

Includes two recipes: Daube d'agneau aux artichauts (Lamb daube with green olives, white wine and baby artichokes); Daube de boeuf Provençale (Provençal beef daube with red wine and black olives)

Dark, rich and creamy: California's rising stars / by Charles Perry

It's Daylight Losing Time. The days are overcast, the nights are long. It's the season for a glass of a dark, comforting ale: stout or its gentler cousin, porter. Drinking one of these brews, with their mellow coffee- or chocolate-like roasted flavors, is like curling up in front of the fire, only with bubbles. About fifteen years ago, the only stout you could find in this country was Guinness. Today, there's at least 23 California brewers that make a stout. "There's definitely a trend to roastier, darker, more full-flavored beers," says Jason Rosenfeld, owner of Naja's Place in Redondo Beach.

Includes two side articles: “The brews with big flavor” and “Sipping California stouts and porters”

Humble roots, striking flavors / by Russ Parsons

Often combined with other vegetables in soups and stews, turnips can stand alone too. Just give 'em a chance. Turnips look so plain, so homely, usually in a supporting role. There's a hidden side to this root vegetable. Even turnips can be beautiful. This sounds like a Hollywood script, ehh?

Includes three recipes: Turnips glazed with sherry vinegar; Pan-crisped duck breasts with turnip pickles; Pasta with prosciutto, turnips and greens

Have we gone blog wild? / by Avital Binshtock

As Web musings get ever more specialized, it's a good time to be crazy about food. Back in the old days, foodblogs were more generalized (“what I ate for dinner” or “my favorite food magazine”). After a while, that gets a bit boring and just plain dull. The trend now is to specialize. Really specialize.

Includes the side article, ”A blog for every eccentric taste”

A fast seafood spectacular / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: The aroma of the cioppino at Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica is intoxicating. It's a great dish, and I've tasted some great seafood dishes.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Château Soucherie Anjou Blanc: Loire Valley; about $12; classic Chenin Blanc; goes with oysters, chowders, steamed shellfish, lobster. Its crisp acidity and minerality, along with the honeyed quality of ripe Chenin Blanc, make it a terrific wine with food.

Letter to the editor

Robuchon's genius

"How does he do it?" asks S. Irene Virbila ["Las Vegas, Lighted by Stars," Dec. 28], of a tiny, crispy egg and potato dish (with a scoop of osetra caviar, true) at Joël Robuchon's new restaurant at the MGM. The answer, of course, is slowly. But you cannot believe how slowly ...

For the record

Northern wine grapes —In an article on Champagne in last week's section, it was incorrectly stated that France's Champagne region is the northernmost grape-growing region in the world. In fact, wines are made from grapes grown in the Saxony-Anhalt region of Germany on land that is several latitudes higher than Champagne.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Where life is dolce / by S. Irene Virbila

Bella Cucina Italiana in Hollywood is given a 1* rating. Gaucho Grill founder Adolfo Suaya and his partner the Dolce Group (Dolce, Geisha House) have turned a primo corner space on Hollywood Boulevard into this slick retro-Italian. Under chef David Moreno, Bella Cucina concentrates on old-school southern Italian cooking that Americans are familiar with. ...[T]he food at Bella can be quite decent. Memorable, it is not, but the owners have pulled off something very difficult. Out of the blue they've created a restaurant with a sense of place.

New-wave kosher with Moroccan flair / by Susan LaTempa

From the kefta to the cookies, BBC Café's organic cooking is a revelation. The eatery's quirks add to its charm. Bistro Baguette Café (BBC Café) is a kosher Moroccan restaurant, owned by Judith Boteach, the chef/owner and her partners Jay and Karine Kaplan and Gabriel Azoulay. The place is unique and a bit eccentric. Just remember that it will all turn out well in the end.

Oodles and oodles of noodles / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Chabuya Tokyo Noodle Bar on Sawtelle Blvd. Chabuya is ”a stylish new noodle bar from a Tokyo-based chain that touts its organic ingredients.” A bowl of steaming ramen soup for under $10 hits the spot, especially for those Japanese students that seems to frequent the place.

Sawtelle sizzles / by Leslee Komaiko

The stretch of Sawtelle Boulevard between Santa Monica and Olympic is home to some of the best little neighborhood restaurants in the city. It's our favorite restaurant row.

Includes five restaurants: Orris, 2006 Sawtelle Blvd. ; gr/eats, 2050 Sawtelle Blvd. ; 2117, 2117 Sawtelle Blvd. ; Hurry Curry of Tokyo, 2131 Sawtelle Blvd. ; Sawtelle Kitchen, 2024 Sawtelle Blvd.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- January 12, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

With timballo, any night is big / by Regina Schrambling

For drama, the Italian classic rivals a soufflé. But the truth is, the gloriously rich and savory creation couldn't be easier to make. To make timballo, take some pasta, risotto or even mashed potatoes. Add some eggs, cheese and various savory ingredients. And what you have is ... an entree worthy of a dinner party (especially for vegetarians), or just a great choice for weekend cooking when you want a dish that will keep on giving for another meal or two.

Includes three recipes: Tomato-mozzarella tagliatelle timballo; Rice timballo with prosciutto and peas; Potato timballo with fonduta (cheese sauce)

All for one, one for all / by Amy Scattergood

Mirepoix, the aromatic mix of onions, carrots and celery, is much more than a foundation of flavor. The trinity of vegetables -- onions, carrots and celery -- turns into the French mirepoix. So foundational, its variants are known in other food cultures by different names, such as soffrito, refogado, sofrito, or bumbu. The ratio combination of the three vegetables and the uniformity of cuts make all the difference.

Includes three recipes: Flageolet bean, kale and duck soup; Striped bass with mirepoix; Chicken roulade with bell pepper mirepoix

Tempest in a teakettle / by Cindy Dorn and Laurie Winer

A spot of tea, ... one of the world's great restoratives. How about a cup right now? ... [and] what's the best way to boil water for that tea? Electric kettles or stove-top kettles? Five electrics and four stove-tops were evaluated in a competition of sorts named the “Thrilla on the Grilla.” The four factors that were used in the evaluation were: time to boil, design (ergonomics and aesthetics), workmanship, and value. Heat retention and the weight of the kettle were also taken into account. And the winner was ... the Chef's Choice International Deluxe Cordless Electric over the Oxo Good Grips Uplift stove-top kettle.

Includes descriptions of all nine kettles evaluated.

There are three discussion threads about this topic:

Teakettle

Best kettle

Electric kettle & thermal carafe combination?

When floral goes funky / by Corie Brown

Don't let a flawed wine ruin dinner. Here's how to sniff out a bad example.

How does one tell whether a wine is corked or not? Well, there's always John Buechsenstein's "Introduction to Sensory Evaluation of Wine' at the UC Davis Extension, where Buechsenstein has taught that class for 26 years. This crash course about wine's worst failings has become a rite of professional passage.

Bastide's remake, part deux / by Corie Brown

Restaurateur Joe Pytka plans to open a new restaurant this spring that will be, well, less French and more 'provocative.' Bastide is closing the end of January. The décor didn't fit the experimental tendencies of chef Ludovic Lefebvre, Pytka admitted. The name will change. The décor will be more urban and hip. The chef's menu will be more avant-garde. Lefebvre is excited to have a sous-vide machine ...

The four discussion threads about Bastide have now been merged into the following discussion thread:

Bastide

It's like pecan pie, but in cookie form

Dear SOS: The Harris Ranch pecan cookies are the best in the world. I'd love to be able to bake them and enjoy them again. Any chance they'd share the recipe?

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Blanc Fumé de Pouilly par Didier Dagueneau: Loire Valley; about $45; crisp and minerally; goes with shellfish, grilled scampi, roast chicken. ...t has plenty of personality and is a relative bargain for a wine of this quality. Especially from M. Dagueneau.

For the record

Food blog — In last week's section, an article on food blogs incorrectly said "Diamond Dog" was the blogger who posts reviews at a site called Pho-king. The pho blogger is Joshua Lurie-Terrell of Sacramento.

BBC Café — In a review of Bistro Baguette Café (BBC Café) in last week's section, Judith Boteach was incorrectly characterized as a co-owner of the café. She is an employee.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Where barbecue meets bistro / by S. Irene Virbila

Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks is given a 2* rating. After his stints at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago and Flying Saucer in San Francisco, chef Aaron Robins is serving up “barbecue and beyond.” His partner/maitre d'/father, Preston, helped finance the place. The “and beyond” section of the menu includes Thai spiced crispy calamari, smoked duck spring roll, porcini-crusted salmon, and venison with foie gras. Despite the casual, loud (boisterous) setting, Boneyard Bistro is a friendly, neighborhood place where you can count on good barbecue along with well-conceived bistro dishes and a menu with something to please everyone.

The past, deliciously present / by Linda Burum

Yuzu in Torrance creates a vibrant scene with its use of recherché ingredients in flavorful washoku dishes. Chef Kaz Akutsu brings the spirit of washoku, a revival of pure Japanese flavors and traditional cooking methods, to downtown Torrance. The menu, written in English and Japanese, arranges items by their preparation method. A true washoku meal balances dishes from each group. Although Yuzu has only been around for six months, it is advised to make reservations several days in advance.

