DIGEST: Los Angeles Times Food Section

rjwong · May 5, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- May 4, 2005

Life of the market

SPECIAL ISSUE | FARMERS MARKETS

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Go straight to the source / by Betty Baboujon

What to do with all those fresh vegetables and luscious fruit? Just ask the people who know them best. With fresh produce all around, some cook them without a recipe, just improvising. If you need recipes, get them and the vegetables from the farmers. And what easier farmer's recipe is there than rinse, dry and serve?

Includes five recipes: Roasted carrots (from Maryann Carpenter of Coastal Organics); Strawberry pie (from Yoshiko Iwamoto of Harry's Berries); Nasturtium pesto (from Coleman Family Farms); Warm fenugreek salad (from Bill and Delia Coleman of Coleman Family Farms); Fava and corn salad (from Paul Thurston at McGrath Farms)

Farmers markets: the list

Every day of the week, long-running and brand-new farmers markets bring just-picked produce to a neighborhood near you.

Around every corner / by Susan LaTempa

Each neighborhood farmers market has its own flavor. Think yours is the best? You're right.Yes, there are the big farmers markets in Santa Monica, Torrance & Hollywood. Mind you, the smaller ones are thriving, ... bringing fresh produce to city dwellers while making it possible for small farmers to sell directly to consumers at retail prices.

Includes the side article, Swing by with your basket

Survival and success / by Russ Parsons

The markets are at the heart of the Weiser farm's business, even as it struggles with growing pains. Russ Parsons chronicles the twenty-plus years of the Weiser family business and its recent successes and issues with the addition of Alex Weiser's brother Dan, who has an MBA from USC and was a sales executive at Disney.

Includes 2 recipes: Shrimp in romesco with wilted spinach (from "The Zuni Café Cookbook" by Judy Rodgers); Grilled baby new potato salad (adapted from the just-published cookbook "The Swedish Table," by Helene Henderson)

The many meanings of 'organic' / by Max Withers

Demand for certified produce is up, but so is confusion over farming standards. Here's a look at what it all means. If the produce says “organic,” most shoppers would think the food is safer, better flavor and healthier, right? It's not that easy. Government standards, annual inspections by non-government agencies, and loads of paperwork have some farmers eschewing organic farming. And the confusion begins.

Seafood that generates its own tropical heat / by Barbara Hansen

In this article (titled “Regional dishes are the catch of the day” on the Web), Taquería Vista Hermosa on S. Grand Ave belongs to owner Raul Morales and his family, and it's the mariscos (Mexican seafood) that will remind you of Ensenada or Mazatlán.

A proper noir mystery / by David Shaw

Did this Paso Robles Pinot actually beat out a legendary Burgundy? It takes some sleuthing to find out. Wine detective Shaw gets to the bottom of this notion that in 1976 or '77, a Paso Robles Pinot Noir from Hoffman Mountain Ranch bested the “revered Domaine de la Romanée Conti” in a blind taste test.

A charm that beckons / by S. Irene Virbila

Joe's on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice is given a 1* rating.

Owner/chef Joe Miller has been on his own since 1991 with Joe's Restaurant. Its atmosphere is laid back and relaxed to the satisfaction of its customers (Venice artsy types, young families with kids and Joe's loyalists from across town). But if the dinners I've had at Joe's recently are any indication, the restaurant seems to have lost focus ..., something is missing at Joe's these days. Maybe it's Joe.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2004 Grosset “Polish Hill” Clare Valley Riesling: Clare Valley, Australia; about $30; cool and minerally; goes with raw or chilled shellfish, Dungeness crab, Thai and Asian food. This is an Australian Riesling that rivals the best from Germany and Alsace.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Here's to yesteryear / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Tower Bar on the Sunset Strip. The new owner of the Art Deco-designed Argyle Hotel, Jeff Klein has brought back the Tower Bar, which first opened in 1929. The chef is Collin Crannell, formerly of Chloe. With the music of Billie Holiday & Nat King Cole in the background, the atmosphere is soothing and sophisticated.

Old school / by Charles Perry

Light, fresh, cutting-edge — that's not all there is to our food scene. Clubby is also in the house.

Includes five restaurants: The Grill on the Alley on Dayton Way in Beverly Hills; Sir Winston's on Queens Highway in Long Beach; The Polo Lounge at Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills; Arnie Morton's of Chicago on S. La Cienega Blvd., also locations in Santa Ana, Burbank and downtown Los Angeles; Tam o'Shanter Inn on Los Feliz Blvd.

rjwong · May 12, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- May 11, 2005

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The hungry mind / by Regina Schrambling

With memoirs from food celebs selling like Big Macs, we've worked up a voracious appetite for the Next Big Thing: serious -- and seriously readable -- food literature. Writing about food is now the trend and the wave shows no sign of peaking. Publishers are looking for the next Anthony Bourdain or Ruth Reichl. Somehow food is being brought into a broader context than what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Includes the side article, A banquet of storytelling

There are two discussion threads related to this topic:

Is Food Lit the Next Big Thing?

Cookbook writers on eGullet; who has done or is working on one?

Straight off the carts of Bombay / by Barbara Hansen

A buffet of snacks makes for casual, colorful entertaining. Set up dishes at outdoor tables, then let guests do their own sampling and garnishing. A caterer, Raunaq Savur from Bombay (nka Mumbai), prepared a buffet of Bombay street snacks at someone's home in Simi Valley. Savur's party idea is perfect for casual California entertaining.

Includes five recipes: Bhel puri (Snack mix with vegetables); Pav bhaji (Spiced mashed vegetables with soft rolls); Lamb frankie; Tamarind and date chutney; Green chutney

Vineyards with pedigrees / by Rod Smith

A historic land registry seeks to preserve Napa Valley's agrarian identity -- and its marketability. There are three landowners that claim George Yount's vineyard site is on their land, with the victor's vineyard being certified by the Napa Valley Historic Vineyard Registry, a project of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, or NVG, a growers' advocacy organization. Establishing historical vineyard pedigrees in the valley may prove to be controversial. Included is a vinicultural history of the Napa Valley with some litigious flavorings.

Opening soon, they promise / by Susan LaTempa

Lately, a number of high-profile L.A. area restaurants-to-be seem to be stuck in a rut. These include: ex-Water Grill chef Michael Cimarusti's new restaurant, Providence with general manager Donato Poto (formerly of Bastide) at the former Patina space on Melrose; chef-partner Christopher Blobaum's Thomas Schoos-designed Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica; the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse in the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel with acclaimed architect Richard Meier brought in; the new Gonpachi restaurant on La Cienega at the former Ed Debevic's site; the Dodd Mitchell-designed steakhouse called Lodge, formerly the Korean restaurant Temple on La Cienega.

Always a classic at heart / by Leslie Brenner

You can keep your artichokes à la barigoule and your baby ones shaved thin and fussed over with olive oil on a plate. Sure, barigoule is delicious, stuffed with mushrooms, ham, bacon and parsley, braised in white wine and finished with butter. And I love eating shaved artichokes — in a restaurant.

Includes a side article, How to trim an artichoke, and three recipes: Shallot vinaigrette; Bouchon house vinaigrette; Artichokes vinaigrette

Her favorite gin partner / by Anne Willan

Tender, buttery Parmesan cheese balls pair perfectly with a martini. Here's to Aunt Louie's recipe.

Still looking for love in L.A. / by David Shaw

In 50 years of pizza eating, he has yet to find a hometown pie that wins his heart. Where is that pepperoni d'amore? Los Angeles does not make a great pizza, Shaw exclaims. And especially a pizza like Lombardi's in New York. There may be some goods reasons why L.A. is not the pizza place like other cities. Ohh, the e-mails are going to pile in!

French fashion plate / by S. Irene Virbila

Ortolan on 3rd St. is given a 2½* rating. Former L'Orangerie chef Christophe Emé and his partner, actress Jeri Ryan, have opened a glamorous French restaurant for a new generation. It got off to a rocky start back in February. But the meal improves with each visit, and a new manager is smoothing out the front of the house. If Emé and his staff keep it up, Ortolan could well be on its way to becoming the French restaurant that has it all.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Viña Alarba Old Vines Grenache: Catalonia; about $6; hearty; goes with cured meats, barbecue. It's hard to find a wine with so much character at this price.

Tonight's Special Is Paper / by P.J. Huffstutter

Haute cuisine and extreme science collide at a Chicago restaurant. A 20-course meal costs $240, but don't expect lettuce in a Caesar salad. Homaro Cantu, owner and executive chef of Moto restaurant, creates non-traditional meals, to say the least. ”Cooking is all about technology and having fun with your food," said Cantu, 28. "We're here to help gastronomy catch up to the modern age."

There are two discussion threads about this article & Moto restaurant:

L A Times article on Moto Restaurant; Does LA have chefs like Cantu and Chefg?

Moto Restaurant; the time has finally arrived

For the record

Farmers market listings — The list of farmers markets in last week's section should have included the Westwood Village Farmers Market, Thursdays 1 to 7 p.m., Weyburn Avenue at Westwood Boulevard. (310) 208-6115. The hours for the Wednesday Santa Monica market are 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., not 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as reported.

Nasturtium recipe — Last week, a recipe for nasturtium pesto called for three bunches of nasturtium flowers. It should have specified that each bunch is about a dozen flowers. Use about three dozen flowers for the recipe.

Garfield High School — An article in last week's Food Section about Weiser Family Farms said that Garfield High School, where Sid Weiser was a counselor, is in Alhambra. It is in East Los Angeles.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Sunset dining: a time to coast / by Leslie Brenner

Critic's notebook on Ocean and Vine at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. With chef Gregg Wangard, who comes to Loews via The American Club in Kohler, Wis., the owners of Ocean and Vine are going more for Hollywood hip than beachy cool, with the back-lit bar and the sleek lounge furnishings.

Drawing mouths to the flame / by Charles Perry

Darkness falls, the snacks come out and that whole immemorial thing of gathering around a fire works its magic.

Includes five restaurants: Beechwood on W. Washington Blvd. in Venice; Ma'kai Lounge on Broadway in Santa Monica; O-Bar on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood; Dominick's on Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood; Pacifico's on Culver Blvd. in Culver City.

Edited May 12, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · May 19, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- May 18, 2005

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The butchers are back / by Charles Perry

In a city that's hungry for premium cuts, old-fashioned, full-service meat counters are ready to take your order. Butchers may be a dying breed, but there are signs of their return with quality meats and customized service: At least 15 independent full-service meat cutters in the area sell prime beef.

Includes two side articles: Fact sheet: What a butcher does; and Prime spots for old-fashioned cutting

Eats shoots, leaves / by Russ Parsons

Russ Parsons reminisces about his daughter's guinea pig and those green carrot tops that were chopped up for little Dovey. Then, a thought occurred: What if I combined one common vegetable's little-used top with another common vegetable's little-used bottom? Some lovely results. And to think I might once have wasted them on the guinea pig.

Includes three recipes: Beet green ravioli with sage butter; Crisp-skinned salmon with pea shoots and mushrooms; Celery root salad with carrot top vinaigrette

Under lemon verbena's spell / by Donna Deane

The herb's captivating scent is just the beginning of a heady summer romance.Lemon verbena, mingling floral and fruit flavors, has an intoxicating aroma and tends to be more of an infusing herb instead of a finishing herb.

Includes three recipes: Poached fruit in lemon verbena syrup; Verbena Royale; Lemon verbena ice cream

Rhône kicks up its heels / by Patrick J. Comiskey

It's safe to say that the Hospice du Rhône is the only major wine festival in the world that kicks off with a bowling tournament. And the bowling — between glasses of Côte Rôtie, Pic St. Loup and Aussie old-vine Grenache, or local Syrahs and Grenache rosés (or bottles of Corona and the occasional shots of Hornitos) — is extremely competitive. Participating wineries routinely bring in hotshot bowlers to work harvest just so they can gain an upper hand at the tournament the following spring. The bowling trophy is as coveted as it is garish (the winning team gets to add its own touches to the existing pastiche); two years ago it was kidnapped and retooled with beer-top pasties on its bowling-pin bust line. The culprits were never found, but certain French producers not known for their bowling skills are the prime suspects.

Psst, want Chiu Chow? / by Linda Burum

Seafood Village in Monterey Park, as well as the new branches in Temple City & Rowland Heights, has people waiting for a table even before 6 p.m. A trend over in Hong Kong, Chiu Chow (Chaozhou) cooking is filled with exquisitely light yet assertively flavored dishes and is punctuated with the occasional peppery punch.

Crème de la maple crème / by Barbara Hansen

On a recent visit to A.O.C., Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila was impressed with this "incredible dessert" that she describes as being "like a very rich flan flavored with maple syrup." The accompanying pecans are candied with maple syrup too, making pastry chef Roxana Jullapat's creation even more irresistible.

Guest of honor: osso buco / by David Shaw

What do you think the odds are that my wife, Lucy, and I would attend three dinner parties given by three different hosts — none of whom knew us or each other — in three different parts of the Los Angeles basin, over a period of more than four months, and every host would serve the same main course: osso buco? This was the result of Shaw's column on dinner parties and the 30 e-mail invitations he & his wife received.

Includes a recipe for: Osso buco alla Milanese

Still warming to its Italian roots / by Emily Green

Palmeri in Brentwood is given a 1* rating. Ottavio Palmeri's Silician restaurant can go ever way right now. If only Mr. Palmeri could see that far and away his best dishes were the humblest: the pizza, the pasta.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Mas de Guiot Grenache-Syrah: Languedoc (Pays du Gard); about $8; dry and peppery; goes with barbecue, barbecue, barbecue. And it has enough of the garrigue in it, that landscape of wild sun-baked herbs, that it tastes as if it comes from somewhere.

Letters

The great pizza search persists

More than 220 readers wrote in after David Shaw's Matters of Taste column ran last week ("Still Looking for Love in L.A.," May 11), almost all of them agreeing about the absence of great pizza in Los Angeles, though many offered the names of favorite pizza parlors.

Birth of frankies

The origin of the lamb frankie is a bit different than suggested in your excellent article on Mumbai street foods ["Straight Off the Carts of Bombay," May 11].

This letter was written by eGullet member skchai. Congratulations, skchai!!

Pressure's on

Your artichoke article ["Always a Classic at Heart," May 11] did not mention what I consider the easiest, quickest and best way to cook an artichoke, and that is with a pressure cooker.

For the record

Book title — In last week's section, an article on recent books about food said Michael Ruhlman's book, "The Soul of a Chef," was about his experiences at the Culinary Institute of America. "The Soul of a Chef" profiles three chefs. Ruhlman's book "The Making of a Chef" is about culinary education.