The South rises again / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Memphis in Hollywood. At the site of “Jane's House,” the last remaining Victorian cottage on Hollywood Boulevard, this Southern restaurant in Victorian refinery is the latest effort from Gaucho Grill founder Adolfo Suaya and entrepreneur Michael Sutton. If the kitchen is performing this well this early on, maybe Memphis will take. It would be awfully sweet to have a good Southern restaurant in town, and if it turns out to be a late- night scene, even better.

Fry cook / by Leslee Komaiko

There's so much good fried chicken in this town, you might think you're south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Includes five restaurants: Dinah's on S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.; Cameo Bar at Viceroy Santa Monica on Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; Ramos House Cafe on Los Rios St., San Juan Capistrano; James Beach on N. Venice Blvd., Venice; Cynthia's on W. 3rd St., L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- January 18, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Veni, vidi, vici, vino / by Leslie Brenner

Coffeehouses? They're so last year. Now wine bars are conquering the city. They pop up more often while restaurant openings are at a crawl, because Angelenos have fallen in love with wine. For a certain type of enterprising wine lover, there's something irresistible about the idea of opening a wine bar. It's a relatively inexpensive way into the restaurant business, and the result can be terrifically personal.

Includes the side article, ”Another round: New wine bars”

The deviling made her do it! / by Regina Schrambling

It was one of those farmers market moments. I was buying duck legs when the woman next to me asked how to cook them. I started rattling off my technique — brush them with mustard, dust them with bread crumbs — when she interrupted: "So you devil them." I wanted to argue that it was a very particular méthode française, but then I had to concede: They're deviled. The cooking technique of deviling can be used on other foods besides boiled eggs.

Includes three recipes: Deviled Dungeness crab; Deviled Cornish hens with potatoes and diable sauce; Grits with deviled shiitakes

A passage to Pondicherry / by Barbara Hansen

The superb 'La Porte des Indes Cookbook' reveals the glories of the city's refined Franco-Indian cuisine. Mehernosh Mody, executive chef, and Sherin Mody, executive director of La Porte des Indes restaurant in London, are the authors, along with John Hellon, a Brussels-based food and travel writer. Apparently, Franco-Indian cuisine can be traced back to Pondicherry, located along the southeast coast of India on the Bay of Bengal in 1670.

Includes three recipes: Scallops in saffron sauce; Smoked aubergine crush; Rose-flavored milk and ground-rice pudding

If cooks could kill ... / by Laurie Winer

We saw it in 'The Godfather' and now in 'Munich': If an assassin can wield a whisk, he can't be all bad. Hollywood moviemakers don't mind humanizing violent characters with that homiest of activities, cooking. eG member Daniel Rogov is quoted towards the end of the article.

Critic's take on the wine bars / by S. Irene Virbila

... [A] wine bar should be a place where you can discover new wines and regions, ... with a couple of exceptions, I have to wonder why so few of the owners seem to have done their homework.

These wine bars were reviewed: Bodega de Cordova; Crêpe Vine Bistro & Wine Bar; Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar; La Maschera Ristorante; Madeleine's Restaurant & Wine Bistro; Next Door Tapas Lounge; Sopra Spuntini & Bar; Vinoteca Farfalla; Zinc Bar

Hot List - LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR JAN. 18, 2006 Guess who's no. 1 right now? I'll give you a clue: YUM-O!

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Château Guiot 'Numa' Costières de Nimes: Languedoc; about $18; bold and bright; goes with pork roast, braised duck legs, daube with olives. ...nky and concentrated, lush with fruit and perfumed with blackberries and wild herbs.

For the record

Timballo — An article in Wednesday's Food section about timballo said the dish was featured in the movie "Big Night." The pasta creation commonly known as a timballo is referred to as a timpano in the film.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Morocco, as seen by candlelight / by S. Irene Virbila

Tagine in Beverly Hills is given a 2* rating. Three men from Water Grill -- Christopher Angulo, Ryan Gosling and chef Abdessamad "Ben" Benameur -- took over Mamounia a year and a half ago and created a modern and hip Moroccan restaurant, almost similiar to a Middle Eastern meze. Think Rick's place from "Casablanca" updated for the 21st century, with a trio of savvy young owners standing in for the Humphrey Bogart character.

Attack of the salty bites / by Leslee Komaiko

Fried olives are la moda at L.A. eateries. Mind you, fried olives have been around in Italy for centuries to be rediscovered by LA chefs ...

A sleek new place to eat on Sunset / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on eat. on sunset in Hollywood. Where Pinot Hollywood was comes a Patina Group restaurant with a whole new concept, a cool, modern decor with blues and taupes and a rather intriguing name: eat. on sunset [all in lowercase]. Gary Menes, formerly of Firefly in Studio City, has developed an American menu, neatly divided between traditional and edgier modern, without ever pushing the comfort level of a generation that's just a little suspicious of new and exotic tastes.. Patina Group's no corkage fee (except at Patina) is bringing out the wine collectors with their coveted bottles to the restaurant.

Taste of Tinseltown / by Leslee Komaiko

A few years ago, you could count Hollywood's decent restaurants on one hand. But these days, Tinseltown has no shortage of good eats.

Includes five restaurants: The Bowery on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; The Hungry Cat on N. Vine St., Hollywood; The Griddle Cafe on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Kung Pao Kitty on Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- January 25, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Mad for mandarins / by Russ Parsons

California farmers have struck gold, and so will tangerine lovers when they taste the new varieties available. Tangerines, properly called mandarins, are now growing all over California. The state's tangerine acreage has more than doubled in the last five years; as more and more trees mature in the next couple of winters, brace yourself for a flood of fruit.

Includes three recipes: Mandarins with rosemary honey; Mandarin parfait with candied ginger; Tangerine ice cream ; and a side list of mandarin types

A simmering mystery / by Betty Baboujon

Star anise and other spices unlock the secret to a revered braised brisket that's a favorite at Chinese New Year. Baboujon recalls the Chinese beef brisket of her childhood and decades later, succeeds in replicating it.

Includes the recipe, ”Chinese beef brisket”

Scene and be seen / by Corie Brown

How to get ahead in show biz? Invest in a restaurant. Lately, everyone's doing it. Adolfo Suaya opened up his first Gaucho Grill back in 1986. After fourteen Gaucho Grills and a bunch of commercial properlies whose prices rose during the '90's, Suaya partners with Hollywood industry types who want to invest in their own restaurant to entertain their clients. The concept isn't new; Spago was financed by Hollywood money, as was the Grill on the Alley and Ago. What's new is that Suaya has reduced it to a formula.

There's a discussion thread about this topic: LA Restaurants: Who owns the future?

A revival of bitters? Sweeeet! / by Charles Perry

These aromatic flashbacks that tease the palate hold their own at the bar. And it's not just Angostura anymore. Bitters are apparently making a comeback from its glory days of ... 19th century quack medicines — an evil-tasting liquid that came in tiny bottles with wordy, antique labels.

Includes five recipes of drinks: Prom Dress; Savage Sazerac; Old School Manhattan; Grapefruit bitters; Marco Polo; and a side article, “Bitters: Classic to contemporary”

Extreme Wolfert? Mais, oui! / by Amy Scattergood

Prunes that have soaked in Armagnac for six months, minimum. The blood of a freshly killed hare ... Another dish — salt-cured pork belly with fresh fava bean ragout — took four days to prepare. Welcome to cooking with Paula Wolfert, which is about as far from "30 Minutes With Rachael Ray" as you can get. But once you've experienced it, there's no going back. “The Cooking of Southwest France” by Paula Wolfert is reviewed, with a couple of mentions of that “foodie website eGullet.”

Includes four recipes: Creamy bean soup with croutons and crispy ventrèche; Poached chicken breast, Auvergne style; Duck leg ragout with green olives and eggplant; Sautéed eggplant

There's a discussion thread about this book: Cooking with 'The Cooking of Southwest France'

Cookstuff / by Amy Scattergood

A required bean for purist cassoulets and other dishes of the French Southwest, the Tarbais is harvested one pod at a time in the Pyrenees and prized for its sweet, mild flavor, silky texture and ability to hold its shape during cooking. Like French wine grapes, the beans are grown in a government-designated region. Très chic!

We'll pass on the cake

Saveur threw down the gauntlet. In its "Saveur 100," an annual listing in the January-February issue of the magazine's "favorite restaurants, food, drink, people, places, and things" from around the world, we were startled by No. 25: "Costco Birthday Cake." ... Of course, we had to try it.

There's a discussion thread about this topice: Costco Birthday Cake: No. 25 of “Saveur 100”

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Riesling: Alsace; about $19; aromatic and crisp; goes with chilled seafood, steamed shellfish, grilled fish, roast chicken. The Riesling, which was made mostly with grapes from the famed Herrenweg site, has a delicate floral perfume.

For the record

Teakettles — A Jan. 11 Food section article about electric and stovetop kettles said microwave ovens heat water without boiling it. Microwaves can heat water to boiling. However, there are safety issues. Water heated in a microwave can become "superheated," reaching a temperature of 212 degrees or above without appearing to boil.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

A splash by the sea / by S. Irene Virbila

Ocean and Vine at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is given a 1½* rating.

The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel has changed from the days of Alain Giraud and the Provençal-themed Lavande to a more comfortable, less formal setting with a better view of the ocean. Chef Gregg Wangard, who comes from Wisconsin, has a creative array of dishes, including the cheese fondue, oysters Rockefeller, macaroni and cheese, Berkshire pork chop, and cheese plate. I give the hotel credit for trying something new. All in all, though the menu has its ups and downs, chef Wangard is making a promising start for the new restaurant.

Mountain eatery with a touch of soul / by Susan LaTempa

Café Aroma in Idyllwild invites travelers to settle in for a warm meal among neighbors. Manager and "conceptualist" Frank Ferro runs this restaurant that's a throwback to the days when Southern Californians took Sunday pleasure drives. The menu consists of inventive versions of Italian standards [that] is supported by all the right details: live jazz, good coffee and a rotating roster of featured wines.

Greek? Get serious / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Petros in Manhattan Beach. Owner Petros Benekos, chef Yanni Koufodontis, who worked at Spago and Maple Drive, and the restaurant staff are overwhelmed, since this Greek restaurant has just opened in Manhattan Beach in the new Metlox Block complex.

Greek to me / by Leslee Komaiko

L.A. may not have a full-on Greek Town, but there are still plenty of spots to get your fix of spanakopita and souvlaki.

Includes five restaurants: Mama Voula's on Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; The Great Greek on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Le Petit Greek on N. Larchmont Blvd., L.A.; Papadakis Taverna on W. 6th St., San Pedro; Taverna Tony on Civic Center Way, Malibu.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- February 1, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Madame's main man / by Russ Parsons

'La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange' is the French cookbook that inspired Julia Child and Alice Waters. Now, at long last, Paul Aratow has translated it into English. This English translation of the “French 'Joy of Cooking'” is now available, the book Julia Child referred to as ”the best French cookbook I know.” And here's the story of its translator Paul Aratow, the man who first bought ”La Bonne Cuisine” as a graduate student living in Paris almost forty years ago and the man who helped Alice Waters in opening a restaurant named Chez Panisse.

Includes two recipes: Fattened hen à l'ivoire (poularde à l'ivoire); Chestnut cake (gâteau de marrons); and the side article, ”Tips from Madame”

There is a discussion thread about this book: La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange

Hot off the global griddle / by Barbara Hansen and Susan LaTempa

Arepas, clayudas and cornmeal pancakes -- you'll flip over their amazing textures and flavors. They're called by different names, depending on the country. With a variety of flavors and textures, these griddle cakes from around the world are not boring.

Includes three recipes: Cheese arepas; Bregedel jagung (Indonesian corn cakes); Malted cornmeal pancakes with orange-blueberry syrup

Done right, it'll wow 'em / by Leslee Komaiko

The latest batch of Bloody Marys has lemon, heat and lots of style. A couple of LA restaurants have taken Bloody Marys very seriously: The Hungry Cat in Hollywood and The Blvd. at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel both have their own Bloody Mary menus.

Includes three recipes of drinks: Hungry Cat Bloody Mary mix; Hungry Cat Bloody Mary; Highland Mary

Skip the crudités, let's eat! / by Amy Scattergood

Real football classics -- Buffalo wings, beer-battered shrimp, baby back ribs -- go from great to totally awesome. None of these dainty tea sandwiches here. This is the Super Bowl, with this year's Super Bowl halftime entertainment — the Rolling Stones. Solid old-school entertainment calls for some time-honored food to go with it.

Includes three recipes: Brown sugar and Bourbon baby back ribs; Beer-battered shrimp with classic tartar sauce; Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing

Want to keep it real?/URL] / by Amy Scattergood

Like the best cocktails, the best bar food usually has a secret ingredient. The secret behind the Anchor Bar's Buffalo wings recipe came out a few years ago. What is it? Hot sauce, ... but not just any hot sauce: Purists insist that it has to be Frank's RedHot sauce, which first appeared in 1920.

Star turn

This blueberry-toned spatula is everything you'd want in a turner: oversized, flexible, sturdy, heat resistant up to 400 degrees and safe for nonstick cookware. Its asymmetric shape and curved leading edge let you flip corn griddle cakes or fragile fish fillets with the greatest of ease, and its soft handle feels good in the hand.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2001 Produttori del Barbaresco: Piedmont; about $26; earthy and supple; goes with braised meats, veal shank, rabbit or chicken fricassee. In a world where Barbaresco is $40 or up, ... this is an astonishing opportunity to drink one from a great vintage for under $30.

For the record

Restaurant investors — An article in last week's Food section about entertainment industry professionals investing in Los Angeles restaurants said Lonnie Moore and Mike Malin were general managers of Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante. They are the owners. Also, the article said a building housing the Geisha House restaurant was among the properties owned by Adolfo Suaya. It is not.

Wolfert book — An article in last week's section on "The Cooking of Southwest France" said that nine pounds of fava beans had to be husked and peeled. Although nine pounds are husked, only one cup of the beans had to be peeled.

Creamy bean soup recipe — A note in a recipe for creamy bean soup with croutons and crispy ventrèche said that ventrèche is not available in the U.S. It is available online at www.dartagnan.com.

Brisket recipe — A brisket recipe in last week's section omitted the number of servings, which is six.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

When Sona is on, it’s very, very on / by S. Irene Virbila

Sona on N. La Cienega is given a 2½* rating. Chef David Myers and his wife, pastry chef Michelle Myers, founded this three-year-old restaurant with high ambitions, challenging customers' interest instead of playing it safe with the same old dishes everyone else is doing. Yet, Virbila expresses her frustration: Here's a chef who has the skill and the moxie to do some interesting, even great, things in the kitchen ... When his food becomes less about showing off and more about giving pleasure, that's when Sona will have matured into something remarkable.

The food scores — and there's sports too / by Linda Burum

Rugby's on TV, but die-hard fans come to Springbok for its spot-on South African fare. Springbok Bar & Grill, with its two locations in Van Nuys & Long Beach, is the only South African restaurant in Los Angeles. Mind you, don't let the sportsbar setting make you think that the food is just pub grub with a gimmick. Chef Trevor Nettmann cooks up well-executed versions of urban South Africa's top culinary hits in all their multicultural glory: curries, chile sauces and meaty barbecues that nowadays are to that country what pizza and bagels are here.

Casing a foodie hangout / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Surfas Café in Culver City. With the expansion of Surfas, the restaurant supply and gourmet emporium that has been in business since 1937, one can get rather hungry perusing down the aisles filled with too many temptations. How about a sandwich or a salad at the adjoining Café Surfas?

There's a discussion thread about Surfas: The NEW Surfas - Culver City

Nosh till you drop / by Leslee Komaiko

For hard-core shoppers, the in-store restaurant is a wonderful thing: a place to refuel without losing too much momentum.

Includes five restaurants: Mariposa at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills; Café Midi at Maison Midi on S. La Brea Ave.; The Restaurant at Ikea on N. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank; 59th & Lex Cafe at Bloomingdale's on Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks; Barney Greengrass at Barney's on Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.

[rjwong]

NB Thank you for your patience. One of my hard drives crashed on Monday, and I got my computer back this weekend with all my data intact. Thank God!

LA Times Food Section -- February 8, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Sweet surrender / by Betty Hallock

From San Diego to Sonoma, artisan chocolatiers are coming into their own. L.A.? That's where the mavericks are. Going back to the days of Ghiradelli in 1852, California artisan confectioniers are now at a level comparable to, and sometimes rivalling, top European colleagues.

Includes the side article, ”A chocoholic's glossary”

A tasting of California artisan chocolates / by Betty Hallock

There's a lot you can tell about a chocolate before you even taste it. When you open the box, you should smell chocolate, and the chocolates should look like they're going to taste good. Here's the list of California artisan chocolates that the LA Times tasting panel forced themselves to eat, listed in order of tasters' preferences:

Woodhouse Chocolate

Donnelly Chocolates

Boule

Michael Mischer Chocolates in Oakland

Jin Patisserie

Recchiuti Confections

XOX Truffles

La Dolce V

L'Artisan du Chocolat

Chuao Chocolatier

Frances in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles

Charles Chocolates

Comparte's

Includes the side article, ”Toffee taken to elegant extremes”

The pure joy of soup / by Donna Deane

Sometimes you just want a clear and vivid vegetable soup. Here's how to tease out the greatest possible flavor. There's great variety in vegetable soup, whether light, delicate, smoky, tangy, or hearty. With a few tricks, you can coax enough flavor and body out of just vegetables to be a fabulous foundation for a truly vegetarian soup.

Includes three recipes: Roasted vegetable soup; Mushroom, barley and Swiss chard soup; Fennel and onion soup

When the sun hits your eye ... / by Regina Schrambling

Pizza for breakfast is a proposition that ranks right up there with drinks before noon. Put them together and you have the perfect brunch. Just like the breakfast burrito, a pizza can go well for breakfast. Unlike breakfast burritos, breakfast pizza feels weekend-worthy, more suited to eating around a table.