Restaurant name — In David Shaw's Matters of Taste column last week, the Studio City restaurant Caioti Pizza Cafe was misspelled as Caiote.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Super sizing chic / by Leslie Brenner

Critic's notebook on Meson G on Melrose. Tim & Liza Goodell opened Meson G last November in the former Citrus/Alex space on the corner of Melrose and Citrus avenues. Instead of ordering small plates, enter "Big Plates Tuesday," a new promotion presumably intended to bring diners in on a traditionally slow weeknight. Each week, chef Josef Centeno presents a special menu designed for four people to share.

Fries with that pizza? / by Dog Davis

Time to weigh in on Domino's new top-heavy pizza-cheeseburger combo.

Family feasts / by Charles Perry

Just what a growing family needs: big platters to share.

Includes five restaurants: Papa Cristo's on W. Pico Blvd. (Thurs. nights); Sisley Italian Kitchen on W. Pico Blvd., other locations in Sherman Oaks, Valencia and Thousand Oaks; Centro Basco on Central Ave. in Chino; Campanile on S. La Brea Ave. (Mon. nights); Lucille's Smokehouse on Carson Blvd. in Long Beach, with branches in Brea, Torrance, Belmont Shore and Rancho Cucamonga.

rjwong · May 26, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- May 25, 2005

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Tasty little pick-ups / by Regina Schrambling

Don't be fooled by their diminutive size. This is sophisticated, adventurous food that looks playful and ready for a party -- just grab a bite. Hors d'oeuvres nowadays are becoming more ambitious and complex. And they seem to require three hands to balance these morsels and the fork and the drink and the plate. Rather cumbersome, ehh? The very best party food should need no utensil, not even a toothpick. Especially in summertime, the eating should be easy.

Includes five recipes: Asparagus tempura; Oven-fried chipotle meatballs; Brandade in shiitakes; Blue corn blini with crab and mango; Duck summer rolls

Attack of the killer cupcake / by Betty Baboujon

With squealing fans, ga-ga blogs and even its own tote, the pastry has L.A. in its grip. Cupcakes are all the rage in L.A. They're even offered on restaurant dessert menus. Go figure. It's just a cupcake, right?

Includes the recipe, Mini espresso cupcakes with chocolate ganache and espresso buttercream (from Ledette Gambini of Leda's Bake Shop in Sherman Oaks)

The mojito gets a groove on / by Susan LaTempa

With summer on the way, the city's best bartenders are blissed-out over the fresh fruits and herbs raining down from farmers markets. Mixologists are muddling blackberries, candying kumquats and macerating handfuls of mint leaves — and they seem to be having a blast.

Includes five recipes: Geisha's kiss (from Geisha House); Tropical caipirinha (from Fogo de Chão); Muddled blackberry mojito (from Matthew Jeronimo at Hungry Cat); Cucumber cooler (from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Ciudad); Candied kumquat mojito (from Peter Birmingham at Norman's)

A tantalizing tour / by Laurie Winer

Visit Paris' gourmet shops, one delicious page after another. Magazine photographer Christian Sarramon makes this all possible in his book, Gourmet Shops of Paris: an epicurean tour, published by Flammarion for $40.

A composed sandwich / by Barbara Hansen

Times Test Kitchen Director Donna Deane discovered this terrific vegetable sandwich at Zinc Café & Market in Laguna Beach.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong / by Leslie Brenner

Looking for your waiter? Just ring. At Ogamdo, a new Chinese-Korean restaurant on La Brea, diners can press a doorbell-type buzzer on the table to summon a waiter.

New path for Kiwi trailblazers / by David Shaw

The brothers who introduced Sauvignon Blanc to New Zealand 30 years ago have a new vision. Without the support of their winemaking father, Bill & Ross Spence started making their own Matua Valley Winery Sauvignon Blanc back in 1974. It wasn't because of those typical father-son arguments or politics or extreme lifestyles. It was ... just radically different winemaking philosophies -- and a bit of old-fashioned stubbornness and adherence to tradition on the part of dear old dad.

For fun that spares no expense / by Emily Green

The two Palms restaurants in downtown LA and West Hollywood are given a ½* rating. Exceptional service and a clubby feel make for a good time at the two Palms. A great martini doesn't hurt either.Despite the excellent service, the best part of the meal was the bread. On some very basic level the place knew how to push our party buttons.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Romano Clelia Fiano di Avellino “Colli di Lapio”: Campania, Italy; about $25; aromatic and minerally; goes with raw chilled seafood, grilled shrimp. Give it a few years and a great Fiano di Avellino will soften into voluptuousness.

Letters

Chewing over butcher piece Charles Perry's article on full-service butchers ("The Butchers Are Back," May 18) prompted several readers in L.A. and Orange counties to write in and say how glad they were to have one in their neighborhood. But one reader had a different take.

Raves, Food faves I read with interest the California Cook article ["Eats Shoots, Leaves," by Russ Parsons, May 18]. I am impressed with the stroke of food genius that hit Russ Parsons in the grocery line. It is clear why he is on the Food section staff. I do enjoy his articles.

For the record

Butcher — The phone number for Taylor's Ol' Fashion Meats, mentioned in an article about butcher shops in last week's Food section, was incorrect. The number given was for Howie's Ranch Market, in which Taylor's is located. The correct number is (626) 355-8267. Also, the article stated that Taylor's carries choice and prime beef. It carries only prime beef.

Vineyard — An article about a wine festival in Paso Robles in last week's section said that John Alban finished planting his vineyard in 1989. The correct year is 1986.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

On the right side of the bed / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Dusty's in Silver Lake. Owner Maria Miller serves breakfast & lunch with a French Canadian twist, including poutine, billed as Quebec's favorite snack.

The cafe craze / by Charles Perry

For a good time, get raffish.

Includes five restaurants: Millie's on Sunset in Silver Lake; The Kitchen on Fountain Ave.; Luna Park on S. La Brea Ave.; Rutt's Hawaiian Café on Washington Blvd. in Culver City; Amuse Café on Main St. in Venice.

rjwong · June 2, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- June 1, 2005

SPECIAL SECTION: SAVORING SONOMA

A golden moment

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A passion for endless flavor / by Russ Parsons

Enter into Paula Wolfert's world. She and her husband moved to California nine years ago and bought a place in Sonoma six years ago. Her life is more than just collecting recipes and writing cookbooks. It's about cooking and sharing. ”This is the kind of food thtat restaurants don't take the time to do anymore. This is something special I can do for my friends, and at the same time, I feel like I'm helping to keeping this food alive. This is what I do.”

Includes four recipes: Herb jam with olives and lemon; Ramps, asparagus and ham; Madeleines from Dax; Stew of quick duck confit and fresh fava beans

There is a discussion thread about this article: Paula Wolfert "A Passion for Endless Flavor"

At last, the scene blossoms / by S. Irene Virbila

Elegant tasting menus, hand-thrown pizzas, oysters al fresco: Sonoma's restaurants have arrived. Despite producing lamb, chickens, eggs, cheeses, heirloom vegetables and the like, Sonoma County has never had a restaurant with the high-profile of the French Laundry, say, or even Mustards Grill in Napa Valley. However, restaurants like Cyrus, Will's Seafood & Raw Bar, and Zazu, may change all that.

With greatness in its sights / by Rod Smith

Three areas of Sonoma County have emerged as the New World capital of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With its diverse terrains and climates unlike its neighboring Napa County, Sonoma County's American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) each have its distinct character: the Russian River Valley, the Green Valley AVA, and the Sonoma Coast AVA.

Going her own way / by Corie Brown

Marimar Torres comes from a legendary Old World wine family, but her focus is firmly on the future. Daughter of the legendary vintner Don Miguel Torres, Marimar will make what changes are needed to her Marimar Estate in Sonoma's Russian River region to produce one Chardonnay and one Pinot Noir. She's tired of being ignored by wine critics. Since her 1990 vintage, for which powerful wine critic Robert Parker gave her Chardonnay 88 points, he hasn't written a word about Torres' wines.

Country-French finds a cozy home in Beverly Hills / by Charles Perry

Café Marly, serving old-fashioned favorites in a quirky room, invites you to linger. Café Marly on Little Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills is quite retro with its everyday French menu. The service is also a throwback to another era and reminds visitors why people used to describe French restaurants as "charming."

Everything comes together deliciously / by Barbara Hansen

Welcome to the good life in Sonoma, where good food meats good wine meal after meal, as we found on recent visits.

Includes two recipes: Braised rabbit pappardelle with spring vegetable from the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma; Gambas cozidas (poached shrimp with spicy tomato and garlic sauce) from LaSelette Restaurant in Sonoma

Where the Burgundy varieties reign / by Leslie Brenner

The Los Angeles Times tasting panel met recently for a blind tasting of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from three of Sonoma County's 13 AVAs -- Russian River Valley, Green Valley and Sonoma Coast. The panel was more impressed with the Chardonnays (2001-2003 vintages) than with the Pinot Noirs (1999-2003 vintages). And who won in each category? 2002 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Chardonnay and 2002 Lynmar Quail Cuvée Pinot Noir.

Superb finds close to the vine / S. Irene Virbila

Instead of flying to Oakland or San Francisco, Irene Virbila and her husband decided to drive to their four-day stay in Sonoma. Hey, with no weight limits, the mind boggles at how much wine and other goodies you can fit into the car. Along the way, we acquired some wine, true, and a stash of books.

It'll leave you purring / by S. Irene Virbila

Hungry Cat on Vine in Hollywood is given a 2½* rating. Chef-owner David Lentz and his wife, Suzanne Goin of Lucques and A.O.C., have opened up an East Coast seafood cafe in Hollywood with a closing time of 1 a.m. most nights. The beauty of Hungry Cat compared with more ambitious seafood restaurants is a tightly edited menu — fewer choices, but almost all of them good enough to make you feel like you've won the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Carlisle Russian River Valley Zinfandel “Fava Ranch”: Sonoma; about $29; power with finesse; goes with big rich steaks on the grill, daube cooked in a Zin or Rhône, suckling pig. At 15.9% alcohol, it's that rare wine with both power and finesse.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A flash of Alto Palato's tenor / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Spark Woodfire Grill on W. Pico Blvd. Danilo Terribili, who worked with Mauro Vincenti at Rex, is back where he had his first job in L.A., now as owner of this Cal-Mediterranean concept (with Bill Chait, who founded the Louise's Trattorias).

Rustic retreats / by Charles Perry

Elegance only takes you so far. Sometimes you need the rough, earthy flavors that emerge only from a wood-fired oven.

Includes five restaurants: Amalfi Ristorante on N. La Brea Ave.; Angelini Osteria on Beverly Blvd.; Spago on N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills; Zucca Ristorante on S. Figueroa St. in downtown Los Angeles; Palmeri on San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood.

rjwong · June 9, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- June 8, 2005

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A Swedish summer / by Betty Baboujon

Part-African American and part-Swedish, professional caterer Helene Henderson fitted right in at the dinner table in her hometown of Luleå, Sweden. At her Hancock Park home with some neighbors and friends in the movie industry, she throws a Swedish & Californian midsummer-style feast. Helene includes Swedish dishes that don't rely on frozen or pickled vegetables. "No meatballs," interjects Henderson. "This is my Sweden."

Includes four recipes: Crayfish feast (Kräftor); Red beet latkes with crème fraîche and chives (Rödbetsbiffar); Dandelion greens salad with gooseberries and cilantro vinaigrette (Maskrossallad); Rhubarb crisp (Rababerpaj)

It's fire and ice in one shot / by Patrick J. Comiskey

In Scandinavia no Midsummer Day celebration would be complete without a plentiful supply of aquavit.

Includes side article, Scandinavia's spirit in L.A.

A flair for dinner and a movie / by Barbara Hansen

Ismail Merchant was as dynamic a cook as he was a producer. And he loved to bring people together. Movie producer Ismail Merchant of Merchant & Ivory fame passed away two weeks ago at 68. In this appreciation, Hansen memorializes the Bombay-born Merchant with his culinary flair and improvisation (“Italo-Indian” cuisine). These recipes were not published in either of his two cookbooks, or in later books on filming in Paris and Florence ... inspirations of the moment, served to appreciative friends and then left on the cutting room floor, so to speak, ...

Includes three recipes: Shrimp with broccoli; Cochin pineapple-clove dessert; Location masoor dal

All hail the new upper crust / by Regina Schrambling

Dedicated bread cafes, fabulous $14 bread baskets: New Yorkers sure love those loaves. And new bakeries are popping up, like Amy's Bread, Balthazar, Blue Ribbon Bakery Market, Bouley Bakery & Market, and Sullivan Street Bakery. Amy Scherber of Amy's Bread says that the demand is for top products. ”Everything is high end.”

Includes one recipe: Flaxseed bread

Delightful dishes with a mission / by Barbara Hansen

Homegirl Café takes a light hand with Mexican favorites -- and lends a hand to at-risk women. This new Mexican restaurant is located in East Los Angeles, across from Mariachi Plaza, and is part of a nonprofit organization named Homeboy Industries, which helps youths formerly in gangs remake their lives.

Carving up the scenery / by S. Irene Virbila

Fogo de Chão in Beverly Hills is given a 1½* rating. This Brazilian concept started in 1979 in Porto Alegre by four former waiters. Now, there are branches in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and 3 in Brazil. Fogo de Chão is, hands down, the best of the churrascaria genre I've ever encountered, short of the real thing — beef grilled over wood out in the countryside.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2000 Domaines Bunan “Moulin des Costes” Bandol Rouge: Provence: about $25; Full-bodied and lush; goes with grilled leg of lamb or chops, daube. Bandol shows its stuff with big, bold flavors ...

For the record

Nutritional analysis — The nutritional analysis for a recipe for cucumber cooler in the May 25 section was incorrect. The correct breakdown is, per serving: 71 calories; 0 protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 1 mg. sodium.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Decked out in high-end hectic / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on THEBlvd at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The hotel recently revamped the lobby lounge that's bringing in a whole new crowd. The young chef de cuisine, Scott Thomas Dolbee, has made a valiant effort to come up with a menu that's updated and fun.

Is Paris' burger as mouthwatering? / by Dog Davis

Partying heiress aside, how does the Spicy BBQ Six-Dollar Burger really rate?

Put it on the tab / by Charles Perry

Not all hotel restaurants are just glorified room service.

Includes five restaurants: The Tower Bar at the Argyle Hotel on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood; Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica on Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica; Diaghilev at the Wyndham Bel Age on N. San Vicente Blvd. in West Hollywood; Chateau Marmont Restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood; Noe at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza on S. Olive St. in downtown Los Angeles.

rjwong · June 16, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- June 15, 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 require an additional fee.