Includes three recipes: Pisco Sour; Apple-nut cake with caramel sauce; Breakfast pizza

Just as you suspected: Sommeliers have a stash / by Corie Brown

These off-list bottles are too good for just anyone. Who gets to play? The knowledgeable and the nice. Sommeliers from various LA restaurants give us the skinny on off-list bottles, with a few names & stories. But keep it to yourself ...

Oink if you love pig feet / by Leslee Komaiko

It's perhaps the most fashionable part of the pig, but you won't see "feet" on the menu. Pig feet, by another name like “trotters”, can get some people to try it. Or perhaps some sausages, head cheese or pig's ears ...

NB There's a new pastry chef at Providence: Adrian R. Vasquez, a San Francisco native who has worked in the kitchens of Aqua and the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre in London. Chicago's Bin 36 was his most recent post.

There's a discussion thread about this restaurant: providence restaurant (los angeles)

Cookstuff / by Donna Deane

This ultra-sharp cutter zips right through even the chewiest pizza crust — and it cuts through a fruit tart or focaccia as if they were butter. The easy-to-grip handle, comfortable for both right- and left-handed users, can be twisted open and the stainless steel blade removed for easy cleaning. Or just drop the whole thing in the dishwasher.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2002 Domaine Raymond Launay Ladoix Clou d'Orge: Burgundy; about $25; elegant and restrained; goes with poached oysters, leek and potato soup, lobster or scallop risotto, bay scallops. This white Burgundy is such an astonishing find for less than $30. It's beautifully made, with a lush texture and haunting notes of citrus, oak and vanilla.

For the record

Super Bowl food — An article in last Wednesday's Food section about food to serve while watching the Super Bowl incorrectly described the recipe for Buffalo wings at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. The article said Anchor Bar fries the chicken wings, pours Frank's RedHot sauce on them and offers bottled blue cheese dressing on the side. In fact, the Buffalo wings there are cooked, then tossed with a proprietary sauce that comes in four flavors; the blue cheese dressing is made in-house. Also, retired football player Mean Joe Greene's last name was misspelled as Green. Additionally, an accompanying article describing Frank's RedHot incorrectly stated that this sauce is the "secret ingredient" behind Anchor Bar's wings, which are not made with it.

Spatula — In an article in last week's section describing a spatula by Chef'n, several stores were incorrectly listed as sources for the spatula. It is available only at select Sur La Table stores.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Not just another trattoria / by S. Irene Virbila

La Botte in Santa Monica is given a 2* rating. Co-owner/chef Antonio Muré and Stefano de Lorenzo, another owner, are not copying every other Italian restaurant on the block. Instead, La Botte's menu reflects a truly northern Italian bias, as in the Veneto and the Alto Adige, not Tuscany. And for a restaurant built around wine, its wine policy couldn't be more unfriendly to wine lovers. I think it's a mistake.

Rousted night owl roost / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on The Hungry Cat in Hollywood. This late-night restaurant at Sunset & Vine is now open for lunch. Chef & co-owner David Lentz offers a shortened version of his nighttime menu, plus some salads and a frittata of the day. Here's to lunch, Hollywood style.

These take the cake / by Leslee Komaiko

Some dishes are passing fads. Others are so good, they stick around year after year. In the latter category: crab cakes.

Includes five restaurants: Lincoln on Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; Gulfstream on Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; Traxx at Union Station, downtown L.A.; Kate Mantilini on Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; Water Grill on S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.

Edited February 12, 2006 by rjwong (log)

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- February 15, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

The saffron coast / by Charles Perry

For lovers of Persian food, with its perfumed pilafs, succulent kebabs and rosewater-scented pastries, L.A. has become a veritable paradise. When Naser od-Din Shah ordered an Azerbajiani boy to open up a chelo kabab stand outside his palace 150 years ago, the delicious smells of the Shah's childhood homeland led to the popularity of kababs all over Tehran, then all of Iran, and generations later, to Southern California, the largest Iranian colony in the U.S. Chelo kebab ... is just the tip of the iceberg; this is a cuisine of fresh herbs and long-simmered stews, of walnuts and pomegranate juice, of rosewater and dried limes. Above all, of saffron — Iranians are the most saffron-happy cooks in the world.

Includes two recipes: Zereshk polo and Torsh kebab; and two side articles, ”Reigning favorites: a distinctive top 10” and “The unique Persian menu”

One terroir, many wines / by Russ Parsons

Clos Pepe is perfect for Pinot. That's why so many winemakers are drawn to the vineyard. Clos Pepe Vineyards, located in the Santa Rita Hills west of Buellton, is the vineyard and winery of Wes Hagen. And on his website, ... you'll find the usual pictures of family members and pets. But you'll also find a bonus — full-color photographs of dirt.

Includes the side article, ”A Clos Pepe tasting”

Magically transformed / by Amy Scattergood

Dried fruit is, well, dried fruit. But macerate prunes or figs in red wine or eau de vie, and they dazzle. A little maceration wouldn't hurt anything, especially dried fruits, like prunes. The flavors of the liquid meld with those of the fruit, creating an entirely new component with a different texture and entirely different flavor profile than you started with.

Includes three recipes: Bread pudding with prunes and dried apricots; Prune and Armagnac ice cream; Poached pears with poached, spiced figs

Ding! It's all in the timing / by Regina Schrambling

One of the most indispensable tools in my kitchen is the only one I was forbidden to use in restaurant school. And no, it's not a microwave. Put a timer, a most undervalued tool, in your kitchen and you will come away ... with a new understanding of how cooking is all in the timing.

Includes the recipe, ”Classic cheese soufflé”; and the side article, ”A guide to perfect timing”

Now, that's a soft opening / by Amy Scattergood

At a time when it seems delayed openings have become the rule rather than the exception, City Bakery has been an extreme case. And what a story it was! By the way, City Bakery in Brentwood did open on Feb. 8, 2006, at 12:30 p.m.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino: Tuscany; about $30; ripe and round; goes with chicken liver crostini, hearty soups and pastas, grilled ribs and chops. Bright ruby, it flirts with scents of cherries, earth and a touch of vanilla.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

With a side order of stardust / by S. Irene Virbila

Mister Parker's in Palm Springs is given a 1½* rating. This fine dining hotel restaurant, part of the Le Meridien hotel group, has a rather kitschy & nostalgic decor, reflecting the wacky aesthetic of New York designer Jonathan Adler. A white baby grand piano, as the maitre d’ podium, is manned by the manager Michael Crawford. The food, however, is up to date. By and large, it's in the French comfort vein and, for the most part, quite well done, especially considering that this is Palm Springs, which until very recently, has been decades behind the rest of Southern California.

City feel, but with the tastes of home / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Citizen Smith in Hollywood. Here's another Thomas Schoos-designed Hollywood restaurant-lounge located on Cahuenga Blvd. Chef Taylor Boudreaux, formerly of Mastro's, offers a strictly urban comfort food menu: sliders, mac & cheese, salads, and burgers, with a muffaletta tucked in there. After 11, the late-night menu comes into play and goes all the way to 4 a.m., when Citizen Smith goes to bed.

Kraft's no match / by Leslee Komaiko

Cheesy, creamy and carbo-licious, macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food.

Includes five restaurants: Violet on Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Boneyard Bistro on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; The Belmont on N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A.; Pavilion on Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach; Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar on Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- February 22, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Gumbo's Big Day / by Corie Brown

It's messy, it's fabulous. And it's the Creole dish that's keeping the Louisiana connection alive in L. A. Gumbo is more than just a blend of seafood, meats and vegetables that makes use of French techniques and ingredients originally from Africa, ... [it] is Louisiana's signature stew ... it is also a tie to centuries of personal history in Louisiana.

Includes two side articles: ”Late but great: It's crawfish time” & “Where to go for Creole cooking” and a recipe for: Duck and okra gumbo.

There are several discussion threads about gumbo:

Gumbo

GUMBO

Gumbo (Ya-Ya)--Cook-Off III

Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee, Creole...

Heaven From Earth / by S. Irene Virbila

With black truffles from a great source, more is more. Shower them on the simplest dishes for the richest effect. At restaurants, Virbila usually notices truffles as specks buried in sauces, or as slices with hardly any flavor. She took it by faith that it is the fabled Tuber melanosporum. ... so when I heard that the same supplier who provides truffles to Spago in Beverly Hills and other top restaurants in this country would also sell to the public, I got together some friends and ordered some from Plantin America Inc.

Includes four recipes: Scrambled eggs Panisse; Guy Savoy's lentil ragout with black truffles; Truffle butter; Roast chicken with truffles and truffle butter; & the side article, ”A great source for fresh black truffles”

Soapstone: Cookware that Rocks / by Charles Perry

First we started buying pizza stones, massive pottery slabs that bake more evenly than flimsy metal sheets ever can. Some people have gone back to more slow, traditional cooking. As a result, stone pots are making a comeback. That's stone, not stoneware ... We're talking about pots actually carved out of stone. Out of blocks of soapstone dug from the earth.