Fabulous fizz / by Regina Schrambling

Malty or hoppy, fruity or spicy, beer brings effervescent flavor to summer dishes. Cooking with beer, arguably, rivals wine as an ingredient for all seasons. The old “one for me, one for the recipe” is a foolproof formula -- of course you have to sample to decide which might be the right beer for every dish.

Includes four recipes: Beer- and lime-marinated chicken; Chilled tomato-beer soup; Beer-braised summer vegetables; Jalapeño biscuits

Roast 'em if you've got 'em / by Betty Baboujon

A little heat brings out the intense almondy sweetness of cherries. Baboujon recalls her trip through the French countryside, as she was eating in-season cherries with abandon. Content to devouring them fresh from the farmers' market back in L.A., she then tasted something brilliant at AOC -- roasted cherries.

Includes three recipes: Duck breasts with pan-roasted cherries; Gâteau basque with roasted cherries; Bing cherries, Serrano ham and grilled chicory

Quaffology 101: How to really appreciate a beer / by Charles Perry and Sang Yoon

You really don't want to guzzle it ice cold. As in Champagne, bubbles and glasses make a difference. Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, popping the top and pouring it down the hatch is NOT drinking beer. So begins this step-by-step primer to not only drinking beer, but also enjoying the flavor. The primer includes sections titled: “Give it some air”, “Beware of skunks” and “Now drink.”

Includes the side article, Assessing a beer: sniff, swirl and sip

Boohoo, and pass me that éclair / by Gina Piccalo

They cry and eat while millions watch and click. This wacky, weeping site is an Internet phenomenon. Casimir Nozkowski and his high school friend Dan Engber created the Crying While Eating website to compete in the Contagious Media Showdown contest sponsored by the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center. The site didn't win the $2,000 grand prize, but won Internet popularity, among other things.

There is a discussion thread about this website: cryingwhileeating.com, most ridiculous website ever

Porto's just keeps them coming / by Linda Burum

The popular bakery has expanded, opening a café. The sandwiches are worth the wait. After more than 25 years, Porto's, a Cuban bakery in Glendale, has entered into the restaurant business with items like pan con lechón (roast pork sandwich), papas rellenas, and torta de pollo.

A breakout hangout / by S. Irene Virbila

Literati II in West L.A. is given a 2½* rating. Chris Kidder, former chef de cuisine of Campanile, & pastry chef Kimberly Sklar have created a modern, original place with Kidder's firm belief in farmers' market. A restaurant with good food that's priced more to be a neighborhood hangout than a special occasion kind of place? This is the future of dining in L.A. and it can't come too quickly.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf- du-Pape: Southern Rhône; about $28; lush and concentrated; goes with roasted squab or duck, grilled meats, leg of lamb, daubes. It has everything going for it — deep ruby color, a scent of ripe dark cherries, espresso and pepper that leaps out of the glass.

LETTERS

Where's L.A.'s great bread? Why do you run stories about bread stores in New York ["All Hail the New Upper Crust," June 8] that we can't go to? Run stories about bread stores in L.A. that we can go to. Big tease.

A fast fan of Homegirl Café I read this article [Delightful Dishes With a Mission," June 8] at 6 this morning, and by 10 a.m. a friend and I were enjoying some of the best food we've ever had. "Angela's green potion" tastes like a summer morning. Parking wasn't a problem, ...

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A big fat taste of Greece / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Papa Cristo's Greek Restaurant on W. Pico Blvd. On Thursday nights, the "My Big Fat Greek Family-Style Dinner" serves dishes on long communal tables. "Pace yourself," the manager warns, "there's a lot of food." He's not exaggerating. For $18.95 per person, you get dinner, dessert and coffee, and ... uhh ... entertainment.

Grecian formulas / by Charles Perry

What's Greek? A plate of moussaka, a phalanx of dancing waiters, grandiose roast lamb dishes? All these things.

Includes five restaurants: Malvasia Mediterranean Taverna in Long Beach; Papadakis Taverna in San Pedro; Mama Voula's on Santa Monica Blvd.; Christakis on Newport Ave. in Tustin; Sofi Greek Restaurant & Garden on W. 3rd St.

rjwong · June 20, 2005

Los Angeles Times Magazine -- June 19, 2005

SPECIAL RESTAURANT ISSUE: LOTUS LAND

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Itadakimasu! / by S. Irene Virbila

Sushi is sooo last century. The new wave of Japanese cuisine raises tofu, tempura and ramen to the celestial heavens. Itadakimasu. That's Japanese for Bon appétit. Just when you think the Japanese restaurant scene is on its last leg, Japanese chefs have created new and exciting ideas. The Franco Japanese restaurants that dominated the scene a decade ago have given way to casual, hip cafés that turn out worldly Japanese food.

Eat here now

The latest and greatest L.A. restaurants don't fit into one category — unless you count eagerly anticipated. Ten restaurants that have opened (or about to open) are highlighted. So many obstacles have delayed these openings, be it permits or partner problems or design issues or plain old money. This year is definitely not the year of the copycat. These are true originals, inspired and inspiring. Let's eat.

Twists on tradition

Formerly obscure ingredients, amped-up traditional dishes and design-conscious cooking tools inspire L.A.'s new Asian style.

Includes six items: India's best dough (Annapurna Cuisine in Culver City, & Annapurna Express in Artesia); The matcha mystique (Rafu Bussan on E. 2nd St.); Berry healthful (Kinara on N. Robertson Blvd.); The jaded chopstick (An Family Collection chopsticks, $142 per pair, at anfamily.com or at Crustacean in Beverly Hills); Unrestrained art (Tortoise in Venice); Little Saigon's other noodle dish (An Cuu Hue in Garden Grove)

[800 Words]: Cooks on Fire / by Dan Neil

Neil worked for one summer in a pretty awful job as a coal monkey in a mine in Wyoming. That was paradise compared to being a short-order cook.

There's no place like om / by Andrew John Ignatius Vontz

Hey, you! The shaved head chanting guy in the saffron robes! How about a couple beers over here? The LA nightclub scene is looking to the Far East for its inspiration. Shiva statues, carvings of Buddhist monks, rice paper wall panels, sushi, and sake sommeliers are just some of the features that can be found at these night spots.

A revolutionary chef / by Russ Parsons

With quiet grace and a wide range of fresh, inventive dishes, chef Chen Chen Liang of New Concept is changing the face of Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles. Russ Parsons notices a revolution going on in the Chinese restaurant world. While Chinese chefs are traditionally viewed as nameless, faceless workers, chef Chen Chen Liang's name appears on the New Concept restaurant menu. By placing Chen front-and-center, New Concept is positioning him to become the first Chinese star chef in the United States.

The 2005 Dining Guide

From The Times' critics, a survey of more than 250 Southern California restaurants. For those restaurants that were reviewed and received a star rating in The Times, we have included that rating and the review date here. The rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality .... Keep in mind, though, that many restaurants have no star rating--not because they were rated "no star" but because they were not reviewed under the star system. The restaurants are categorized geographically and then listed alphabetically: Beverly Hills; Brentwood/Bel-Air; Century City; Culver City; Downtown; East and South Los Angeles; Glendale/Eagle Rock/Highland Park; Hollywood; Huntington Park/Bell/Downey; Koreatown; La Cienega/Fairfax/La Brea; Los Feliz/Silverlake/Echo Park; Malibu; Marina Del Rey/Playa Del Rey; Pasadena; San Fernando Valley; San Gabriel Valley; Santa Monica; South Bay; Venice; West Hollywood; West Los Angeles; Westwood; Orange County; Santa Clarita/Ventura.

rjwong · June 23, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- June 22, 2005

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The true believers / by Corie Brown

A new generation of Napa vintners pursues the holy grail of cult Cabernets.

And with a recent Supreme Court decision, these highly sought-after Napa Valley boutique wines will be even harder to find. A 2001 Screaming Eagle fetches $2,900 .... Only the extremely wealthy can afford these wines, and many collectors never pop the cork, preferring the bragging rights of owning to drinking.

Includes the side article, So you want to make a cult wine ...

A rare wine tasting / by S. Irene Virbila

Our panel uncorked Napa Valley's most sought-after cult Cabs. Tough job, but someone had to do it .... This was an exercise not in ranking the wines, like Parker or Tanzer, but in trying to understand — for readers who may never have the chance to pop the cork on one of these fabled bottles — what these wines are.

Includes a side article, California's legendary Cabernets, uncorked

Too little? Too much? Enough! / by Leslie Brenner

Brenner tries to figure out the whole “small-plates” craze. Is this “small plate” for sharing? Is this “small plate” a big plate? The small-plates trend, it seems, has gone haywire.

The mixer, all revved up / by Judy Yao

In the home baker's kitchen, the stand mixer is the undisputed workhorse, whipping egg whites to perfect peaks, kneading bread effortlessly and turning out cookie dough in a pinch. The latest group of stand mixers has plenty of horsepower that will make home bakers very happy.

Includes a recipe for Savory hearth bread, plus evaluations of six stand mixers. And the winner? The 7-quart DeLonghi DSM7.

Hey, are you the wine guy? / by Leslee Komaiko

These days, the restaurant sommelier is distinguished in a method purely discreet. Instead of the tastevin, most are wearing uniquely-designed jacket lapels.

Casual but composed / by Barbara Hansen

At the Hungry Cat in Hollywood, beets, fennel and an herb salad are tossed separately in a citrus vinaigrette, then layered on plates with ricotta salata, a dense, salty Sicilian cheese.

Now here's a real fish / by Russ Parsons

Rich and wild, mackerel is the unsung star of the sea -- flavorful and great on the grill. Russ Parsons extols the virtues of mackerel, this fatty fish with very moist flesh. Shopping for them can be confusing, because mackerel is not just a single fish but an entire family. It's best to learn their Japanese names -- aji, saba, sanma, and sawara.

Includes three recipes: Mackerel pickled in white wine; Baked mackerel in charmoula; Mackerel baked with bay and lemon

Toned down and looking up / by S. Irene Virbila

Parkway Grill in Pasadena is given a 1* rating. Recently, though, a new chef, David Tarrin, who has worked with Roy Yamaguchi at Roy's, has been given a mandate: Update the food. And while Tarrin hasn't exactly caused a revolution, he's refocused the menu and is cooking in a less rococo California style.

WINE OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2001 Sori' Paitin Barbaresco: Piedmont; $36; classic; goes with beef braised in Barbaresco, roasted pork loin, leg of lamb or duck; grilled lamb chops or duck breast. Delicious now, it can only get better if you give it time to grow into itself.

For the record

Cryingwhileeating.com's inception — An article in last Wednesday's Food section incorrectly stated that the creators of the website cryingwhileeating.com attended a "mass hoax" seminar at the New York-based Eyebeam Art and Technology Center. The site's co-creator Dan Engber had attended the center's Contagious Media event, which included the mass hoax workshop, but Engber did not attend that particular session. The article also suggested that the site's creators came up with the cryingwhileeating.com concept after seeing a website called oldmencrying.com as well as online references to an early 20th century vaudeville act. However, the creators said they had already come up with the concept before seeing these on the Internet.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Like truffles on your fries? / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Dakota at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Tim & Liza Goodell's newest restaurant is classic American chophouse, with Jeff Armstrong, who has worked with them at several of their restaurants, as executive chef.

Cool craving / by Leslee Komaiko

With summer (and bikini season) officially here, it's time to lighten up. A chilled seafood cocktail is just what the doctor ordered.

Includes five restaurants: The Lobster in Santa Monica; The Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills; La Serenata Gourmet in W. L.A.; Jar on Beverly Blvd.; Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood.

rjwong · June 30, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- June 29, 2005

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Finally, the tri-tip of his dreams / by Russ Parsons

Santa Maria barbecue has always been great; here's how to make it even better, right in your own backyard. One of California's culinary heritage, Santa Maria barbecue can be found all along the Central Coast. Cooking the meat so it has just the right tinge of smoke but still remains moist requires walking a fine line ... Russ Parsons shows us how. Won't you, Russ?

Includes four recipes: Cherry compote; Jicama slaw; Ranch-style beans; Ultimate tri-tip

King of the grills / by John Balzar

In five decades, the Weber kettle has gone from circular oddity to a defining symbol of American culture. It all started back in 1951, when George Stephen transformed a Chicago Harbor buoy into a lidded, grated and vented kettle that changed the world's concept of backyard cooking.

Includes three recipes: Chicken under bricks; Grilled vegetables; Sassy barbecue sauce; and the side article, Master class

What pairs well with eternal fire? / by Patrick J. Comiskey

I haven't been to hell, but I've seen the floor plans, and I have to tell you, Satan's got one heck of a crib. It's said that his deck, perched on a bluff overlooking the Slough of Despond, has a million-dollar view, but what really inspires the sin of envy is his grill setup. With vegetables, fish, chicken, pork, lamb, ribs & brisket, and tri-tip, here are wine-pairing suggestions for the Seven Circles of Grilling, cribbed straight from Lucifer's notebook.

Includes the side article, The descent from fresh and bright to dark and rich

Bring these beauties to the barbecue / by Mary Ellen Rae

Kissed by the flames, peaches, plums and apricots caramelize, deepening in flavor. It is no small wonder that the season for stone fruits pairs up nicely with grilling season.

Includes three recipes: Pork tenderloin with grilled apricot salsa; Grilled peaches with Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise; Grilled Santa Rosa plums with mint sugar

Local sauces that top the taste test / by Charles Perry

Barbecue sauce bubbles over with good old American inventiveness ....

Recently the Food section tasted as many local barbecue sauces as we could get our hands on, a total of 48 — hot ones, sharp ones, sweet ones and a few odd ducks, such as Seasonings' RoBeQue, flavored with root beer .... And we whittled down the list to our top nine.

Cookstuff

Russ Parsons mentions how to get pinquito beans from Rancho Gordo, among other places. Yes, they're both eGullet members ...

Smoke gets in their eyes / by Leslee Komaiko

Dominick's chef Brandon Boudet cooks just about anything over white oak.

Down-home, in downtown L.A. / by Charles Perry

It doesn't look like a barbecue joint, and the menu is a tad odd. But the Spring Street Smoke House knows its stuff. This place is owned by a catering company that's been around for over 30 years. Hickory-smoked BBQ meats with a more vinegary BBQ sauce. Located between LA's Chinatown and Olvera St.