Includes the side article, ”An uncommon cookware” and a recipe for: Costine di maiale (pork ribs)

Swirl, sniff, sip, search and blog / by Patrick Comiskey

In the glut of wine websites, there's the snooty, serious and silly. Here's a guide to the best of them. You want to find out some more information about that wine you drank at that restaurant the other night. You search on the Internet and you come up with millions of hits, most of it unrelated to what you want. But good content does exist. Indeed, if you know where to look, the Web does offer indispensable resources, fascinating opinions, provocative if occasionally annoying discussions, and not least, several websites that poke holes in all that wine-induced high-mindedness.

Includes the side article, ”The best wine-soaked websites”

There's a discussion thread about this article: LA Times List of Top Wine Sites, Swirl, sniff, sip, search and blog

Ruffles and flourishes / by Regina Schrambling

Delicate and refined, savoy is gorgeous to look at and subtle in flavor. Though aristocratic, it's cabbage to the core. Savoy cabbage is delicate, refine and mellow, while its cousin, the cauliflower, is tough, rough and aromatic. And savoy is easy to cut up, easy to cook, and fast. Best of all, it doesn't smell pungent when cooking.

Includes three recipes: Braised savoy cabbage with anchovies; Pizzocheri; Sausage-stuffed savoy cabbage

A meat pie, a trailhead and thou / by Susan LaTempa

The Trails is a Griffith Park concession stand with original snacks and lots of spirit. Co-owners Frank Lentz and Mickey Petralia try their hands for the first time in the food business, with the help of their cook and baker, drummer Aaron Sperske. The Trails is unabashedly about fast food — microwave, plastic baskets and all — but its menu, still a work in progress, is refreshingly original.

A bittersweet, but happy, ending / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: Please can you get me the recipe for the brownies from Le Pain Quotidien? It's almost like a flourless chocolate cake. I've been trying for ages and I can't duplicate it.

Bring on the butter / by S. Irene Virbila

Dairy from England is something to dream on. Remember your first taste of double cream and the clotted stuff served with scones at high tea?

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé: Burgundy; about $17; dry and silky; goes with omelets, salade Niçoise, grilled tuna, etc. The surprise is that it comes not from Provence or the south of France, ... but from Marsannay in Burgundy.

Letters

Temperature as important as time

As someone who attended restaurant school, Regina Schrambling ["Ding! It's All in the Timing," Feb 15] ought to know that temperature, not cooking time, determines the doneness of food. So when she advises to boil an egg for 11 minutes or to poach fish for no longer than 10 minutes, she ignores the variables of surface area and cooking temperature.

A nod to Persian cuisine

Thank you for finally having a decent article about the wonderful foods Persian cuisine has to offer ["The Saffron Coast," Feb. 15]. With the large population of Persians here in L.A., I wondered why this had never happened. Every year at Persian New Year, which is a huge holiday, there really isn't any mention of it. Yet, every time there is a holiday from any other culture, there seems to be a wonderful article about it. So, thanks again.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

A touch of elegance / by S. Irene Virbila

S Vietnamese Fine Dining in Westminster is given a 2* rating. Chef-owner Stephanie Dinh offers a traditional Vietnamese menu with some French or pan-Asian influenced dishes. And this is a real restaurant with a bar, a grand piano and two handsome dining rooms with floor to ceiling windows, unlike the small family-run Vietnamese places that are quite typical in Southern California.

Brentwood's new sweet spot / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on City Bakery in Brentwood. This long-awaited New York institution has just moved into a space vast enough to house a small supermarket and is busy offering Westsiders the same baked goods and lavish salad bar as the original bakery off Union Square in Manhattan's Flatiron District.

Salad scenes / by Leslee Komaiko

You're hungry. You don't have much time. But you're just not in a burger mood. Grab a salad at one of these spots and, what the heck, dessert too.

Includes five restaurants: Cuvée on S. Robertson Blvd., L.A.; Zinc Cafe & Market on Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach; Clementine on Ensley Ave., Century City; Nicole's Gourmet Foods on Meridian Ave., South Pasadena; Lemon Moon on W. Olympic Blvd., West L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- March 1, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Symphony in black / by Betty Hallock

Black sesame seeds are captivating the world's top pastry chefs. They're taking the traditional Asian ingredient to new heights. Earthy and nutty, distinctively bitter, with a smoky, almost peppery flavor, black sesame seeds have been a traditional ingredient in Asian desserts, and are now passionately embraced by Western chefs. It's the flavor of the year.

Includes the side article, ”Seeds of history”; and four recipes: Layered green tea and black sesame cheesecake; Black sesame tuiles with orange and honey; Patisserie Chantilly petits choux au sésame (Black sesame cream puffs); Black sesame dice

Beans again? Gussy 'em up! / by Russ Parsons

Rustle up a cowboy cassoulet, sit back and watch the Oscars. It could be 'Brokeback Mountain's' night. Russ Parsons is uniquely qualified to expertly write about cowboys & cooking. And I think I'm probably in a position to know. Well before I ever started to think about writing about cooking, I wrote about cowboys. No arguments here, ... pilgrim ...

Includes three recipes: Broccoli chopped salad; Gratin of oranges; Cowboy cassoulet

There's a discussion thread about this topic: Cowboys & Beans

Tender are the greens / by Amy Scattergood

Butter lettuce is so sweet and creamy that you understand the name with your first bite. And it's appearing in salads all over town. One would think that chefs had just discovered it for the first time. Butter lettuce appears under several different names — Boston lettuce, bibb, butterhead, limestone. But it's all the same thing: delicate in flavor, clean and only vaguely crunchy, and enormously versatile.

Includes three recipes: Butter lettuce salad with cipolline vinaigrette; Red butter lettuce salad; Butter lettuce salad with melted tomatoes and bacon-shallot vinaigrette

L.A. brew, worldly taste / by Charles Perry

Michael Bowe leans over a 650-gallon tank, pouring green pellets into boiling wort (pronounced "wert"). That's the sweet extract of barley malt that turns into beer. Right now, it just looks like a lot of insanely boiling latte. Before going commercial with his Angel City Brewing Co. in Torrance, Bowe started out as one of the top home brewers in the state. Now, "I'm making a local beer. I want to be the quality microbrewery of Los Angeles."

Peruvian seafood that shimmers / by Linda Burum

At José Antonio, the cooking reflects the sophisticated tastes of the Peruvian capital. Proprietor Victor Ricaldi hired some Peruvian chefs & opened up José Antonio Peruvian Restaurant in the quiet suburb of La Mirada. Then, the Peruvian ex-pats started coming in.

Queen bee knows her honey / by Pat Saperstein

Mary Ellen Mason was a busy music video producer when she first started thinking about bees about 10 years ago. In her Los Feliz apartment, she read book after book about beekeeping. "They seemed like these perfect creatures," she says. "They produce a product you don't have to do anything to."

Pozole with tomato twang / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: Could you please get the recipe for the vegetarian pozole served at the Big Sky Café in San Luis Obispo? It is delicious.

Thick and rich / by Betty Hallock

High-quality Japanese black sesame paste has a fine, smooth texture. Look for unsweetened ones without added emulsifiers — Kuki brand is a good one.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Querciabella Chianti Classico: Tuscany; about $24; concentrated and elegant; goes with pasta e fagioli, pastas with meat ragù, roast pork loin, grilled pork chops. It has both power and grace, a heady scent of cherries and herbs from the Tuscan hillsides along with soft ripe tannins and a bright acidity that makes it sing with food.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

eat. drink. (you know the rest.) / by S. Irene Virbila

eat. at sunset is given a 1½* rating. Joachim Splichal, head of the Patina Group, has tapped the young chef Gary Menes, formerly of Firefly in Studio City, to cook his version of American cuisine. With new places popping up in Hollywood, Splichal decided to close Pinot Hollywood and do a makeover, complete with an outdoor patio. Will the restaurant at Sunset and Gower make a lasting comeback? It's hard to say yet: Stay tuned.

Come for dinner, stay the night / by Leslee Komaiko

There's a flurry of restaurant openings in hotels. Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse, Cut at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel; Royale in the old 1927 Wilshire Royale Hotel; Tart in the Farmer's Daughter Hotel; West atop the Hotel Angeleno (the former Holiday Inn at Sunset and the 405); Simon L.A. in the Sofitel; Sea on the 18th floor of Santa Monica's Huntley Hotel.

Ford has a better idea / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Ford's Filling Station in Culver City. Ben Ford, son of Harrison, has opened up a gastro-pub along Culver Blvd with a changing menu that's strictly seasonal. With an outdoor patio, a savvy menu and wine list, Ford's Filling Station already has a line at the door.

Perfect pudding / by Leslee Komaiko

If your experience of pudding is limited to those supermarket snack packs, it's time for an upgrade.

Includes five restaurants: The Brentwood on S. Barrington Ave., Brentwood; Baby Blues Bar-B-Q on Lincoln Blvd., Venice; Napa Valley Grille on Glendon Ave., Westwood; Zeke's Smokehouse on Honolulu Ave., Montrose; Blair's on Rowena Ave., Silver Lake.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- March 8, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

The sharpest knives in the drawer / by Regina Schrambling

And that's just the beginning. Here's how Oxo tools became the gold standard for serious cooks.

Beyond the crunch / by Leslie Brenner

Sometimes it's the flavors that are right under our noses — or buried in the crisper drawer — that are most worth celebrating. Celery is one vegetable that's taken so much for granted. When's the last time celery was the main ingredient of a dish? Here's three dishes where celery is touted, for a change.

Includes three recipes: Celery duo; Cream of celery soup; Dungeness crab and celery salad

Got Pinot? Well, throw a festival! / by Corie Brown

James Flagg doesn't notice the rainwater puddling around his feet. And he doesn't care that a storm is raging outside the giant tent next to Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Maria. At the recent World of Pinot Noir festival in Shell Beach, Flagg & other attendees are Pinot Noir “freaks” like no other wine lovers. Chardonnay lovers might quaff, Cab cultists might collect, but tossing around the latest thinking about esoteric winemaking practices is what rocks the Pinot sphere.

Includes the side article, ”For the love of Noir, celebrations toast this compelling grape”

With a tender touch / by Donna Deane

Restaurant-perfect pork chops, at home? It's as easy as 1-2-3-4 to get juicy results: season, sear, sauce, simmer.

Includes four recipes: Weeknight pork chops; Pork chops with fresh tomato sauce; Pork chops with sage cream; Pork chops with wine sauce

As welcome as a Caribbean breeze / by Susan LaTempa

Hearty home-style Jamaican offerings at Ackee Bamboo are attracting a return crowd in Leimert Park. Proprietor Marlene Sinclair-Beckford has opened Ackee Bamboo a couple of weeks ago and the action is not in the dining room, but at the counter where people from work are ordering these home-style dinners with Carribean flavors to take home.

First hint of spring green / by Russ Parsons

When life hands you pistachios, make oil. That's what Gail and Gene Zannon decided.

It must be mustard season in Napa

The multi-month Napa Valley Mustard Festival hits its midpoint next week with an award ceremony for the best mustard and mustard recipes, a masquerade ball and a food, wine and arts festival.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

Marqués de Gelida Cava 2000 Brut Exclusive Reserva: Penedès; about $10; crisp and dry; goes with oysters, smoked salmon, cocktail nuts, hors d'oeuvres. The blend of Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada and Chardonnay is lively and refreshing and the packaging has a certain bling factor.

Letters

City slickers like cowboy grub too

What a sheer delight, Russ Parsons' article on beans, lamb, cowboys and his own past ["Beans Again? Gussy 'Em Up!" March 1]. Thank you.

Eat, drink and make new friends?

Interesting photo of the new eatery eat. on sunset ["Eat. Drink. (You Know the Rest.)," March 1].

Sharing the secrets of restaurant faves

The Food section is the highlight of my week, especially when you include recipes from our favorite restaurants in L.A. Thank you for publishing it.

Cheers to the taste of local beers

Great article ["L.A. Brew, Worldly Taste," March 1]! Thanks for continuing the spread of the word on great beer!

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

A real Strip tease / by S. Irene Virbila

Il Sole Ristorante on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is given a 1* rating. The new owners since 2003, Arnold Stiefel and Andrew Hewitt, brought in Bruce Marder of Capo to consult. Marder tweaked the menu a bit. It's as boring as could be, no better or no worse than any other neighborhood Italian. Mind you, one would expect more for its location along the Sunset Strip with its high fame quotient. It is, in fact, the antithesis of trendy. And maybe that's the point.

It's a burger, but better / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on 25 Degrees at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Tim and Liza Goodell have started up 25 Degrees, the second of two restaurants at the hotel. The new burger bar is designed by Dodd Mitchell, and these are not ordinary burgers. With real late-night hours (1 a.m. on weeknights, 3 a.m. on the weekends), 25 Degrees is ...fun for a real Hollywood night out.

Primo patties / by Leslee Komaiko

We like fast-food fixes as much as the next guy. But once in a while, you gotta have a restaurant burger.

Includes five restaurants: Pacific Dining Car on W. 6th St., L.A.; Josie on Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Bandera on Wilshire Blvd., West L.A.; Opah on Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo; Grace on Beverly Blvd., L.A.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- March 15, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Ridiculously simple and crazy good / by Amy Scattergood

Insanely good dishes that are a snap to make? We kid you not. With all the dishes we notice on all those “iron Chef” episodes and in all the latest cookbooks, we're getting information overload. But when it comes time to make dinner, we're stuck in a terrible anxiety-ridden limbo. No need to worry. We rely on those dishes that are so simple you don't need to write them down: Make them once and they'll lodge in your memory forever, like the chorus of an '80s hit song.

Includes three recipes: Roasted beet and goat cheese salad; Quick halibut Provençal; Sweet pea soup; and the side article, ”Captivating culinary one-liners“

Elusive, exotic, intoxicating / by Barbara Hansen

Once banned, the distinctive Sichuan peppercorn is now available. Taste what you've been missing. Sichuan peppercorns, known in Chinese as hua jiao (Mandarin) and faa jiu (Cantonese), comes from a prickly ash tree that grows in the Sichuan province of China. A couple of years ago, it was discovered that if the peppercorn were roasted before being imported to the United States, pests from the prickly ash tree won't effect U.S. orchards. And now, fortunately, they are freely imported and available in most Asian markets.

Includes three recipes: Honey-lacquered squab with gingered nappa cabbage and fennel-pear purée; Charcoal-grilled Sichuan beef with cilantro-shallot sauce; Cold chicken slices with sesame and Sichuan pepper; and the side article, ”Suddenly, it's everywhere“

Fuzzy melons, curly beans / by Lili Singer

Black Cherry' tomatoes — dark juicy morsels with a tart-sweet essence and glistening maroon color that stands out in a salad or frittata. Or how about 'Anellino' beans? Or 'Papaya Pear' zucchini? If you assume such mouth-watering crops are exclusively farmers market delicacies, think again. Every one of these beautiful vegetables can be grown in your own backyard. Just read through some seed catalogs, or go to your local nurseries and plant sales and begin your spring planting!

Includes the side article, ”Where to shop“

Just tell 'em Diddy sent you / by Regina Schrambling

It's an only-in-New-York scene. In a city that has had a fascination with speak-easies since Prohibition, La Esquina has redesigned the template for an increasing number of heirs to the secret wine cellar in the "21" Club, the one that dates back to the days of Eliot Ness.

Mexican dishes, beautifully played / by Linda Burum

At Malverde, chef Generoso Bahena offers his own versions of regional specialties. Malverde on Long Beach Blvd. in Lynwood can be described as a new haute-Mexican restaurant. Generoso Bahena is known for his Chicago restaurants, Ixcapuzalco and Chilpanzingo, and especially for working with Rick Bayless for about a dozen years, later becoming managing chef Bayless' Chicago restaurant, Topolobampo. Bahena does much more than re-create traditional standbys with top-tier ingredients. His presentations are lightened, stylized and filled with quirky original touches.

Now that's a magical pint / by Charles Perry

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Guinness' brew master teaches us the art of "the Pour." Fergal Murray is the brew master at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, and he's teaching the staff at Casey's Irish Bar & Grille in downtown L.A. how to pour a pint ... of Guiness, of course.

Dining between the lines / by Laurie Winer

There's more to a menu than meets the eye. A carefully designed one, such as this dinner menu from Providence, chef Michael Cimarusti's high-end seafood palace on Melrose Avenue, conveys as much about food fashion, the L.A. dining scene and even the diners themselves.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Le Secret Ivre Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes: Rhône Valley; about $20; aromatic and lush; goes with grilled fish, seafood stew, roast chicken, vegetable soup. At this price, it can make any weeknight supper a celebration.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

Southern charm, L.A. savvy / by S. Irene Virbila

Memphis on Hollywood Boulevard is given a 1½* rating. Entrepreneur Michael Sutton and a group of investors have come up with a restaurant that's not Italian, Asian fusion or a steakhouse. The menu at Memphis is pure Southern comfort food. And the decor inside the historic Janes' House is feminine, dark and perhaps romantic. This place is configured for entertaining. Chef Francisco Chaidez and his staff are more into cooking than tossing up overdressed salads. And as for desserts, they've got Key lime pie. Mind you, The one to go for, though, is the banana bread pudding drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Market-fresh, in Ojai / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Auberge at Ojai. Christian Shaffer closed Chloe, his Playa del Rey restaurant, brought along his wife Tedde and his chef de cuisine, Nickos Rovello, to open up Auberge at Ojai. The menu will change monthly, to reflect the freshest, seasonal produce available. Virbila's thoughts? I brought along a longtime Ojai resident who thought he'd died and gone to heaven. "At last, someplace where you can eat," he said.

Now that's a magical pint / by Charles Perry

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Guinness' brew master teaches us the art of "the Pour." Fergal Murray is the brew master at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, and he's teaching the staff at Casey's Irish Bar & Grille in downtown L.A. how to pour a pint ... of Guiness, of course.

Mexican dishes, beautifully played / by Linda Burum

At Malverde, chef Generoso Bahena offers his own versions of regional specialties. Malverde on Long Beach Blvd. in Lynwood can be described as a new haute-Mexican restaurant. Generoso Bahena is known for his Chicago restaurants, Ixcapuzalco and Chilpanzingo, and especially for working with Rick Bayless for about a dozen years, later becoming managing chef Bayless' Chicago restaurant, Topolobampo. Bahena does much more than re-create traditional standbys with top-tier ingredients. His presentations are lightened, stylized and filled with quirky original touches.