Scoop after exotic scoop / by Barbara Hansen

Although ice cream is the easiest — and one of the tastiest — desserts in the world, it's hard to persuade yourself that you're doing something special for guests when you just scoop out some of what everyone has in the freezer at home. But any of these amazing exotic ice creams, with their seductive, unusual flavors such as orange blossom, sweet corn and smoke, will make a delicious impact. Discovered in Asian, Middle Eastern and Latino markets, they attest to the universal appeal of everybody's favorite frozen confection — and wrap up a barbecue with a bang.

A peculiar mystery by the sea / by S. Irene Virbila

Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica is given a ½* rating.

How do the beautiful people at the new Ivy at the Shore stay so slim? And why do they keep coming back? IPortions were huge, but rather unappetizing and flavorless. The wine list was quite expensive. I'm left wondering why this place is so popular. The food is marginally better at the original Ivy, not that most people really care ... Let's just call it one of L.A.'s unsolved mysteries.

WINES OF THE WEEK / by S. Irene Virbila

2003 Floresta: Empordà-Costa Brava, Spain; about $10; fresh and juicy; goes with just about anything. A blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha (with Tempranillo having a slight edge), this fresh juicy red has a lot of character and complexity for 10 bucks.

2002 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba: Piedmont; $24; bright fruit and acidity; goes with baby back ribs, grilled chops and sausages. Ruby in color and extravagantly scented with blackberries, it has a firm structure along with beautiful fruit and acidity that sings.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A providential patina / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Chef Michael Cimarusti's new restaurant

Providence. Cimarusti and partner Donato Poto, former manager of Bastide, have finally opened at the former Patina site after much anticipation. The atmosphere is relaxed and ... fun. Now is the time to snag a reservation. The word is out, and on the night I went I spotted a chef or two checking out the competition.

A Slurpee and a wrap, to go please / by Dog Davis

Is 7-Eleven poised to become the new lunch hot spot?

Fish is a favorite / by Leslee Komaiko

This is a good town for fish lovers. We are blessed with many fish specialists, in a wide price range.

Includes five restaurants: Fish Grill in Sherman Oaks; La Serenata de Garibaldi in Boyle Heights; I Cugini in Santa Monica; Delmonico's Seafood Grille on W. Pico Blvd.; McCormick & Schmick's on W. 5th St. in downtown LA.

rjwong · July 8, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- July 6, 2005

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Ceviche, all jazzed up / by Susan LaTempa and Barbara Hansen

Chefs are wowing diners with global riffs on the dish. Improvisation couldn't be easier. Combine seafood, citrus, and/or vegetables and you get ... ceviche. And it's not only found in Latin American restaurants anymore; it's gone global. When Suzanne Goin of Lucques makes ceviche, she'll admit, “I'm definitiely not a fusion person, but you're not so boxed in.”

Includes three recipes: Mixed seafood ceviche; Mediterranean ceviche; Albacore ceviche salad

Where mulberries reign / by Corie Brown

A visit to an orchard of Persian mulberry trees is pure pleasure for one devoted fan of the hard to find fruit. When the mulberry season arrives in July and August, the demand is huge, especially at $10 per half a pound. Persian mulberries are explosively sweet, ... packing more pure flavor than a mouthful of ripe raspberries, blueberries and blackberries combined.

Includes two recipes: Mulberry and fig tart; Apricot and mulberry crisp

A rich twist on a family favorite / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: We frequently enjoy the food at Joan's on Third. My 7-year-old son especially loves the macaroni and cheese, as do I. Could you convince them to share the recipe?

Raise a glass to lunch / by Patrick J. Comiskey

Here is a fact that is so clear-cut and so obvious that it must simply be said: Any good lunch is made better with wine. I'm not talking about lunch with Carl Jr. or the Colonel or the King, and I'm not talking about a tub of yogurt and a Ziploc crammed with celery sticks, or anything that comes from a machine, or for that matter a lunch in any place that doesn't have wine or serve it. But I am talking about any civilized occasion, whether at home or at a restaurant, where lunch is something more than an act of snarfing. For any lunch that's lingered over, any lunch where food and conversation are spilling over the table, the meal's not complete without wine.

Includes the side article, “Fresh and friendly”

The flop, the fold, the pho / by Laurie Winer

With terrific menus at bargain prices in the card rooms, local poker fiends are in fat city. Who would have thought that food so vibrant and fresh and carefully prepared in a very extensive menu that includes Asian dishes can be found in the poker card rooms of Southern California? For poker player Jean Gluck, ”Everything's fresh and cooked to order. It's like having my own private chef.”

Includes the side article, ”How to feed your poker face”

Sizzling skewers are just the beginning / by Susan LaTempa

The menu says 'yakitori and other good things,' but that hardly does justice to Nanbankan. Nanbankan is located in West L.A. in an officey-looking building, with a facade that looks like a law firm. It's almost always busy and what draws people to this place is the yakitori, the Japanese tradition of grilling small pieces of meat, poultry and vegetables on skewers.

The power and the story / by Corie Brown

A long-awaited biography tells how Robert Parker became the most influential man in the wine world. Elin McCoy, 30-year veteran wine writer, has written the first full-length biography on Robert Parker, titled ”The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste.” Brown considers the book a little more than a catalog of facts about Parker, a biography lacking insight and a larger context.

For the best berry? Go local. Very local. / by Emily Green

Growing most fruit is best left to farmers. It's a science, and they're better at it. Persian mulberries, also called black mulberries, are an exception to this rule. They are best grown at home, with as short a commute from bough to tongue as possible.

Sandwich with a side of gambling chips / by Charles Perry

As every "Jeopardy" contestant knows, the sandwich was invented during a 24-hour gambling binge, when John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, demanded something he could eat without having to put his cards down. The idea spread like wildfire in 1762.

Now, it's really stylin' / by S. Irene Virbila

Meson G is given a 2½* rating. At Meson G, the kitchen hones its menu to court a growing audience. Virbila reiterates how Meson G is a work in progress, ... but the key word here is progress. Changes of chefs from Eric Greenspan to Josef Centeno, changes from small plates to big plates, and changes to a more simpler, user-friendly menu have resulted in successfully brilliant adjustments to Tim & Liza Goodell's hip and casual restaurant on Melrose Ave.

There is a Meson G discussion thread here.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Château de Valcombe “Tradition,” Costières de Nîmes, France: Rhône Valley; about $8; gnarly and unfiltered; goes with grilled meats, bold flavors. This wine can take every big flavor you throw at it.

LETTERS

Mixers get a stress test

As a relatively serious home bread baker, I read "The Mixer, All Revved Up" (June 22) with interest. Unfortunately, it seems to me that you just didn't get it.

The tri-tip tips were really tops

Thanks to Russ Parsons' tri-tip tips in your June 29 Food section ("Finally, the Tri-Tip of His Dreams"). I was able to relive many of my family's meals around the old Santa Maria barbecue wagon.

For the record

Parkway Grill building — A restaurant review in the June 22 Food section said Parkway Grill in Pasadena was in a Craftsman-style bungalow. Parkway Grill is housed in a 1920s brick building.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Casual, smart Thai / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Chadaka Thai. The owners of Rambutan Thai in Silver Lake have now opened a restaurant in ... “beautiful downtown Burbank.” The place is casual and the food caters more to the health-conscious, more to American than Thai tastes. And it's open until 11:00 p.m.

Thai one on / by Leslee Komaiko

L.A.'s love of Thai food is endless. Need a fix?

Includes five restaurants: Café Talesai on W. Olympic Blvd. in Beverly Hills; Siam Cabin on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks; Noodle Planet on Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village; Saladang on S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena; Chan Dara on W. Pico Blvd. in West L.A.

Edited July 8, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · July 14, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- July 13, 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.

Extravaganza, baby! / by S. Irene Virbila

Vegas' latest wave of luxe restaurants takes opulent dining to a whole new level Critic's notebook on Las Vegas' latest wave of high-end restaurants.

Included in the group are Alain Ducasse's Mix on the 64th floor at Mandalay Bay and the power restaurant line-up at Steve Wynn's eponymous resort: Takashi Yagihashi's Okada; Alex Stratta's Alex; Paul Bartolotta's Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare; Daniel Boulud Brasserie. If you think Vegas has hit the limit, three more chefs are on their way: Guy Savoy at Caesar's; Joel Robuchon and his two restaurants at the MGM Grand; and Mario Batali at the Venetian.

Includes the side article, ”The hottest new tables”

Hello, garbanzo, is that you? / by Barbara Hansen

Fresh and green, they're chickpeas, all right. And what a delight to finally meet them! Fresh garbanzo beans -- not edamame, not favas -- are a nice addition to a summery, light dish. And it doesn't need hours of soaking and boiling.

Includes five recipes: Garbanzo-mushroom masala; Pan-roasted fresh garbanzo beans; Steamed fresh garbanzo beans; Garbanzos rancheros; Tomato, fennel, fresh garbanzo and olive bread salad

There is a discussion thread on fresh garbanzo beans here.

A new shell game / by Donna Deane

Thanks to advances in shellfish aquaculture, high-quality live mollusks are more readily available than ever, year-round. Shellfish from PEI, New Zealand, Maine, Pacific Northwest, and Cape Cod are all available here in L.A. The possibilities are endless ...

Includes three recipes: Shellfish with lemon grass; Mussels, clams and periwinkles in miso broth; Manila clams with chorizo

Summer beer breezes in / by Susan LaTempa

This year's seasonal brews include pale ales, wheat beers and even a sweet Mexican-style beer. Grab a cold one before they're gone.

Includes the side article, “Now ready for quaffing”, a tasting of eight West Coast craft brewery summer-release beers available in the L.A. area. And the winner is: Sierra Nevada Summerfest (about $7-9 per six-pack).

Music to my cauliflower / by Leslie Brenner

Thursday is Bastille Day — or le 14 Juillet, as it's known in France. For me, that's cause to think about French food. The French definitely love their food as much as they love their slang. And their slang is food-related. So, when Brenner bemoans the fact that she & her family won't be going to France this summer, she exclaims, It's tough for me to get it into my zucchini that we don't have enough sorrel to go this year. Our rear ends aren't exactly surrounded by noodles. :blink:

Includes a list of favorite slangs titled, “Don't be a noodle -- send the sauce” (Don't be an idiot -- make an effort)

There is a discussion thread on this article here.

Chefs who really make dishes pop / by Leslee Komaiko

Bastide's Ludovic Lefebvre is among the chefs sneaking soda pop and popcorn into the dining room. Imagine marinating a whole chicken for 48 hours ... in Pepsi ... then braising it?? Or how about some mad science: Lefebvre freezes Nehi with liquid nitrogen to make a creamy topping for a hot chocolate soufflé. :shock:

This oasis of Gallic charm is no mirage / by S. Irene Virbila

The one place on the Strip where I long to eat every time I come to Vegas is Thomas Keller's Bouchon in the Venetian. This grander version of Keller's Yountville-based Bouchon serves perfect French bistro food. Wouldn't it be lovely if this bistro were, say, 270 miles closer?

A Korean side dish with bite / by Barbara Hansen

Food editor Leslie Brenner discovered this fabulous, easy-to-do take on a Korean rice dish at Yu Restaurant & Lounge in Santa Monica. Korean-born, French-trained chef Andrew deGroot loves the spicy, complex flavors of kimchi rice and spent years sampling home-cooked dishes and restaurant versions before coming up with his own.

At the crossroads of elegance / by S. Irene Virbila

The Blvd at the Regent Beverly Wilshire is given a 2* rating. Within the fabled Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Blvd has arrived as a dining destination. The hotel has revamped its casual restaurant with a sophisticated room with its tall wood-clad pillars, Lalique sconces and cozy sofas. Besides the backlighted wall of wine bottles, a half a dozen choices of water from around the world are available. Chef Scott Thomas Dolbee has created a menu that wonderfully suits a casual hotel restaurant. It's a new kitchen and sometimes the execution suffers.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 J. Palacios Pétalos del Bierzo: Bierzo, Spain; about $16; elegant and smooth; goes with the usual: grilled and braised meats, summer barbecues. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, the Pétalos del Bierzo oozes character. This wine is worth twice the price.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

L.A.'s French impressions / by Valli Herman

It's Bastille Day, when everyone can be a Parisian at heart. And in Southern California, you can go Gallic at beaucoup cafes and shops. Despite the estimated 30,000 French natives who populate L.A., there is no central French neighborhood. Instead, the region is dotted with isolated hubs that provide a constant but low-profile Gallic presence.

So, where do the native French in Los Angeles go to dine and shop? The Directory: All things French :wub:

And good for you / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on M Café de Chaya on Melrose. Shigefumi Tachibe, the genie behind Chaya Brasserie and Chaya Venice, has created restaruant and the surprise is that everything's macrobiotic. Macrobiotic never tasted so good. This is very skilled, very clever stuff, light-years away from the leaden breads you had to chew all day to get down ...

Nerdy, not authentic, but totally awesome / by Dog Davis

In a geek's world, Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme is the Napoleon Dynamite of fast food.

Beyond alfalfa sprouts / by Leslee Komaiko

Health food used to mean some sorry combination of seeds and sprouts. Not anymore. Los Angeles chefs and restaurants have raised the bar.

Includes five restaurants: Madeleine Bistro on Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana; Vegan Glory on Beverly Blvd.; The Peninsula Hotel on Santa Monica Blvd. South in Beverly Hills; Real Food Daily on La Cienega Blvd.; Inaka on La Brea Ave.

Edited July 14, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · July 22, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- July 20, 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.

Mini explosion / by Russ Parsons

They may be tiny, but these tomatoes are bursting with flavor. And now they're everywhere. Apparently, bigger is not better when it comes to these miniature tomatoes that are the new rage. They are sweeter than the regular-size tomatoes and last longer after being picked. And yes, they're cute.

Includes three recipes: Grilled sardines with confited tomatoes; Tomato and white bean salad; Petrale sole with tomato butter

Who put the fizz in the Shiraz? / by Leslie Brenner

At a dinner party on the terrace of their hillside Silver Lake home, some friends served a prettily fizzy Moscato d'Asti with dessert, a dreamy strawberry shortcake. The whole evening was effervescent — the table lovely, the company wonderful — and we could hear fireworks going off, where, Dodger Stadium? People this summer are enjoying more bubbling beverages: ... sparkling reds from Lombardy, ... fizzy rosés ... And now, even sake -- yes, sake! -- sparkles.

Includes the side article, ”Favorites, from the Champagne of sakes to the deepest purple sparklers”

Instant intensity / by Regina Schrambling

Please, don't even think of holding the anchovies. Chopped, melted or baked into a tart, they bring serious depth to summer dishes. Anchovies provide that quick flavor that's suited for the hot summer seasson. Used right, there's nothing fishy about them.

Includes three recipes: Piquillo-potato salad with anchovies and eggs; Pissaladière; Bruschetta puttanesca

Garlicky, not gimmicky / by Linda Burum

At Gorikee, the garlic is subtle, the dishes creative and the neighborhood lucky. Chef-owner Atsuhiro Tsuji operates this polished Cal-Mediterranean neighborhood restaurant over in Woodland Hills. Food of this caliber, cooked by the Japanese-born, classically French-trained chef, keeps West Valley residents from driving over the hill to the Westside.

Goodells' adieu to Aubergine / by Corie Brown

Tim & Liza Goodell are selling their signature French restaurant Aubergine in Newport Beach ... Wolfgang Puck's Granita in Malibu will be closing in September ... Pinot Hollywood has closed after 10 years ... Jamie DeRosa is now executive chef at Campanile, working alongside Mark Peel.

Perfect for the picking / by Russ Parsons

Tiny or tremendous, the most satisfying tomatoes come from the garden. Here's some expert advice. But don't expect the experts to all agree on everything from the amount of water to when to water to spacing to fertilizing. So, what can all these tomato growers probably agree on? ... even the worst home-grown tiny tomato beats most anything you can but at the store.

Fresh from the sea and the market / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: My husband and I recently discovered Violet, a little neighborhood restaurant in Santa Monica that is truly outstanding. The dish that really stood out for us was seared scallops with vanilla risotto and baby artichokes. The flavors and textures were perfection.

Water Grill's crucial moment / by S. Irene Virbila

Water Grill under chef David LeFevre in downtown LA is given a 2½* rating. Virbila reviews this downtown seafood restaurant in terms of AC, namely After Cimarusti, as in Michael Cimarusti, LeFevre's predecessor. The new Water Grill is still finding its footing as it makes the transition from the old to the new ... LeFevre has to be left free to find his own voice ...

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2004 Commanderie de Peyrassol Côtes de Provence rosé, France: Provence; about $15; dry and full-flavored; goes with olives, salads, grilled shrimp and chicken. Provence hasn't seen such a terrific vintage for rosés in decades; I can't stop collecting and drinking them.

LETTERS

A Tahitian take on ceviche

While visiting Moorea, Tahiti, for the first time in 1998, I ordered a ceviche-like dish that Tahitians called poisson cru and Maori Cook Islanders referred to as ika mata.

Finally, a toast to lighter wines

Thanks to Patrick Comiskey for his "Raise a Glass to Lunch" [July 6]. I'm so glad to finally see food and wine writers addressing the appropriateness of lower-alcohol wines. I gave up drinking California wines years ago after traveling to Europe and enjoying wines that were wonderfully fresh, light and didn't make you feel like a zombie. What is this fascination California vintners have with making every vintage so "big" it knocks you out? What are they trying to prove?

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Great steak, a few beefs / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Sterling Steakhouse in Hollywood. The owners of White Lotus and Pig 'n Whistle now have this hip steakhouse, with ... plenty of prime aged beef and attitude-free service from smart waitresses in flirty black dresses.

Chopping spree / by Leslee Komaiko

It has always mystified us that the simple act of chopping ingredients transforms a salad from ho hum to yum yum — but we're believers. Long live the chopped salad!

Includes five restaurants: Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills; Border Grill in Santa Monica; Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena; Jar on Beverly Blvd.; La Scala in Beverly Hills.

Edited July 22, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · July 28, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- July 27, 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 zing thing / by Regina Schrambling

A splash of vinegar can heighten flavor, balance richness or add a new dimension to a dish. Knowing how to use it is the mark of a great cook.

Includes three recipes: Balsamic-glazed scallops; Pickled red onion; Haricots verts in red wine vinegar cream; and the side article, “ The vinegar variations”

Walk on the mild side / by Ana Ortiz Longo

The thin-skinned Japanese peppers called shishitos are barely spicy, slightly sweet and wholly addictive.

Includes three recipes: Corn blini with shishito and Green Zebra tomato salsa; Tortilla Española with shishitos; Shishito pepper tempura

It's all in the delivery / by Valli Herman

When the rich and famous want to go organic, get in the Zone or visit South Beach at dinnertime, they can count on their personal chefs to bring together a strict diet and fine dining on one plate. For the rest of us, there's a growing number of meal delivery services that promise to keep us (and our hips) on the straight and narrow.

Includes two recipes: Miso-glazed black cod; French lentils and feta; and the side article, ”At your door, at your service”

Yang Chow slippery shrimp / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: I am a second-year college student at the University of Arizona, and I miss the fabulous taste of slippery shrimp served at Yang Chow restaurant in Pasadena. Whenever I get a chance to come home, I call my mom and ask if that can be our first meal. If you would try to locate the recipe so that we can make a modest effort in satisfying our shrimp fix, we would be ecstatic.

Lights out, let's eat / by Cindy Dorn

Opaque-Dining in the Dark puts on a shadowy event: diners enjoy dinner in a totally dark room, served by a blind wait staff.

There is a discussion thread on this article here.

For every kitchen, a rice cooker / by Judy Yao

If you know how to boil water, you can cook rice. That's the theory, at least. You still have to watch over it, adjusting the heat and turning it off in time to make sure the pot doesn't boil over or burn. Several models of rice cookers, from a $30 Oster to a $260 Zojirushi, were tested and the results are here.

A match made in Yerevan / by Charles Perry

An Armenian brandy and the perfect almond kataif -- you'd think you were in the Caucasus. With a large Armenian community in Southern California, at least two dozen versions are available, from 3-year-olds at about $9 to rarities more than 30 years old in the $90 price range.

Best for brandy / by Susan LaTempa

In the French town of Cognac, where brandy is king, the last vessel connoisseurs would deign to raise to their lips is a snifter — the large surface area volatizes the alcohol too much, and that's pretty much all you smell. Cognac and other fine brandies are more properly sipped from small glasses with rounded bowls and slightly narrowed "chimneys" that focus the aromas.

Turn for the better / by Betty Baboujon

This hand-painted ceramic dish helps with the trickiest part of making the Spanish tortilla: the flip at the end. When the bottom of the tortilla has set, hold the dish by the pedestal, cover the tortilla in the skillet and invert it onto the dish. Then, slip it back into the pan to finish. And though it's marked "for turning the tortilla," it's also for serving it. The dish is handmade in Puente de Arzobispo, in central Spain, and designs vary from dish to dish.

A stylish new kid on the block / by S. Irene Virbila

Opus Bar & Grill is given a 2* rating. With a sharp look and smart menu, chef Sara Levine's California bar and grill is a pillar of the neighborhood. Owner John Chung, with executive chef Sara Levine & consulting chef Mark Dao, has put together a menu that's half steakhouse, half California cuisine, and an eclectic wine list that's reasonably affordable. Opus isn't very known yet, but that's going to change. And quite soon.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2001 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva: Rioja, Spain; $20; classic and elegant; goes with just about everything, but clearly grilled lamb and pork, steaks, summer feasts. ... silky and robust, with a big generous bouquet of cherries and raspberries, tar and toast.

For the record

Wine of the Week— The Wine of the Week feature in the Food section last week said that the Commanderie de Peyrassol domaine takes its names from the Knights Templar who owned the property until the French Revolution. The Knights Templar owned the property until the early 1300s, when it was seized by the king of France. The Knights of Malta then controlled the property until the French Revolution when it was taken over by the state.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Cozy cousin to the chic / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Taste in West Hollywood. Executive chef Cathy Halter has created a menu with prices that are quite affordable for its location. Taste has something to offer: a cozy vibe and a patio that is pure gold.

The patio / by Leslee Komaiko

It's the season for dining outdoors. A spot on the patio, please.

Includes five restaurants: Zip Fusion Sushi on E. 3rd St. in downtown L.A.; Ocean and Vine in Santa Monica; Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas; Café des Artistes on N. McCadden Place in Hollywood; Michael's in Santa Monica.

Edited July 28, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · August 4, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- August 3, 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.

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In memoriam David Shaw

David Shaw, 62; Prize-Winning Times Writer Forged New Standards for Media Criticism / by Jon Thurber

David Shaw, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times writer who set new standards for media criticism with his hard-hitting examinations of the American press — including his own newspaper — died Monday evening. He was 62.
Shaw died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of complications from a brain tumor that was discovered in late May, said his wife, Lucy.

He savored life with grace and gusto / by John Balzar

David Shaw's joyous appetite sprang from a heart and mind as grand as a six-course dinner. Eat well, he showed us, and all else will follow.

There's a discussion thread titled David Shaw R.I.P.

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20 delicious deals / by Betty Baboujon and Leslie Brenner

Count yourself among the lucky: This is the place for eating royally on a shoestring. THIS ISN'T FAIR!! They're giving away some of my secret places!!

A wine guy at City Hall / by Patrick J. Comiskey

Long before he was San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom had a personal platform: Cabs for the people. Apparently, Gavin Newsom founded a small

Napa winery called PlumpJack in a limited partnership in 1997.

An invitation from Spain / by Leslie Brenner

Penelope Casas is again a superb guide, this time beckoning us into home kitchens with irresistible family recipes. Penelope Casas, a well-respected authority on Spanish cooking, has written her newest book, "La Cocina de Mamá: The Great Home Cooking of Spain." This is simple home cooking. Leave it to Casas to remind us that Spanish food isn't just liquid nitrogen bonbons and powdered foie gras.

Includes four recipes: Fernando's sherry-infused baked sliced potatoes; Manchego cheese canapés with olives and peppers; Sautéed green beans, Cáceres style; Chicken in garlic and wine sauce

Ripe for spice and ice / by Russ Parsons

One scoop of ice cream is a dusky rose, light and airy, with a flavor that is purely plum. But what's that warm floral quality in the finish? Another is a delicate daffodil yellow, the texture a little denser and chewier; the flavor is the essence of mango. But what's that fresh note in the background? Yet another is creamy golden orange. There's no mistaking the high-toned taste of a ripe nectarine, but that haunting spice echo is hard to place. Russ Parsons just bought a new ice cream maker, and he's playing with it. Then, he thought of this question: What if you made ice cream based on the fruit itself?

Includes three recipes: Spiced plum ice cream; Nectarine-cardamom ice cream; Mango-ginger ice cream

Beach, beer and a bite of Europe / by Susan LaTempa

Swiss specialties, imported brews and an international crowd bring a global touch to a local hangout. On the Waterfront Cafe on the Venice boardwalk is owned by Stefan and Susi Bachofner Binder, both from Switzerland. And Stefan, a real beer aficionado, has some weiss beer available, the cloudy, unfiltered brew, on tap.

Where to go for cool

The hip, the chic abandon climate control for the pleasures of the patio.

Hot List

LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR AUG. 3, 2005

Brightly fragrant flavors

Dear SOS: I make a variety of crab salads, but I thought one I tasted at Grace restaurant was particularly good.

Includes the recipe, “Dungeness crab salad with Thai basil and mint “

Tamer choices, gracious charm / by S. Irene Virbila

Saddle Peak Lodge is given a 2* rating. Historically, Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas has been known for its game. Recently under chef Mark Murillo, the menu has moved away from such a strict game focus to feature more mainstream California cooking. Although Virbila thinks the new menu works out better, she's disheartened that the only real game restaurant in the area limit its "game" offerings to familiar, tame items.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2001 San Vicente Rioja: Rioja, Spain; about $42; lush, modern; goes with duck, leg or rack of lamb, steaks. ... sophisticated and earthy, tasting of ripe berries, chocolate and wild herbs.

For the record

Georgia band — Last week's review of Opus Bar & Grill described Widespread Panic, which was performing at the Wiltern LG next door, as an L.A. punk band. It is a neo-jam band from Georgia.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A high-stakes enterprise / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on the Lodge in Beverly Hills. This Beverly Hills steakhouse comes from the group who brought Dolce to West Hollywood and Geisha House to Hollywood. This is the latest in a new genre called the hipster steakhouse.

An order of fries, hold the potatoes / by Scott Sandell

Burger King has just introduced Chicken Fries, which aren't even made of potatoes. So what exactly are they?

Where's the beef? / by Leslee Komaiko

Thought the steak craze was just a passing fad? Not so. The steakhouses just keep coming.

Includes five restaurants: Lincoln Steakhouse Americana in Santa Monica; Chapter 8 in Agoura Hills; Dakota in Hollywood; BOA Steakhouse in Santa Monica; Sterling in Hollywood.

There's a discussion thread titled Southern California steakhouses

rjwong · August 11, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- August 10, 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.

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In memoriam David Shaw: Letters

An empty seat at the table

I learned with great sadness about David Shaw's passing ["He Savored Life With Grace and Gusto," Aug. 3]. I enjoyed his wit, outspokenness and depth of knowledge. So many of his articles made me think, laugh … and respond. He is one of few journalists with whom I briefly corresponded because I found what he wrote so interesting that I just had to tell him. His replies were gracious.

There's a discussion thread titled David Shaw R.I.P.

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Shades of summer / by Russ Parsons; Leslie Brenner

Rosés may be pale and pretty, but with the season's vivid flavors they're bold and beautiful. “Rosé” Russ Parsons declares his summer enjoyment of this type of wine. Mind you, rosés are far more than just hot-weather aperitif wines. This wine can carry you through from appetizers all the way to dessert.

Includes three recipes: Garlic and herb-stuffed tomatoes and zucchini; Eggplant bruschetta; Swordfish with green olive salsa; with the side article, ”With this vintage of rosés from France, you can't go wrong”

Just can't get enough / by Barbara Hansen

Everyone loves a scone. And these days, it's easy to see why, as pastry chefs get creative with texture and flavor.

Includes three recipes: La Brea Bakery chocolate-walnut scones; Maple Drive lemon poppy seed scones; Clementine apricot-ginger scones

You call this a beer? / by John Balzar

A new Gallup poll reports that wine has finally caught up, and perhaps surpass, beer as America's favorite alcoholic beverage. No need to cry, beer lovers. The more flavorful and adventurous drink we call craft beer is gaining ground on common beer faster than anything else, wine included.

Down home, a real dust-up / by Regina Schrambling

Taste of Home, America's most reliably gritty food magazine, ... is the perfect antidote to faux trendiness and wine-upmanship and kitchen makeovers indistinguishable from GE Profile ads. However, from the people behind Cook's Illustrated comes a publisher who decided that what the world really needs is another Taste of Home, namely, the new Cook's Country.

Includes two recipes: Blueberry streusel coffee cake (adapted from Taste of Home, August 2005); Tomato-bacon-avocado salad (adapted from Cook's Country, August/September 2005)

Authentic taste of Guadalajara / by Linda Burum

At Birriería Jalisco in Boyle Heights, roasted goat is the specialty. It's prepared with a generations-old recipe. The family-run restaurant concentrates on birria de chivo, Guadalajara's famous roasted kid specialty, with tortillas, a few traditional desserts & house-made drinks. Apparently, this is not for the gastronomically challenged. It kind of gets their goat, ehh?

Is it pulp fiction or juicy fact? / by Charles Perry

Why does the sweetest, most flavorful OJ come from a press? We squeeze the experts for answers. Perry attempts to answer his question why squeezing oranges by hauling down on the big lever of a juice press taste sweeter than sticking them into a buzzing electric juicer.

It's (fill in the blank) night / by Leslee Komaiko

Mozzarella night at Jar? $1 hot dog night at the Stand? "Inner Child" night at Luna Park? Special nights are busting out all over town. Around five years ago, there were only a few special nights around Los Angeles. But in the last few months, special nights are all over the place and you need a spreadsheet just to keep track.

Stealing the show in three acts / by S. Irene Virbila

Kikuchi is given a 2* rating. Chef-owner Koichiro Kikuchi and his wife, Akiyo, operate a French-Japanese restaurant, that's hidden in the corner of a strip mall, in the midst of the flash, hype and chaos along La Cienega Blvd. It may not be a scene, but Kikuchi, with its understated drama, will wow food lovers with a well-crafted prix fixe trio of courses.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2004 Château La Canorgue Côtes du Luberon: Provence; about $13; dry and fruity; goes with olives, soupe au pistou, salads, bouillabaisse. Dry and fruity, it goes down very easy, leaving behind an impression of fruit and earth.

For the record

Food bargains — An article in last week's Food section about delicious deals around town identified Robert Rogness as the owner of Wine Expo in Santa Monica. Rogness is the general manager of the wine shop. Ali Biglar is the owner. The article also said the oyster happy hour at Ocean Ave. Seafood in Santa Monica is from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. It's from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Saddle Peak Lodge — A restaurant review of Saddle Peak Lodge in last week's section misspelled actress Katharine Hepburn's first name as Katherine.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

It's a little slice of Italy / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on La Sosta in Hermosa Beach. Owner Luca Manderino is playing up the idea of enoteca, or "wine library." Eat some Italian cheeses and salume with some bread, drink a little Barbera, feel the sea breeze, and La Sosta feels a little like an enoteca in Viareggio or Venice, anywhere close to the sea.

Charcuterie / by Leslee Komaiko

In Italy, it's salumi; in France, charcuterie. Any way you slice it, it's better than "luncheon meat."

Includes five restaurants: Angelique Café on S. Spring St. in downtown L.A.; A.O.C. on W. 3rd St.; Mix on N. Crescent Heights Blvd. in West Hollywood; Pescadou Bistro on Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach; Mimosa on Beverly Blvd.

rjwong · August 18, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- August 17, 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.

Enchanted aisles / by Barbara Hansen

L.A.'s ethnic markets serve up one enticing dish after another. Where in the world to begin? Instead of making reservations at a restaurant, go shopping ... at one of the ethnic markets. Here's a representative selection for the adventurous food eater:

Arko Foods (Filipino); B-B-Q Express (Thai); Bharat Bazar (Indian); California Market (Korean); Carnicería La Oaxaqueña (Mexican); El Gaucho Meat Market (Argentinian); New Pardes Restaurant (Bangladeshi); New York Delicatessen (Russian); Tarzana Armenian Deli; Valley Hye Armenian Delicatessen, Restaurant and Bakery; Zamora Brothers Carnitas (Mexican)

This is soda pop / by Susan LaTempa

Creamy root beers, spicy-hot ginger ales and herb-scented colas hail the new golden age of soft drinks. Enough with the artificial flavorings, fructose and aluminum cans. A plethora of sodas made with “real” ingredients can be found everywhere from supermarkets to the French Laundry. REMEMBER, soda wasn't created for kids.

Includes the side article, ”Tops in pops for grown-ups”

Send in the clones / by Patrick Comiskey

Oregon Chardonnays are finally something to celebrate, thanks to the arrival of a French vine called Dijon. In the wine world, clonal research is rather boring. Mind you, this is a wonderful story of Oregon Chardonnay that began in 1966 with David Lett, a recent oenology graduate from UC Davis, who wanted to start making Burgundy wines somewhere. And that somewhere was in the Willamette Valley.

Includes the side article, ”Oregon Chardonnays come of age”

Tomato ennui? Peach fatigue? / by Regina Schrambling

When summer produce feels played out, go for the unexpected. Heat it up. Or chill it down. After a while, your favorite summer foods get a bit tiring and predictable, ehh? Even eating corn on the cob for three meals in a row can be a bit much. Try a different approach, a new attitude, ... one you could call the sushi/baked-Alaska inspiration: Don't cook what you usually do, and heat up the normally icy. Or simply serve anything unexpectedly.

Includes four recipes: Caprese gratin; Chilled corn soup with avocado and crab; Bourbon-flamed peaches; Sautéed cucumbers with pancetta

Home-style cooking, a bit pumped up / by Susan LaTempa

Join the gymgoers at Comfort Café in Silver Lake, a health-conscious hangout where flavor comes first. The café, headed up by Jackie Joniec in the kitchen, assisted by manager-baker Reggie Southerland, serves up nostalgic home-cooking designed around taste, not diet guidelines, with portions fit for a bodybuilder after a workout.

It's like floating on a cloud / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: Last year, the restaurant at the Hotel Bel-Air offered a fig soufflé with a pistachio crème anglaise. I would love to have the recipe. The crème anglaise was magical.

Steakhouse swank / by S. Irene Virbila

Dakota at the Roosevelt Hotel is given a 1½* rating. Restaurateurs Tim and Liza Goodell have opened their latest project in the form of a steakhouse with Dodd Mitchell-designed decor which makes Dakota the latest “see and be seen” (SABS) place in LA. As for the food, with Jeff Armstrong as chef, everything is reasonably well executed, but nothing has much personality or passion behind it. Virbila concludes that perhaps Dakota needs to please both the tourists staying in the hotel and the stylish set coming to see and be seen, it never quite comes into focus.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Torbreck Barossa Valley 'The Struie': Barossa Valley; about $45; lush and concentrated; goes with barbecued steaks, roast pork. Dave Powell's mid-priced 100% Shiraz from 40-year-old Eden Valley and 80-year-old Barossa Valley vines ... has power and finesse, which is why it's always such a beauty.

For the record

Rosé wines -- A story about rosé wines in last week's section said that the appellation Costières de Nîmes is in the Rhône region of France, and a sidebar to the story said it is in the Languedoc region. According to Institute National des Appellations d'Origine rules, Costières de Nîmes is officially part of the Languedoc, but some other wine authorities consider it to be part of the Rhône. Also, the sidebar said Bandol rosé is made from Grenache and Cinsault grapes. Bandol also may include Mourvèdre.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A $15 Sunday supper solution / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Dominick's on Beverly Boulevard. This updated red-sauce Italian ... has just initiated a splendid Sunday dinner plan. It's a prix fixe menu — three courses served family-style — for $15 per person, which is quite the deal for a restaurant of this caliber.

ASK THE CRITIC / by S. Irene Virbila

Our restaurant critic opens up about how to send food back to the kitchen -- gracefully.

Sunday specials / by Leslee Komaiko

Sunday evening might signal the end of the weekend. But that's no reason to despair, especially when you can indulge in one of these Sunday night only specials.

Includes five restaurants: Rocca on 4th St. in Santa Monica; The Belvedere on S. Santa Monica in Beverly Hills; Ciudad on Figueroa in downtown LA; Lucques on Melrose Ave.in West Hollywood; The Grill on the Alley on Dayton Way in Beverly Hills.

rjwong · August 25, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- August 24, 2005

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Art of the noodle / by Russ Parsons

Great soba, deliciously cool and silky, is a revelation. Especially when it's handmade. Then, people in the know go to Otafuku in Gardena, where Seiji Akutsu crafts handmade soba at his tiny restaurant. Not every place uses fresh soba because it's difficult to make. That's because buckwheat, which isn't technically a member of the wheat family, contains no gluten ... Without gluten, buckwheat doughs are extremely fragile. Contrastly, Akutsu says, "Soba is so easy to make," ... proving himself a master of kenkyo, the Japanese ritual of hyperbolic modesty.

Includes three recipes: Traditional soba-tsuyu; Green tea soba salad with grilled shrimp; Green tea soba with flounder and enoki mushrooms

Sake, the stylish sensation / by Linda Burum

NOT long ago, tossing back tiny cups of hot sake to wash down sushi or tempura was about the cool ritual and the warm rush of alcohol. But today, artisanally produced sakes, served cold and savored slowly, have exploded onto the scene, extending far beyond Japanese restaurants. Sakes pop up in food pairings and tasting flights at tony restaurants, sommeliers wheel out carts with dozens of varieties, and $200 bottles aren't at all unusual. Mind you, sake is still one of the great mysteries from the East. Most Americans, even the most adventurous of diners, would be considered sake neophytes. Burum introduces this advice: ... Learn a few terms, rely on knowledgeable sommeliers, and it's easier to make sense of it all than you might think. The rewards are tremendous.

Includes three side articles: ”How to read a sake label”; “Where to sip them, where to buy them”; “Tasting through the sake styles”

Trailblazers / by Susan LaTempa

A lunch for a day hike has to travel well, fit into a small pack and still be delicious. Tall order? Try this one. With nature as your playground instead of the hectic realities of urban life, enjoy that midway point of your hike with ... a casual combination of great rustic dishes that ingeniously fit into a single small pack.

Includes four recipes: Fig pâté; Pickled crudités; Cheese focaccia squares; Tarragon lemonade

One, two, three: voilà! / by Regina Schrambling

After buying berries fresh from the farmers' market, you get whipping cream from the store, and see those Technicolor fruit tarts in a glass case, and think, I could do that, and better, for a lot less than $30. Go ahead! Now's the time!

Includes the recipe: Summer fruit tart

It's a party / by Susan LaTempa

There's something about Gaby's that turns a meal with friends into an event. Order with abandon. After all, you're here to share. Gaby's Mediterranean restaurant on Venice Boulevard in Palms comes with lively conversation, as well as hummus, falafel, pita sandwiches, shish kebab, seafood plates and salads. Unpretentious and real ...

Sauce spoon sighting! / by Leslie Brenner

Although commonplace in French restaurants from New York to Paris, in L.A. they’re a rarity. But the little notched spoons are making a comeback Well, that little notched spoon is called ... a sauce spoon. And everybody has their own theories about what that notch is for.

On the lookout for luxury / by S. Irene Virbila

Aqua at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point is given a 1½* rating. A spectacular setting, plush surroundings, a pedigreed chef — so what's missing at Aqua at the St. Regis? Irene has quite a list: from a restaurant design that's more Las Vegas than quiet refinement; inattention to the details in the service; and a less ambitious menu. The new executive chef, Laurent Manrique, ... must feel like he's cooking in a straitjacket. The main course list reads like so many others: wild king salmon, tuna, scallops, duck, beef. Mind you, Irene mentions that at press time, Manrique informed Virbila's editor that the restaurant may closed due to differences between him and the hotel. I hope that won't happen and that the two parties can find a resolution.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Sandrone Barbera d'Alba, Italy: Piedmont; about $29; voluptuous, yet firm; goes with cold cuts and ham, grilled sausages and pork chops, pasta dishes. It's a wonderful blend of power and finesse, voluptuous fruit and firm structure.

For the record

Market eatery — Last week's article about ethnic markets gave the wrong address and hours for LAX-C market, where Thai eatery B-B-Q Express is located. The market is at 1100 N. Main St. in Los Angeles. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. B-B-Q Express is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Pastry chef's name — In last week's Culinary SOS, which featured a fig Armagnac soufflé, the last name of Hotel Bel-Air pastry chef Robert Witkoski was misspelled as Witkowski.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Romance above the waves / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Moonshadows in Malibu. This is a better menu than at many other places along the oceanfront, though not something you'd drive miles out of your way to eat unless you had to have that view.

]Here's the dish on fast-food secrets / by Dog Davis.

From knowing how to buy a tax-free latte to ordering your burger like a pro, there are some things a consumer simply must know.

View finder / by Leslee Komaiko

Everything tastes better with the ocean in sight. Here are a few places to get your view on.

Includes five restaurants: Jer-ne at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey; Motif at the St. Regis in Dana Point; Jody Maroni's Sausage Kingdom in Venice; Geoffrey's in Malibu; Back on the Beach in Santa Monica.

rjwong · September 1, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- August 31, 2005

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The perfect burger / by Emily Green

For chef Nancy Silverton, that means the right meat, peak-season tomatoes and a great bun. It's as easy -- and fabulous -- as it sounds. And don't forget the toppings, including a few different mayonnaises. The recipes are part of her upcoming Knopf book in praise of cooking from cans, "Twist of the Wrist."

Includes four recipes: Nancy's burgers; Spicy chipotle mayonnaise; Garlic mayonnaise; Anchovy and olive mayonnaise

Hurry, there's still time for a blueberry bonanza / by Betty Baboujon

PITY the poor blueberry. Even though it's not as showy as the other berries, the blueberry has a long local season, ... starting as early as January and stretching into September.

Includes three recipes: Blueberry browned-butter tart; Blueberry and caramelized orange marmalade focaccia; Watermelon blueberry soup

Finally, the wine bar is raised / by Corie Brown

Goodbye, Chard; forget Cabernet. Angelenos are showing derring-do by the glass. Since the film “Sideways,” everybody is freely talking about wine, trusting sommeliers in trying something new. As Kevin O'Connor, sommelier at Spago in Beverly Hills, explains: ”But that's what's so great about L.A. It's the combination of naiveté and open-mindedness. There is no inculcated wine culture here…. So, no one is jaded. Everyone is fresh. In L.A., we're curious."

Includes the side article, ”Hot off the lists“

The lure of the outlaw taco cart / by Charles Perry

THE scent of frying beef wafts down the sidewalk. Knots of people stand around socializing in the mild summer dusk, waiting for carne asada tacos.

Never mind that you'll find these tacos at night after county health inspectors go home from work. And by the way, the vast majority of taco carts are nowhere near code.

Color us very confused / by Leslee Komaiko

The new Solar Harvest in Beverly Hills is the place to work for your food -- like it or not. The menu comes complete with colored dots and a menu key ...

Duboeuf admits Beaujolais wine error

PARIS — France's Beaujolais king Georges Duboeuf, under investigation for mixing premium wine with a cheap grade, said the blend had been made in error but it never went on sale.

There's still that friendly vibe / by S. Irene Virbila

Maple Drive in Beverly Hills is given a 2* rating. Maple Drive's new chef Vincent Manna, formerly of Spago, is finding a balance between dishes that cater to the restaurant's regulars and those designed to show what he can do. Maple Drive is a home away from home, with all the comforts of a beloved institution, topped with the charm of a little jazz trio.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2004 Cantine San Marco Frascati Superiore De' Notari', Italy: Castelli Romani; about $10; ripe and refreshing; goes with seafood. Ripe and full in the mouth, the 2004 has a perfume of melon, pear and citrus, and finishes dry and refreshing.

For the record

Restaurant manager— In last Wednesday's section, an article about sauce spoons misspelled the last name of Bastide's general manager Gregory Castells as Casteles.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Decisions, decisions / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Boule on N. La Cienega Blvd. Pastry chef Michelle Myers is now offering sandwiches, along with her beautiful pastries, ice cream & sorbets. Her sandwiches, though, are curiously rustic, heavy on the bread.

Beyond PB&J / by Leslee Komaiko

A sandwich, as that old commercial says, is just a sandwich. But a sandwich from a bakery is something else, because you know the bread'll be great.

Includes five restaurants: Susina Bakery & Café on Beverly Blvd.; EuroPane on E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Jin Patisserie on Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; La Brea Bakery on S. La Brea Ave.

Edited September 2, 2005 by rjwong (log)

rjwong · September 8, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- September 7, 2005

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Rio bravura! / by Susan LaTempa

With gaucho pants, feathers and sizzling skewers, the Brazilian party's in full swing. The explosion of Brazilian churrascarias (all-you-can-eat barbecues) has arrived in Los Angeles, from mom-and-pop places to high-end corporate productions. ... but one thing they have in common is a generous helping of party attitude.

Includes three recipes: Feijoada; Mousse de maracujá (passion fruit mousse); Avocado and palmito empanadas

Flavor on a leaf / by Betty Baboujon

Lettuce cups contrast savory fillings with cool exteriors. They're so delicious you can even forget the sauce. This traditional Chinese dish brings a little yin-yang into your dining experience. Sure, you can find lettuce cups in restaurants, but make them at home and your effort will be amply rewarded.

Includes three recipes: Beef lettuce wraps; Dried oyster lettuce cups; Shrimp artichoke lettuce cups

Don't say that R-word / by Regina Schrambling

Eggplant, zucchini and peppers can add up to so much more than, er, vegetable stew. I'm going to say the R-word anyways. Ratatouille is a wonderful late summer dish. Mind you, use your imagination, with a little variation, in combining these three vegetables differently. There's no reason to keep cooking the vegetables in exactly the same way.

Includes three recipes: Zucchini- eggplant-pepper polpettine; Eggplant-zucchini-pepper enchiladas; Zucchini-eggplant-pepper timbales

Cafes, churrascarias and clubs: Where to go for a taste of Brazil / by Susan LaTempa

It's the party spirit that sets Brazilian restaurants apart — the best have crowd-pleasing menus and an atmosphere that encourages socializing. Note that churrascaria all-you-can-eat prices do not include beverages or desserts.

Lightning bolt born in Brazil / by Charles Perry

Long a liquor of the working class, cachaça is making a new splash. Here in the U.S., cachaça (ka-SHAH-sa), the Brazilian liquor made from sugar cane juice, has moved up the social ladder, along with all things Brazilian.

Includes two recipes: Batida de maracujá (passion fruit batida); Piña punch

Real Sichuan's worldly side / by Linda Burum

After decades of wannabe fare, L.A. has Best Szechuan Chili & Seafood, offering the real deal in modern urban Sichuan cuisine. Located on Garfield in Monterey Park, this restaurant does contemporary Sichuan food, not just Cantonese food with a few chile peppers and peanuts thrown in.

Hurricane benefits planned / by Cindy Dorn

BEFORE Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the mention of New Orleans inevitably led to a discussion of that city's great cuisine. But now all talk, naturally, is of the desperate need for food, supplies and shelter.

Sophisticated lady / by S. Irene Virbila

Tower Bar is given a 2* rating. New York hotelier Jeff Klein decided to install his own Tower Bar and restaurant at the landmark Art Deco Argyle Hotel, to bring back some of Hollywood's glamor of yesteryear. Under chef Piero Morovich,

the contemporary American menu is much more appealing. Who would have thought you could find such civilized comforts on the Sunset Strip?

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2002 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay: Santa Cruz Mountains; about $35; Burgundian; goes with shellfish, Dungeness crab, wild salmon, fish in sauce. Minerally and crisp, the 2004 comes on strong with delicious, focused fruit, a light touch of oak and a finish that positively loiters.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

This time of year is just divine / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Il Grano. At Il Grano, Salvatore Marino maximizes the bounty of tomato vines. And with more than 30 varieties in his home garden, you can see that chef Marino is fascinated with this exotic fruit. And yes, the tomato is a fruit.

You say 'tomato' / by Leslee Komaiko

Heirloom tomatoes are big on flavor and come in hundreds of shapes, sizes and colors. To us, they are summertime.

Includes five restaurants: Mélisse on Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; Studio on S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; Angeli Caffé on Melrose Ave., L.A.; Table 8 on Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Chez Mélange on S. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach.

rjwong · September 15, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- September 14, 2005

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Reinventing the cob / by Russ Parsons

Corn is sweeter than ever, but how to recapture its true flavor? A few cooking tricks make all the difference. Despite the sweetness and texture, people complain that corn today doesn't have that “corn” flavor like it used to. Russ Parsons helps answer the question: What happened to corn in the first place?

Includes three recipes: Sweet corn and shrimp 'risotto'; Grilled corn and arugula salad; Fresh corn blini with crema fresca; and two side articles, “Corn from the source” & “Yesterday, today and tomorrow in the cornfield”

The beginning of a beautiful friendship / by Donna Deane and Judy Yao

YOU can flirt with a silly pepper grinder or have a brief fling with an amusing but impractical cake pan, but a cook's relationship with a 12-inch skillet is no casual affair — it's a long-term commitment. This pan is your significant other in the kitchen: Day in, day out, it sears, sautés and deglazes for you. It stays with you step by step from browning to braising as you work on a multi-step recipe.

Includes evaluations on these items: All-Clad Copper Core skillet (overall winner); Calphalon Contemporary Stainless; Anolon Advanced Clad skillet; All Clad Stainless; the 4-pound triple-ply skillet from Sur La Table; Calphalon One Infused Anodized 3.9-pound skillet; 11-inch, 4.72-pound Demeyere Atlantis.

Where the sushi's on a roll / by Leslee Komaiko

Enter the sushi wagon, the latest act in tableside entertainment. There's the sushi table, with space & privacy. Then, there's the sushi bar with the chef & the show. And now, there's the sushi wagon, just like it was 250 years ago ...

Scotch's history, distilled / by Charles Perry

A new book traces the spirit's rise from medieval elixir to the most popular whisky in the world. And this book, Charles MacLean's "Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History" (Cassell Illustrated, $24.95), is not only knowledgeable, but also quite readable.

Secret's out: Chili judge tells all! / by Charles Perry

We had to butter him up a bit to get him to talk. But, hey, it was worth it. Charles Perry has judged chili contests in his past. And what was it like, being a chili judge? ”You can't win. Being a chili judge is like asking people to show you photos of their children just so you can tell most of them that their kids aren't cute enough.”

Includes the recipe for: The judge's chili

Bet you can't eat just one / by Barbara Hansen

THESE delectable bite-sized cheesy puffs from Minibar are served with crisp, quick-pickled red onion slices spiked with jalapeño. A takeoff on pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese rolls, they were brought to our attention by Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, who says, "They're great with drinks."

Only until further notice / by Regina Schrambling

In New Orleans, a city defined by its culinary culture, restaurateurs vow to rebuild.

There is a discussion thread about this article: Restaurateurs vow to rebuild

Excitement on the side / by S. Irene Virbila

The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena is given a 3* rating. With some of the most inspired food around, chef Craig Strong quietly thrills palates at Pasadena's Ritz-Carlton. Strong, who came up in the hotel system, maintains his passion for hands-on cooking at this rather formal Dining Room. Mind you, a seating out on the terrace, ... overlooking the hotel's historic horseshoe-shaped garden, — now that's the ticket. And if that's not enough, chef Craig Strong is his own pastry chef. Virbila concludes: ”When you finally leave the Dining Room, your taste buds have been through a workout that takes you through a wide landscape of sweet, salty, sour and bitter. And at this restaurant, the chef is definitely in. You don't have to wonder: You can see him striding through the room on his way back to the kitchen.”

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron: Rhône Valley; about $32; full-bodied and lush; goes with roasts and braises, duck and squab. Equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, this dense, chewy wine is the best Châteauneuf the estate has made in years.

Doing right by the R-word

RATATOUILLE was given a bum rap in "Don't Say That R-Word" by Regina Schrambling (Sept. 7).

Street vendors

MY congratulations on an extremely well-written article ("The Lure of the Outlaw Taco Cart" by Charles Perry, Aug. 31). I have read much regarding street vending (my thesis addressed the predicament of vendors, particularly taco-elote [corn] vending in L.A.) and your article was concise, informative and up to date.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Please pass the tapas / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Ciudad in downtown LA. Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, known as the "Too Hot Tamales", are offering an eclectic array of tapas for their Sunday night menu, and they don't mess around.

The hearts of L.A. / by Leslee Komaiko

Castroville may hold the "artichoke capital of the world" title. But here in L.A. we have no shortage of delicious artichoke dishes.

Includes five restaurants: Stanley's on Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Amici on N. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills; Hollywood & Vine on Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Nic's on N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; Dominick's on Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood.

rjwong · September 22, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- September 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.

Unsideways: the tour / by Ann Herold

Don't let Miles and the crowds put you off -- Santa Ynez wine country can still enchant. A wine lover leads us up the road less traveled to her favorite spots.

While Napa has the famous names, Santa Ynez has proximity and soul, where ... the temperamental Pinot Noir grape flourishes, along with Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, ... Autumn is a wonderful time to take a wine tour of the Santa Ynez valley's best producers, which are not the “stars” from the movie. Herold calls it the “Unsideways tour.”

Includes the side article, ”Where to go”

Salad, compose thyself / by Leslie Brenner

COULD it be a conspiracy? Where can one find a true salade composée in Los Angeles for lunch, besides the usual salade niçoise? And the Cobb salad looks like a salade composée. Mind you, you wouldn't eat it until it is tossed. The solution? If we can't find composed salads in restaurants, at least we can make them at home.

Includes three recipes: Composed salad with tuna and cannellini beans; Japanese barbecue salmon salad; Roasted beets with Cabrales blue cheese, endives and walnuts

Everybody hates Merlot / by Patrick Comiskey

But that leaves more for those who know that when the terroir is right, it's among the best wines in the world. While Bordeaux's Right Bank commune of Pomerol produces Château Petrus, arguably the world's greatest Merlot, there is one California region, Carneros, which ... might soon rival the Right Bank as a place where the Merlot is much better than not bad: It's legitimately great.

Includes the side article, ”Getting serious about Merlot”

Rolling in serious dough / by David Colker

Take the country's top bread bakers and a couple of hundred devotees, and you've got loaves to die for. Camp Bread 2005, sponsored by the Bread Bakers Guild of America, brought together bakers from the U.S. and Canada last week for three days of demonstrations, seminars, and plenty of hands-on classes taught by some of the superstars of bread, like Peter Reinhart, Jeffrey Hamelman and legendary teacher Didier Rosada.

Includes a recipe for ciabatta; and the side article, ”Great bread by the book”

Don't eat this movie / by Corie Brown

A Q&A with Deborah Koons Garcia about her polemical documentary on Frankenfoods. In her provocative documentary, "The Future of Food,"

filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia lays out this doomsday scenario: AMERICAN agribusiness, hellbent on controlling the Earth's food supply, has unleashed genetically engineered plants that are taking over family farms and threatening the health of the nation.

A serving of gossip from great chefs? We'll bite / by Russ Parsons

Russ Parsons, culinary gossip columnist?? I would have never known. Pardon my indulgence ... Actually, Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman collected some of the best kitchen war stories in their new book, "Don't Try This at Home, ” complete with many familiar names in the restaurant world: Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, Tom Colicchio, Claudia Fleming, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, ... and of course, Anthony Bourdain ... Some of the things chefs have to do to "win" — to get the food on the table — are astonishing. They demonstrate that culinary creativity sometimes has as much to do with Sgt. Bilko as Fernand Point.

The vitello of her dreams / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: The Friday night special roasted veal at Angelini Osteria is so wonderful that it sells out quite early. I don't know how complicated it is to make, but whatever it takes, I'm ready.

A micro-manager / by David Colker

Now available: the portable Durascale 50 weighs yeast down to a hundredth of a gram or ounce, for the obsessive amongst us.

A sushi master with flair / by S. Irene Virbila

Bluefin in Newport Coast is given a 2½* rating. Chef Takashi Abe has found a lucky spot in quiet Orange County. And his former customers from Abe in Newport Beach has followed him to Crystal Cove Promenade. Abe really knows his fish and takes the time and effort to acquire the best. The evidence is right there on the plate and most obvious in sashimi, where there's nothing to disguise the pure taste of the raw fish.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2004 Sineann Gewürztraminer Celilo Vineyard: Columbia Gorge, Oregon; about $19; more floral than spicy; goes with Asian food, stir-fried prawns, fragrant curries, satays and noodle dishes. More floral than spicy, it has a perky acidity and lovely balance.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

One big garden party / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Wilshire (the restaurant). With tree-canopied dining, the latest Thomas Schoos-designed room and a menu from chef Christopher Blobaum built around organic produce from the Santa Monica farmers market, Wilshire is now the hot new address. This New American restaurant is located on Wilshire & 25th in Santa Monica at the former Black Forest Inn.

Modern American / by Leslee Komaiko

A little bit edgy, a little bit adventurous, the following restaurants are, at their roots, American.

Includes five restaurants: Josie on Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Bistango on Von Karman Ave., Irvine; Grace on Beverly Blvd., L.A.; Avenue on Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach; Beechwood on W. Washington Blvd., Venice.

rjwong · September 29, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- September 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.

Sweet autumn / by Russ Parsons

With harvest comes a new year of cooking: honeyed, savory and truly harmonious. Fruits, with a honeyed sweetness, seem so appropriate with the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) beginning next week. Don't forget the late-summer holdovers like tomatoes and red peppers. AND then there are the nuts, for which I go, well, you know.

Includes three recipes: Duck braised with quince and sour cherries; Fennel and red onion salad with pickled figs; Asian pear crisp with almond topping

Julie, unplugged / by Max Withers

The blogger's year of culinary trial and error morphs into a memoir -- but is that such a good thing? Enter Julie Powell. In August 2002, the 29-year-old decided to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the next year — and write all about it on the Internet in her blog. Now, the blog turns into a book -- "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen."

Includes two recipes: Pot-au-feu; Crêpes suzette

There's a discussion thread about this topic: The Julie/Julia Project, Hilarious

Finally, a winery in Bel-Air / by Corie Brown

Is its product good enough to become one of California's most expensive wines? Located in a narrow Bel-Air canyon that runs parallel to Interstate 405 is Moraga Vineyards, Los Angeles' lone commercial wine grape grower, owned by Tom Jones, former chief executive of Northrop Corp. for 30 years before retiring in 1990. It's not until the vineyards' wooden driveway gate swings open that there's any clue that these hills are home to one of California's most highly regarded Cabernets.

Rugged spirit's rebirth / by Charles Perry

We'll give it to you straight: Rye, the whiskey of George Washington, is back in vogue. And besides, it's a patriotic drink than rum, because back then, rye required no trade with England ...

Includes a recipe for Ward 8; and the side article, ”Sipping ryes: rare and well-done”

Fresh fall flavors with a bit of bite / by Barbara Hansen

Dear SOS: I had the most delicious, garlic-rich soupe au pistou with amaranth and Parmesan bread crumbs at Lucques in Los Angeles. It had a crunchy topping with a sweet garlic taste. I would be thrilled if you could get this recipe.

Now we're seeing double / by Leslee Komaiko

The Polo Lounge's signature dish has a twin -- at The Blvd. Apparently, the McCarthy salad is available at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, as well as at The Blvd., the 6-month-old restaurant in the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel a few blocks away.

Back to the beginning / by Linda Burum

It's no trick of the eyes. Grill Lyon has returned to Little Toyko, serving elegant classics at affordable prices. Chef Tadayoshi Matsuno and his wife, Keiko,

first appeared on the LA restaurant scene back in 1981 with their Franco-Japanese cuisine. After many location changes, closings, and retirement in May 2001, the Matsunos have come out of retirement to open this Japanese-style French restaurant in the same Little Tokyo minimall in which it thrived for nearly a decade. Why? My hunch: The Matsunos want to introduce their son, Kiichi, a budding chef who apprenticed at his father's elbow.

Crystal clear vision / by S. Irene Virbila

Providence on Melrose is given a 3* rating. Michael Cimarusti hits his stride with seafood at Providence, site of the former Patina. As former head of Water Grill, he can let loose in the kitchen. Providence is the opposite of stuffy ... It's not a restaurant with a scene, at least not yet. Thankfully, it's all about food.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Château du Hureau Saumur-Champigny: Loire Valley; about $13; medium-bodied, earthy; goes with charcuterie, roast birds and simple grills. It's inexpensive enough for everyday, but interesting enough for company.

Composed salad sightings around town

I very much enjoyed the article about composed salads ["Salad, Compose Thyself," Sept. 21].

Here's the scoop on sauce spoon

I thought you might enjoy some history on the creation of the sauce spoon ["Sauce Spoon Sighting!" Aug. 24].

There is a discussion thread about this topic: Silverware for the fish course

Recipe offends, in context

I was dismayed to find a recipe for veal ["The Vitello of Her Dreams," Sept. 21] in the same issue that featured Deborah Koons Garcia pointing out the ways agribusiness tampers with food ["Don't Eat This Movie"]. Torturing baby animals simply because some people like the taste is, in my opinion, no different than business tampering with the food supply because they have a taste for money.

'Scotch geeks' and wine connoisseurs

A review of a book about whiskey ["Scotch's History, Distilled," Sept. 14] referred to people who know something about Scotch whiskey as "Scotch geeks."

A good year for adjectives

WOW! Merlot is pliant, strong, supple, firm, dense, rich, chewy, dusty, tender, opulent, voluptuous, charming and approachable! ["Everybody Hates Merlot," Sept. 21] Who knew?!

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

Community property / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Il Piccolino in West Hollywood. Silvio De Mori decided to team up with former Le Dome owner Eddie Kerkhofs and bought out the owner of the restaurant on Robertson Blvd. The menu is basically the same, with a couple of De Mori's additions. Hidden behind its exuberant foliage, Il Piccolino waits for its big moment.

Where 'A' is Not on the Menu / by David Pierson

Chinese eateries in an L.A. County enclave struggle with hygiene ratings. An inspector knows the challenges unique to the cuisine. Because Los Angeles County health officer Siu-Man Chiu is Chinese, a Hong Kong native.

There are two related discussion threads: Health Code Ratings and LA Chinese Restaurants

The big tent / by Leslee Komaiko

Tent dining might conjure up thoughts of wieners and trail mix or cotton candy and peanuts. But at these SoCal spots, it's more like drama and romance.

Includes five restaurants: Twin Palms on W. Green St., Pasadena; Falcon on Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Lucques on Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; Firefly Bistro on El Centro St., South Pasadena; Koutoubia on Westwood Blvd., Westwood.

rjwong · October 6, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- October 5, 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.

Marrakesh express / by Charles Perry

Couscous done right (think steam) opens up a world of delicious possibilities. These possibilities are explained by several couscous notables, including Adel Chagar of Chameau restaurant, Michel Ohayon of Koutoubia in Westwood and, of course, Paula Wolfert ...

Includes three recipes: Couscous with seven vegetables; Lamb tagine; Steamed couscous

There is a discussion thread about this topic: couscous, what are the regional differences

Midnight supper / by Susan LaTempa

After a night on the town, bring the party home for easy dishes that really satisfy.

Includes three recipes: Mini curry burgers with chutney and dipping sauce; Macaroni and cheese; Wild mushroom frittata

Incredible shrinking restaurant scene (LA Times link) ; Incredible shrinking restaurant scene (Calendarlive link) / by Corie Brown

Fifteen places close in a matter of months. And autumn's usual flurry of openings? Not this year. Los Angeles can be a very tough, unforgiving restaurant town. Add the problems of traffic and a soft economy and you can hear dining room doors closed.

Where Malbec's on the rise (first link) ; Where Malbec's on the rise (alternate link) / by Corie Brown

In Argentina premier wine region, a wine blessed by Mother Earth. Matías Mayol, along with other Argentine vinters, are making Malbec wine in Mendoza. As per James Wolpert, chairman of viticulture and enology at UC Davis: "It's Argentina's turn to knock us out of our chairs. And they are doing it with a grape that no one's ever done it with before."

Lively Malbecs from Mendoza / by Leslie Brenner

THE Times tasting panel met last week to blind-taste current releases of Malbecs from Argentina's Mendoza region. On the panel were restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, columnist Russ Parsons, staff writer Corie Brown, deputy food editor Betty Baboujon and George Cossette, co-owner of Silverlake Wines. Generally, the panel was impressed with these wines, which were from the 2000 through 2004 vintages.

She pushed these caramels to the edge / by Cindy Dorn

WHEN Christine Moore left her job as a pastry chef at Les Deux Cafés to stay home with her baby in 1999, she started fiddling around with sugar and fire. Eventually she came up with extraordinary sea salt caramels — she pushes the salty-sweet balance to the edge — that are blissfully silky and chewy.

Right for the job / by Betty Baboujon

With this stainless-steel couscoussier, every puff of steam rises to the occasion: making fluffy couscous.

Hey, big spender / by S. Irene Virbila

Sterling Steakhouse in Hollywood is given a ½* (half a star) rating. The owners behind White Lotus and Pig 'n Whistle opened up Sterling on Ivar with executive chef Andrew Pastore. Virbila comments, It all started out so very well ... What's really awesome, incredibly so, is that a steakhouse would take advantage of its diners' goodwill. But that's what's happening here.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2003 Belle Pente Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, Oregon: Willamette Valley; about $19; smooth and silky; goes with fish soup, roast chicken, grilled lamb chops or a tagine. Lightly perfumed, it's silk in the mouth, ...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A boundless fall harvest

“I'M not a cook, have several dietary limitations, and, though I glance over the Food section, I seldom read an entire article. An exception was Russ Parson's wonderful article on autumn's bounty ["Sweet Autumn," Sept. 28] and what to do with it.”

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

A cookout on the Strip / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Norman's at the Sunset Millienium complex in West Hollywood. Virbila receives an e-mail which says: “NORMAN'S IS DOING A PIG ROAST ON FRIDAY NIGHTS. WANT TO GO?” The 55-pounder pig serves 35-45 people, so reservations is a must. And the paella just seals the deal ...

Pushing to Make the A-List / by David Pierson

Chinese American community leaders are working to alter the attitudes of restaurant owners and patrons regarding food safety. This article is a follow-up to last week's article, Where 'A' is Not on the Menu. [City of Walnut Councilman Joaquin] Lim and a consortium of mostly Chinese American community leaders formed a group to try to change the way diners and restaurant owners view food safety.

There are three related discussion threads: Health Code Ratings ; LA Chinese Restaurants and Hygiene

A place to hang your trucker cap / by Dog Davis

Rally’s two newest items don’t stray from their down-home aesthetic: the Jim Beam Double Cheddarburger and Cheddar Chicken Sandwich.

Strip tease / by Leslee Komaiko

There's more to the Sunset Strip than clubs and bars. Bypass the velvet rope and check out one of these swell dinner spots.

Includes five restaurants: The Tower Bar, 8300 block; Il Sole, 8700 block; Restaurant at the Standard Hollywood, 8300 block; Talesai, 9000 block; Café Med, 8600 block.

rjwong · October 13, 2005

LA Times Food Section -- October 12, 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.

Truly, madly moonstruck / by Russ Parsons

Chefs and diners are paying a fortune for Kobe beef, the marvelously marbled Japanese-style delicacy. But is it worth the price? And there's the matter of terms: most “Kobe” beef sold today should really be called wagyu. Whatever you call it, it can be truly remarkable beef. There's no hype about that.

Includes two side articles: “Where to find wagyu,” and “A short history of beef in Japan”

A spirit of the islands unbound / by John Balzar

Aged rums are far too sophisticated to fuel a mojito or daiquiri. Full bodied and complex, they're better sipped. The end of summer and the beginning of autumn means a lingering, meditative time in the sofa chair and ottoman with a glass of rum. "I think rum is not just for having a cocktail anymore," sommelier Peter Birmingham says. "Those contemplative moments after dinner come to mind."

Includes the side article, “ One big, rambunctious family”

Here is a link to The Ministry of Rum forum.

From Piedmont, soups with heart / by S. Irene Virbila

IT'S a place where women still make glorious egg-yolk-rich tagliatelle, put up jars of peppers and peaches, and, in some villages, bake bread in the communal bread oven. Piedmont, the fabled wine region of northwest Italy, has its special dishes each season, but my favorite time is fall, when the nebbia, or fog, that gives the Nebbiolo grape its name shrouds the steeply canted vineyards, and the leaves have changed to crimson and gold. Wood smoke scents the air and, at night, on the lonely country roads, headlights pick up the occasional truffle hunter and his dog heading off into the forest.

Includes three recipes: Minestra di fagioli e maltagliate (bean soup with pasta); Chickpea, borlotti and wheat berry soup (mesciüva); Wheat harvester's soup (minestra di batà il grana)

Ripe with anticipation / by Betty Baboujon

Timing is everything for the pear, whose gentle silhouette is autumn's embodiment. There's a time for picking, a time for ripening, and a time for eating. When that moment arrives, you must seize it — gently.

Includes three recipes: Pear frangipane turnovers; Pear and cardamom upside-down cake; Poached pears with red wine caramel sauce

The festive side of fresh / by Susan LaTempa

A Tarzana café offers vegan dishes that don't disappoint. Desserts stand out too. Madeleine Bistro in Tarzana opened in late May by the husband-wife team of David and Molly Anderson. David Anderson, formerly executive chef at Real Food Daily and sous chef at Inn of the Seventh Ray, creates inventive, sophisticated, well-crafted vegan food, which is a welcomed change in the San Fernando Valley.

A mushroom not to be missed / by Russ Parsons

The rare matsutake is even harder to come by this season. Grab some while you can. At $50 a pound, they're a bargain compared with truffles. Available in Southern California grocery stores or from David West (aka dfunghi), who occasionally sells them at the Wednesday Santa Monica and Sunday Hollywood farmers markets.

Includes a recipe for: Grilled matsutake mushrooms

A moveable feast

See what's cooking around town: tastings, restaurant events, cooking classes and more.

Crisp, cool and current / by Barbara Hansen

Restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila likes the "earthy cauliflower taste and slight crunch" of the shaved cauliflower salad that chef Chris Kidder makes at Literati II. Kidder sparks up the flavor with green olives, sweet pickled onion and a lemony vinaigrette.

Big bucks for a slice of the pizza / by Corie Brown

Want to get in on Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali's buzzed-about new restaurant? It'll cost you plenty.

There's a discussion thread about this topic: Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali

Cantonese, redefined / by S. Irene Virbila

Triumphal Palace in Alhambra is given a 3* rating. At Triumphal Palace in Alhambra, each dish is flawlessly executed. The dim sum is meticulous, the roast pig sublime. Lighted by soft, molded glass fixtures covered with a Chinese lattice, this is not your typical Chinese restaurant. Even the service, from the manager down to the runners and bus staff, is exceptional for any restaurant, and highly unusual for a Chinese restaurant.

WINE OF THE WEEK / S. Irene Virbila

2004 Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre: Loire Valley; about $22; crisp and aromatic; goes with oysters, steamed mussels, seared scallops, sautéed squid and other seafood.The 2004 from Hippolyte Reverdy, always one of the best producers in Sancerre, is absolute textbook Sauvignon Blanc.

For the record

Four Oaks co-owner — An article last Wednesday about restaurant closures misspelled the last name of Four Oaks co-owner Larry Braun, a Los Angeles attorney, as Brown.

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Calendarlive Stories on Thursday

The real beauty of it is ... / by S. Irene Virbila

Critic's notebook on Bella in Hollywood. The owners of Dolce and Geisha House

open up their latest addition, Italian-American that's open till midnight on weekends. Bella looks the part of urban red sauce Italian restaurant. Now that it's got the part — and the audience — the kitchen needs to hunker down and get serious with the cucina.

Red sauce Italian / by Leslee Komaiko

Truffle-accented risotto and delicate pumpkin-stuffed ravioli are all well and good. But sometimes you just want a big plate of spaghetti.

Includes five restaurants: Dan Tana's on Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood; Carmine's II on Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Mama D's on Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach; Maggiano's Little Italy on The Grove Drive, L.A.; Jacopo's on N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills.

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