It's ciao, coming and going / by Leslie Brenner

Big changes have occurred in the kitchen at Gino Angelini's Los Angeles Italian spot, La Terza. Who's in now? Chef de cuisine Danilo Angelini — who is no relation to Gino, and sous chef Vincenzo Vertuccio. Who's gone? The former chef de cuisine, Jason Travi, left the restaurant last month, apparently with no hard feelings; Travi says he'd like to open his own restaurant.

Right at home / by Leslee Komaiko

Some restaurants just have a homey feeling. That's certainly the case with these former residences.

Includes five restaurants: The Cottage on N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; The Raymond on S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena; The Sundried Tomato Café on Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano; La Cachette on Little Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; Memphis on Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- March 22, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Bravissimo! Sweet Stirrings of Springtime / by Russ Parsons

Creamy, luscious risotto is easier than you think. With the right rice and a light stock, it's a showstopper. Despite its complexity in flavor, risotto is as easy to create as making a recitation sound like one of Dante's cantos: soffriggere, tostare, bagnare, mantecare (the four circles of risotto?).

Includes three recipes: Risotto with mushrooms and pea sprouts; Artichoke risotto with lemon zest; Risotto with spring herbs; with the side article, ”It's not just arborio anymore”

Chile Pins its Hopes on Carmenère / by Corie Brown

The celebrated Apalta region has the missing link from the classic Bordeaux blend. Chile wants to excel beyond its niche as a “value” wine region to a world-class wine region. How will Chile get there? With Carmenère, the obscure French grape cultivated only in Chile is taking over this South American wine region.

Includes the side article, ”Pretty, but pretty uneven too”

Poetry in every plate / by Charles Perry

Centuries ago, a Sufi mystic, Rumi, waxed ecstatic over apples and spinach. A dinner party brings life to verse. Perry visited Turkish food writer Nevin Halici in Konya, Turkey, where the famous 13th century Sufi poet Rumi spent most of his adult life. In the thousands of lines of ecstatic poetry Rumi wrote, still read and loved throughout the world, he referred to a surprising number of foods and dishes.

Includes three recipes: Sour spinach; Sweet spinach; Hassaten pilaf

Tea time's hot again / by Susan LaTempa

The Scarlet Tea Room breathes new life into a favorite indulgence, with delicious results. The Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena: It's a postmodern tearoom with a sense of humor. It’s all right to come in your jeans. The vivacious proprietor, Karen Mikaelian, no dowager, is clad in pink jeans. The sandwiches are not bland, and no snobbish attitude here.

Eagle Rock: the new Silver Lake? / by Leslee Komaiko

Tucked between Glendale and Pasadena, Eagle Rock is heading into a mini restaurant boom. More than just Casa Bianca, there’s now Mia Sushi, and later on, a Middle Eastern spot called Spitz with Turkish-style kebabs, and restaurateur Andre Guerrero’s Oinkster with what he calls “slow fast food.”

Clever chickpea fritter with a salad sensibility / by Barbara Hansen

At a recent visit to the Auberge at Ojai, the new "progressive American/French" restaurant where Christian Shaffer (of Avenue in Manhattan Beach and the recently closed Chloe in Playa del Rey) is chef, Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila was wowed by a chickpea fritter appetizer.

A traditional Lenten dish that satisfies / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: My sister and I were in Santa Barbara recently. When we stopped at the Chase Restaurant & Lounge, they served a bean appetizer for happy hour. My sister loved it and ate two helpings. They said it was an old family recipe.

Fresh from Pacific Palisades / by Mary Ellen Rae

Former attorney Kimberly Reiner has been making fudge since she was a kid, but less than two years ago she went professional.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Philippe Alliet Chinon: : Loire Valley; about $17; ripe and juicy; goes with roast birds, grilled chops, braised duck legs or daubes. Philippe Alliet … [h]is Chinon is a very pure expression of Cabernet Franc ... spicy and delicious …

Letters to the editor

Four cheers for sublime simplicity

RE Amy Scattergood's "Simplicity: Let it Rule" [March 15]: Back in the day, say the 14th through 19th centuries, written recipes generally were "one-liners."

For the record

Secret restaurant — An article in last week's Food section said an invitation-only "Secret Restaurant" event in Los Angeles would be open to the public and the dinner would be prepared by chefs from Lucques, Grace and AOC. The dinner is not open to the public, and the chefs no longer work for those restaurants.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

So chic and so very Greek / by S. Irene Virbila

Petros in Manhattan Beach is given a 2½* rating. This is not your typical Greek restaurant: a boisterous taverna with posters of the Acropolis and music from Zorba the Greek. Owner Petros Benekos has a place with white interiors and unadorned walls, sleek and refined. The breadth of Petros' menu and prices that are higher than at most L.A. Greek spots reflect the fact that chef Yianni Koufodontis, who was sous-chef at both Spago and Maple Drive, not only has some serious technique, but has also made the effort to seek out top-notch ingredients.

It's OK, play hooky / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Providence’s lunch menu. Having a leisurely lunch at Providence can be quite an indulgence, an escape from the stress of everyday life. Chef Michael Cimarusti has created an excellent a la carte lunch menu. And with pastry chef Adrian Vasquez on board, you may go for one of his dessert creations instead of the cheese.

Luxe lunch / by Leslee Komaiko

Can't face another grilled chicken sandwich? Boss buying? Make a reservation at one of these spots.

Includes five restaurants: Maison Akira on E. Green St., Pasadena; Water Grill on S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; Spago on N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; Patina on S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; Café del Rey on Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey.

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section -- March 29, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Fancy grits cause a stir / by Regina Schrambling

Once you've tasted the real, stone-ground deal, there's just no going back.

Not the supermarket grits that are white & smooth. But the extremely coarse kind or antebellum grits which were produced until the end of World War II. Grits have cachet. They have character. Essentially, they are the William Hurt of starches: Give them a supporting role and they will steal the show.

Includes three recipes: Grits with leek and shiitakes; Barbecue-braised duck legs with garlic grits; Cheddar-chipotle grits timbales

Finally, authentic grits are here / by Regina Schrambling

When it comes to grits, coarse is a compliment, and no producer does them better than Anson Mills in South Carolina. The roughly ground dried corn has admirable texture and phenomenal fresh flavor. They take much longer to cook than even the closest runner-up, but it's time well spent. These are grits you can eat with a fork, not a spoon.

Where has the love gone? / by Leslie Brenner

Maybe it's the $29 valet and purse stools that are making foodies snicker at Mario Batali's latest venture. Brenner interviews Mario Batali while in the midst of Batali’s battles with his critics about his newest Manhattan-based restaurant, Del Posto.

There are two related discussion threads: Del Posto and Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali

Little Saigon, at home / by Mary MacVean

Ann Le worried that her family's recipes would be lost, so she gathered her favorites and published a cookbook. Ann Le’s parents journeyed from Vietnam to Southern California eventually, more specifically Little Saigon in Westminster. Published not long before her grandmother died this year, “The Little Saigon Cookbook” is a written collection of home-made, family-style Vietnamese dishes that Le’s family & friends have only passed along orally.

Includes three recipes: Green papaya salad with shrimp (Gói du dú); Pan-fried spicy chicken with mint and ginger (Gà chiên); Warm 'shaking beef' salad with watercress and tomatoes (Bò lúc lâc)

When life dealt them grapes, they made wine / by Patrick Comiskey

Imagine marrying a famous Central Coast winemaker, and when you meet your extended family, it includes not only your spouse's parents and siblings, but his winery partner. The following could read like an oenological soap opera:

This scenario has played out not once but twice at the intertwined wineries Au Bon Climat and Qupé in Santa Maria. In 1996, Au Bon Climat winemaker Jim Clendenen's wife, Morgan, founded Cold Heaven Cellars, an entity devoted mostly to Viognier. Three years later, Qupé winemaker Bob Lindquist's wife, Louisa Sawyer Lindquist, founded Verdad, an entity devoted entirely to Spanish-style wines.

Includes the side article, ”Distinctive boutique wines”

Pull up a chair, have a pint / by Susan LaTempa

It's the best of several worlds at 3rd Stop, with stellar brews on tap and Italian appetizers that beg to be shared. The 3rd Stop is a new pub located on 3rd Street near San Vicente. Owners Jason Killalee & Frank Alix have brought the "concept" of eating in the bar back to its working-class roots.

Grab your basket, spring is upon us / by Amy Scattergood

Green garlic, English peas, red scallions and succulent strawberries. Time to hit the market! And don’t forget to buy some mushrooms from Clearwater Farms owner David West (aka dfunghi).

A flash in the pan at Valentino / by Leslee Komaiko

Valentino, Piero Selvaggio's elegant Santa Monica Italian restaurant, has a new chef. (And it's not who you think.)

A sweet taste of home / by Barbara Hansen

Ohio's oldest hotel, the Golden Lamb in Lebanon, serves a fabulous pie, "sort of a Shaker sugar pie with coconut," says Wes Bausmith, a deputy design editor in The Times' features department.

Village market closes / by Charles Perry

Thursday will be the last meeting of the Westwood Village Farmers Market; the longtime Weyburn Avenue location is scheduled to close indefinitely. The city fire marshal has revoked its street-closing permit for public safety reasons while work proceeds on a residential and shopping complex.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Ampelos Cellars Evans Ranch Syrah: Santa Rita Hills; about $26; rich and concentrated; goes with grilled ribs, chops, sausages, roast leg of lamb. … plenty of sweet spices and cherries in the perfume balanced by a cool, earthy character and a bright zing of acidity.

Letters to the editor

High tea? Not really

Susan LaTempa referred to "the rituals of high tea" in her restaurant review ("Tea Time's Hot Again, March 22), using the phrase to describe an extravagant afternoon tea spread. However, "high tea" is actually a working class evening meal.

Persian recipes with poetry

Can you please pass on to Charles Perry my congratulations for a terrific article on Sufi/Persian cooking ("Poetry in Every Plate," March 22). I'm a longtime appreciator and cook of Turkish and other Middle Eastern foods, and these recipes will join my collection and get plenty of use.

Greek without the chic factor

I just want to encourage S. Irene Virbila and all her like-minded friends to, by all means, head on down to Manhattan Beach to that new serious Greek restaurant, the very first one in the area ("So Chic and so Very Greek, March 22).

A fine Chilean wine choice

Very glad to see your article on this Chilean wine ("Wanted: Fighting Varietal, March 22). I had recently been browsing at Albertson's and saw this varietal under the Origin label. Always willing to try something new, especially at a very reasonable price, I picked it up, and my husband and I enjoyed it with lamb chops. I thought it good enough to go back and purchase another bottle to share with friends.

Writing adds joy to cooking

Thank you to Russ Parsons for the wonderful, playful tone you bring to food writing. I consistently find myself laughing and promptly e-mailing your pieces to my foodie friends and my language-loving, polyglot father. And, of course, cooking recipes from them later in the week. Joy in food is such a good thing, and sharing it through your writing is pure pleasure.

For the record

Risotto recipes — The three risotto recipes that ran in last week's Food section call for chicken stock, but, as was mentioned in the accompanying article, lighter-bodied chicken broth should be used.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

French through and through / by S. Irene Virbila

Maximilians in North Hollywood is given a 2* rating. Along with the décor, chef Marc Boussarie has a menu so French that it could be a neighborhood spot in Cahors or Annecy, as you savor some heavenly duck confit.

A treat, if you can find it / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Lou on Vine St. Amdur and Lori Frystak have set up a really nice, low-key wine bar, along with a brief, well-planned menu. … a glass of wine, a snack, supper with friends. Or simply a dessert and a glass of sweet wine … A haven for those who want to have a conversation instead of some soundtrack.

Gone fishing / by Leslee Komaiko

Anchovies optional? Not to us. We love the meaty little fish.

Includes five restaurants: Red Lion Tavern on Glendale Blvd., Silver Lake ; Sopra on Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood ; Sage on the Coast on E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach ; Angeli Caffe on Melrose Ave., L.A. ; Grace on Beverly Blvd., L.A.

Edited March 31, 2006 by rjwong (log)

[rjwong]

LA Times Food Section – April 5, 2006

Viewing the LA Times website, www.latimes.com, requires registration. If that is unacceptable, 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 requires an additional fee.

Building a better buckle / by Betty Hallock

... or a cobbler or a crisp. Whatever the name, L.A. pastry chefs are raising the bar for them. When making cobblers and crisps, it’s all about the fruit, maintaining the integrity of the fruit, says Sherry Yard. Mind you, while it has a homey familiarity to it, a cobbler or crisp can have a complexity and an elegance as well.

Includes three recipes: Literati II's strawberry and rhubarb crisp with crème fraîche sherbet and strawberry ice cream; Ford's Filling Station warm pear buckle; Spago's Pink Lady apple, fennel and rhubarb crumble with buttermilk sherbet

Italian, unraveled / by Barbara Hansen

Giada De Laurentiis keeps it simple and warm as she moves on from the everyday basics to grander meals. "Giada's Family Dinners" is her follow-up book to her first book, "Everyday Italian.” While Giada’s first book focused on the basics, the second is more ambitious, including Italian holiday dishes & party-size food. "This is the kind of unpretentious, authentic, down-home Italian cooking that my family loves," she writes in the introduction to "Giada's Family Dinners."

Includes three recipes: Penne with spinach sauce; Roasted fennel with Parmesan; Apricot crostata

Here's to Passover: new wines with soul / by Patrick Comiskey

At a recent "warmup" Seder held at Herzog Wine Cellars in Oxnard, the leader Jay Buchsbaum invoked several Talmudic passages that emphasized the relationship between the faithful and wine. Traditionally, kosher wine meant swett, pungent, unbalanced. In 1998, the Herzog family hired Joe Hurliman to make a high-end, kosher California wines. And Hurliman is not Jewish: he has to convey the process to his Jewish workers to maintain the wine’s purity. "Winemaking involves faith ... As a winemaker you have to move beyond the things that have no substance."

Includes the side article, ”Delicious possibilities for Passover”

Look out, it's thistle fever! / by Amy Scattergood

Hundreds of artichokes, 15 classic recipes: madness. But oh, the payoff! Boiled, pickled or dried (even at 3 a.m.), they're all divine. Scattergood decides to celebrate spring and the artichoke season. How? ... by cooking every single artichoke preparation in my beloved 1961 "Larousse Gastronomique. Okay, you go, girl!

Includes three recipes: Artichokes Clamart; Artichokes barigoule; Artichokes à la grecque

A touch of Rio, right next door / by Linda Burum

Tropicalia Brazilian Grill in Los Feliz infuses Brazil's complexly spiced, gustily flavored fare with contemporary style. The menu from Tropicalia (pronounced tropi-cai-yuh) was dreamed up by Italian-born chef Santino Coccia and his partner Brazilian-born John Borghetti. So it’s not authentically Brazilian, but that’s by design: just add a little Italian or Mexican ingredient into the mix. For Borghetti and Coccia, the idea seemed a natural match for a neighborhood that they've come to understand well.

Even Greeks spoke geek / by Charles Perry

The ancients gushed wine-speak, which we uphold to this day. C'mon, give it a swirl. Oh, the rituals of a wine geek: checking a wine's color, the swirling, the slurping, the discussing of terroir, etc. This is nothing new. Wine geekery goes way back.

Smile, it's kitchen camera / by S. Irene Virbila

How can a chef be in two or more places at once? Plasma monitors.

So, Thomas Keller can be at The French Laundry in Yountville demonstrating a new dish preparation to his staff over at Per Se in New York through the technological innovation of plasma monitors installed at both restaurants.

LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR APRIL 5, 2006

An intermission snack that really sings / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: The chili at the Walt Disney Concert Hall is excellent, and I haven't been able to duplicate it. Any chance they would make the recipe available?

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Domaine de la Bégude Bandol: Provence; about $25; full-bodied and elegant; goes with leg or rack of lamb, beef daube with olives, Moroccan tagines. Deep in color, it has an earthy, spicy character softened by the sweet, ripe flavors of black currants and cherries.

Letters to the editor

Losing taste for Batali?

AS a former fan of Mario Batali, I was appalled to read of his attitude and the "house rules" at Del Posto ("Where Has the Love Gone?" March 29).

True grits, Georgia style

THANKS for the article ("Grits," March 29). I was raised by Southern parents, and grits have always been a part of my diet. But coarse grits have been difficult, if not impossible, to find in local markets.

For the record

Farmers market closing: In an article in last week's Food section about the last meeting of the Westwood Village Farmers Market, the opinion attributed to manager Aaron Shapiro that no alternative sites for the market were available was paraphrased not from an interview with Shapiro but from an announcement on the market's website.

***********************************************************

***********************************************************

Calendarlive Stories

In Hollywood, the late, late show / by S. Irene Virbila

Magnolia on Sunset Blvd. is given a 1* rating. Magnolia is not a destination restaurant, just an easygoing place with a Modernist & spare decor where you can drop in without having to order a full meal late at night. And we’re talkin’ until 2 a.m., 3 a.m. on weekends. The combination of good looks, reliably good (if not great) cooking and moderate prices at the 6-month-old Hollywood restaurant is one that's almost impossible to find in L.A.

Primo southern-style pasta / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Villa Abbate Ristorante Italiano in Rancho Mirage. This is NOT your stereotypical southern Italian restaurant with the checkered tablecloths, the sugary soundtrack and the huge bowls of pasta with tons of red sauce. Instead, chef Nino Spinella prepares dishes from the region that are traditional and high-end. But once we sit down in a roomy booth and watch as the tuxedoed waiters roll a wheel of grana cheese past us to another table, I'm hooked.

Side show / by Leslee Komaiko

The heyday of tableside preparation might be long gone, but the practice is enjoying a resurgence.

Includes five restaurants: Dal Rae on E. Washington Blvd., Pico Rivera; La Dolce Vita on Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Tequila Jack's on Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach; Nick & Stef's on S. Hope St., downtown L.A.; Fogo de Chão on N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills.