MAY 17, 2012 -
A twofer today. Lunch at Barney;s Gourmet Hamburgers and dinner at Panzanella, both in Sherman Oaks CA and both recommended at atLarrys.com. Passed on a sandwich for lunch and had a very good Chinese chicken salad. For dinner it was Panzanella’s excellent mushroom soup followed by spinach and ricotta cheese stuffed ravioli in a perfect tomato and garlic sauce. With Jennifer back on her feet after her knee replacement surgery, we are back among ‘em at dinner time. Cooking at home for three weeks without repeating a meal was fun. But it’s good to be back on the playground.

MAY 14, 2012 -
Melisse was jam packed tonight for a seven-course foie gras dinner to raise funds for the effort to delay or repeal the ban on foie gras is scheduled to go into effect in California July 1. California will then be the only place in the U.S. where foie gras is banned. Top chefs from seven different restaurants were on hand to prepare the food.

MAY 13, 2012 -
In keeping with our long-held habit of staying away from restaurants on days like Mother’s Day, Valentines Day, etc. we opted for brunch at home today with nephew Bryan, niece Lisa, and their three children – Cassidy, Justin and Nathan. It will be a lox and bagels breakfast. Lox and smoked cod from Brent’s Deli in Northridge CA and bagels and cream cheese from Western Bagel in Van Nuys. You can read my recommendation of Brent’s at http://www.atlarrys.com. Western Bagel was the winner of the plain water bagel category of our bagel taste-off last year. Interested in bagels. Go to the menu at the right side of this page. Click on Ethnic Dining and then Jewish. Look for “Bagels Aren’t Jewish Anymore”. Also take a look at “And the Winners Are” for taste-off results. Want to read more about Brent’s and delis. Click on Food Books and read the review of “Save the Deli.”

MAY 12, 2012 -
I just had my eighth different type of sausage for lunch today at Brats Brothers in Sherman Oaks CA. This time it was the Bavarian – beer infused smoked pork. On their great rolls – not buns – it was fabulous. I still haven’t had one there that I wouldn’t want to reprise.

MAY 11, 2012 -
Just thinkin’, and I don’t know why. I stop at Gelson’s market on the way home from work probably four days a week, sometimes five. And then again once or twice on the weekend. It gives me the flexibility to decide during the day what I want to make for dinner and then buy it on the way home. Chicken and meats are unfrozen. They’ll cut to order for me. I can decide which fish looks best and hasn’t been frozen. Vegis are always fresher. Often, it makes me think of my mother. We moved into Burbank CA in 1950. There was a fairly nice market around the corner and one block down. But a year later the first Gelson’s opened at the intersection of Victory Blvd. and Hollywood Way – about a mile from home. Mom was hooked. When she would send me out on a quick shopping trip, I could walk around the corner to Spector’s or ride my bike to Gelson’s depending on what was needed. Now, 61 years later, Gelson’s has grown into a chain of stores and I’m still shopping at one of them.

MAY 10, 2012 -
Guessing game. Anyone who’s been reading this online food magazine for any time at all should get this one. We were housebound for dinner for three weeks during Jennifer’s recovery from knee replacement surgery. This week the doctor green lighted her to go out for dinner, wine and all. Where do you think we went the first night?

MAY 9, 2012 -
Want to join me at a six-course Foie Gras dinner created by some of California’s top chefs the evening of Monday, May 14 at Melisse in Santa Monica and Lemon Moon in West Los Angeles. It’s called “The Whole Duck” and it’s being held to raise funds for the fight against the California Foie Gras ban that is scheduled to go into effect July 1. I’m planning to be at Melisse, one of my two favorite restaurants in the state. Tickets for either event are $200. That includes wine, tax and gratuity and a donation to C.H.E.F.S., the organization spearheading the fight against the ban. Foie Gras and duck appear on every course on the menu. Tickets can be ordered only a www.chefsmelisse.eventbrite.com. Once you’ve bought your tickets you’ll need to phone the restaurant for a reservation time.

MAY 8, 2012 -
This month is the seventh anniversary of Boss Sushi on La Cienega in Beverly Hills. 10% off on all sushi before 8 p.m. each night. Go to http://www.atlarrys.com and read the recommendation for this restaurant. The sushi is very good and I don’t know of a place for a greater variety of excellent cut rolls.

MAY 5, 2012 -
He may have won a Pulitzer Prize, but L.A. Times food writer Jonathan Gold would flunk out of any journalism school I attended. He may have broken his own recent record today with a sentence that ran on for 89 words. There are others at 85 words,  60 words and 54 words. My J school teachers and professors preached the 26-word rule – no sentence should run longer than 26 words. There’s a legend – who knows if it’s true – that a NY Times copy editor once received a story from one of their reporters with a series of sentences that exceeded 26 words, some by a long way. So the editor just put a period after every 26th word and capitalized the next word. Gold seems to know the location of every punctuation key on his computer except the period. One paragraph today is one sentence that is 85 words long with seven commas, two hyphens, two semi-colons, and a colon. Other than that, the restaurant he reviewed sounds like a place I would like to try. It’s Tar & Roses in Santa Monica. www.latimes.com/food

MAY 4, 2012 -
Southern California Edision officials have done something almost unheard of in the annals of nuclear power generation. They have admitted there is a safety risk to operating the San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Diego County. Today’s L.A. Times reports utility officials are thinking of asking permission to restart the plant at less than full power to lessen the chances of a repeat of the pipe failures and leaks that have kept the plant shut down since January. It’s a marked deviation from the standard “no danger to the public” assurances nuclear offials usually parrot. Click on over to our article on the lessons of Fukushima to learn of the potential risks California’s two nuclear plants pose to the state’s agriculture.

MAY 3, 2012 -
INTIMIDATED? The chefs opposing the impending ban on production and sale of foie gras in California appear to have failed in their  search for a legislator willling to carry a bill to  repeal or delay implementation of the ban. I spoke with a few legislators, who might ordinarily have considered working with the chefs, and they all begged off. Their reasons came down to unwillingness to be subjected to what they perceive as tactics of intimidation by backers of the ban. Today the leadership of both houses of the legislature said they will not permit the issue to be brought up now, with another fight over the state budget looming in the next several weeks. It appears the ban will go into effect as schedule July 1.

MAY 2, 2012 -
BUSTED. Wolfgang Puck, one of the nation’s most famous chefs, has been busted. Puck has been a champion of the impendng ban on the production and sale of foie gras in California. He went so far as sending two letters to California chefs, urging them to support the ban. Puck has claimed he has not served foie gras at his restaurants since 2007. Now, the San Francisco Chronicle has published an article claiming foie gras is served at the Singapore branch of Puck’s Cut restaurant and that service of foie gras is permitted upon request at private functions at Puck restaurants. Puck has refused to comment, but his public relations department has admitted the dish is served at private functions at his restaurants upon request, according to Examiner.com. One chef told Table Talk atLarrys.com they have copies of invoices for Puck from Hudson Valley Farms in New York. A full-length article on the brewing foie gras war will be published at Table Talk in the next few days.

MAY 1, 2012 -
Foie Gras wars are brewing in Sacramento as 100 of the state’s top chef’s launch a belated effort to repeal the ban set to go into effect July 1. The chefs have hired some high-powered lobbying help. At the same time John Burton, the legislator who wrote the law seven years ago, is fighting back. Still powerful as head of the state Democratic Party and a presence in the Capitol, Burton reportedly is making impassioned phone calls to legislators in both parties trying to head off any attempt to repeal the bill or delay it’s implementation. We’ll have a more comprehensive report in a couple of days.

APRIL 30, 2012 -
Last night was our 14th dinner at home since Jennifer was released from the hospital after her knee replacement surgery. 14 dinners without a repeat and only one take out. Last year, after her hip replacement, we went 30 consecutive nights without repeating a dinner. I won’t make it that far this year because of a busy work schedule. In the meantime there probably are a whole string of restaurants wondering what happened to us. I don’t think we’ve gone this long, while we were in town, without dinner at Panzanella since the hip surgery a year ago.

APRIL 29, 2012 -
It was the photo on the front of this week’s Parade Magazine insert in our Sunday paper that caught my eye – three chefs including Cat Cora. The story, How Top Chefs Stay Slim, seemed interesting. It isn’t. It’s just the same old stuff about exercising and careful eating. What could have been a fun article was just palaver. At the back of the magazine there is an article about actor Zac Efron’s recipe for Santa Maria-Style Barbecue. Efron is the star of the new movie The Lucky One. Just one thing wrong with the full page piece. It isn’t even close to Santa Maria Barbecue. Most of the flavoring ingredients come out of a jar. The beans are “canned ranch-style beans” instead of pinquitos. For the authentic recipes for Santa Maria Barbecue, click on the link above.

APRIL 28, 2012 -
DOOMED. Are the L.A. Times food pages doomed. I know. I said I wouldn’t pick on the Times food pages anymore. And for a couple of weeks I kept that promise. But they are an embarassment for our hometown newspaper and today … Three pages with only one advertisement. And that’s for a furniture store. The markets, restaurants, kitchen stores – they’ve all given up. And without advertising no newspaper can long survive. So, what’s next? Save money by eliminating the cost of paper and ink and let go of the staff? 20% of today’s food pages are given over to an article about tatooed chefs. And the online version of the Times food pages are a horrible hodgepodge. Once again, more content at this online food magazine than in today’s Times food pages.

APRIL 26, 2012 -
That cow with mad cow disease, it was a dairy cow and the disease cannot be passed to humans through milk. So, back to the steak house. In the meantime the talk shows have had a field day with debates between consumer groups and the cattlemen’s association people. The consumer groups have taken the opportunity to tell us how bad inspection is in the U.S. and how good it is in Japan and England. The cattlemen’s association says it proves who well the regulatory process is working. The truth probably is somewhere in between.

APRIL 25, 2012 -
Awoke this a.m. to a report that mad cow disease has been found in one dead cow in California. The cow apparently died of natural causes and was at a rendering plant when the disease was discovered. Cattle industry representatives reasure the discovery proves the inspection system is working. Certainly did in this instance. But apparently only about 40,000 cows are tested in the U.S. each year. Next step is to identify from where the cow came and keep a close eye on it’s known associates. Stop eating beef? Not unless you live your life in a constant state of paranoia.

APRIL 24, 2012 -
A little slice of heaven – that’s Gemini Fish Market in Issaquah WA. Today’s email informs the store has “sashimi toro-grade Pacific bluefin tuna.” It goes on to say, “Do not confuse this with ‘toro’, which is giant bluefin belly … This is fresh Pacific bluefin that is graded ‘toro’ because of the big fat content and creamy texture.” So, I learned something new: toro-grade is not necessarily toro. Now, can I find toro-grade Pacific bluefin at any of my local fish markets. There are times when I am very jealous of my son John and his family. They live about a mile from Gemini Fish Market.

APRIL 21, 2012 -
Another institution gone. The 100-year-old Sam Wo Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown will close tonight and not re-open. The reason, according to today’s L.A. Times, is the high cost and difficulty of bringing the aged facility up to health and safety code standards.  The restaurant is reputed to be the oldest in Chinatown. Owners plan to appeal the health department findings but say they hold out little hope that the restaurant could be brought up to code at an affordable price.

APRIL 17, 2012 -
Unless you can spot the difference between red snapper and tillapia, there’s a good chance you have been sold the cheaper fish and charged for the more expensive. Some 74 restaurants and grocery stores were surveyed. DNA testing allegedly found up to 100% of some fish are being mislabeled and sold as something they aren’t. See what you think about the credibility of the testing. Read the L.A. Times article in today’s paper – http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-seafood-fraud-report-20120417,0,7409070.story

APRIL 16, 2012 -
The It’s Our Right to Know campaign is trying to qualify an initiative measure for the November California ballot that would require companies to lable foods that contain geneically modified organisms – GMOs. They need to turn in 560,000 valid signtures by April 22 and want to collect 850,000 signatures to be safe. For more information or to get involved, the web site is LabelGMOs.org.

APRIL 15, 2012 -
The 10th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational is scheduled at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Saturday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $15. Want to enter the contest? That’s $50. Rules and entry forms as well as ticketing are available at http://grilledcheeseinvitational.com

APRIL 12, 2012 -
News from Gemini Fish Market in Issaquah WA – Columbia River Spring Chinook and Alaska White King salmon are running wild and the prices are dropping. Ask your fish monger. Read ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SALMON ON YOUR PLATE above.

APRIL 11, 2012 -
This time it’s Food & Wine. The cover story is “BEST RECIPES from the world’s best travelers”. And then there’s “BEST NEW PASTRY CHEFS and their simplest recipes” on the same cover.  There’s that word again – “best”, three times on the same cover. GRRRR. (See previous entry for the rant.)

APRIL 9, 2012 -
“BEST STEAK IN AMERICA” – that’s the cover story on the latest issue of Saveur. Come on. Isn’t it time to stop proclaiming things as the best. Best steak, best sushi bar, best martini, best pizza … There is no such thing as the best and anyone who buys a magazine because they think they will learn what is the best gets what they deserve. The best is a subjective judgment. How can anyone proclaim anything as being the best without accounting for taste and without having sampled all available options? And tastes change. That’s why we shun the use of the word at this online magazine and in the restaurant recommendations we publish at atLarrys.com. We have a feature called My Most Memorable Meal because we think that makes more sense. My most memorable meal may or may not have been the best meal I’ve ever eaten. There have been so many great meals I have no idea which was the best. As for the most memorable, it took some thought but I finally zeroed in on a lunch at Al Valu in the hills overlooking Lago Como in northern Italy.

APRIL 8, 2012 -
KNBC-TV in Los Angeles reported on its 11 o’clock news broadcast last night that scientists, who found elevated levels of radiation in kelp growing off the coast of Southern California after the Fukushim nuclear plant disaster, now want to study possible elevated radiation levels in fish in the area. We published an article a year ago about the potential contamination of Pacific albacore, which would migrate from the coast of Japan to the Pacific Northwest. You can read the full KNBC report at http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Scientist-Study-Nuclear-Contamination-Fish-Kelp-Japan-Tsunami-Ocean-California-Shores-146359685.html. You can read our most recent article about the threat to California’s agriculture and the nation’s food supply posed by the state’s two nuclear power plants in the article about San Onofre at this online food magazine.

APRIL 6, 2012 -
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing is going to take on ketchup for the title of all-American condiment. A new version of the dressing is being released in a ketchup-like bottle with the slogan “The New Ketchup – for Everything Topping & Dip.” Clorox, the owner of Hidden Valley, proclaims: “prefect accompaniment to your burgers and fries, replace ketchup and barbecue sauce …” The new product will be thicker and creamier than the original but with the same taste – except for a spicier salsa version. They have a long way to go to catch up.

APRIL 4, 2012 -
In case you hadn’t noticed, California-grown asparagus and artichokes are in the stores. I had some big, fat, delicious sauted (in olive oil) asparagus tonight with a moist and tasty pan seared piece of king salmon.  I remember a bunch of years ago – sometime in the mid-1980s – I was co-managing an election campaign in Monterey County. I had to go up there a few times each month. I would take an empty suit case or flight bag with me. On the way to the airport to come home I would stop at a roadside stand and load up on fresh picked, local asparagus and artichokes. When I got home, I would parcel them out to family and friends. Is that locally-grown ahead of its time. It wasn’t as if I was having them shipped. I was up there anyway. Also, last week I saw the first-of-the-season domestic – California-grown – blueberries in the market. They’re still expensive. But they’re here.

APRIL 3, 2012 -
One of Japan’s best known and loved delicacies may be finished for a long time to come. Shitake mushrooms, which are grown in the forests near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, absorb radioactive cesium from the soil. They are high on the list of hundreds of food products the Japanese government is warning people to avoid because they exceed safe radiation limits. Read about the threat nuclear power poses to California’s agriculture and its role in the national and world food chain in the article featured on this magazine – Leaky Pipes Keep San Onofre Nuclear Plant Shutdown.

APRIL 1, 2012 (NO FOOLING) -
“Studies have snown that dark chockolate ma help keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing, and your heart healthy.” No, that message is not an April Fool joke and it didn’t originate at the Godiva Chocolate factory. It comes from Kaiser Permanente, the giant health care operation that likes to stress prevention of illness. You can look in on the Kaiser heart health page at http://www.kp.org/heart. The notice about chocolate, which I received in the mail as a Kaiser member, concludes of course with “moderation is advised.”

MARCH 31, 2012 -
Don’t be shocked, but dinner tonight was at home. I had the time so I cooked. I did chicken in a morel mushroom sauce with mashed potatoes and sauted asparagus. It’s an original recipe I developed several months ago. Click on over to Recipes on the right side of this home page. Then click on Kitchen Quikies and scroll down to Chicken With Morels. Never fear, though. We’ll be back out among ‘em come tomorrow night.

*****
Chaos continues at the L.A. Times food pages. I know, I said I was through picking on the Times. This week it’s just three pages plus a large photo. No Russ Parsons. S. Irene Virbila reduced to three paragraphs – one for each of three bakeries and no restaurant review – and Jonathan Gold is back with his long, long sentences. One today hit 66 words. OK. Now I’ll try to lay off and accept the fact that this is going to be our future.

MARCH 30, 2012 -
I’ve been eating frogs’ legs most of my life. My son, John, ordered them at the old Windsor Room in L.A. when he was 6 years old and the waiter couldn’t contain himself. I had an appetizer portion of about a dozen frogs’ legs tonight at Le Sanglier in Tarzana. This fine French restaurant serves up some of the best frogs’ legs I’ve ever eaten. They aren’t on the menu every night. But if you don’t see them, ask. Read my full recommendation of Le Sanglier at atLarrys.com – http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 29, 2012 -
California State Assemblymember Bill Monning has dropped his legislation to keep food trucks further away from schools when children may be present. In proposing the legislation, Monning said quality and gourmet food trucks don’t look to school children for customers. It’s the high-fat, high-sodium, junk-food trucks that park outside schools at lunch time and after school, he said. But many food truck chefs lined up against the bill. Monning said he dropped the bill because he didn’t have enough votes to pass it. He promised to work in other ways to combat juvenile obesity.

MARCH 28, 2012 -
The almond trees in the central valley are blossoming and it’s beautiful. I find the central valley – yes, the I5 – to be inspiring. It is one of the world’s richest and most productive sources of food. California feeds the nation and the world. But since Fukushima I can’t help but be mindful of the threat to all this posed by two nuclear power plants that are closer to our agricultural heartland than the range of radioactive contamination after the Japanese accident. Click on Article in the menu at the right side of the page and then click on Fukushima to read an indepth article on the nuclear threat to California agriculture.

MARCH 27, 2012 -
Dinner tonight at Biba in Sacramento, one of my two favorite restaurants in California. The food that comes out of Biba’s kitchen always is spectacular. It’s the only place where I will order calamari fritti. The gnocchi is as good as I’ve ever tasted – better than most. I had sauted sweet breads tonight followed by Italian lamb stew – lots of tender tasty pieces of lamb in a delightful, thick stew of vegetables with white beans. It isn’t just the food that makes Biba one of my favorites. The room is elegant yet comfortable and most nights Biba herself is strolling the floor to greet guests.

MARCH 25, 2012 -
There’s a bountiful early harvest of blue crabs being hauled up at Chesapeake Bay, according to a report in the L.A. Times this morning out of Newport News, VA. Seems the warmer than usual winter kept the water warmer than usual and that has sent the crabs in search of food several weeks earlier than usual. And they are finding all the food they want in the crab pots.

MARCH 24, 2012 -
It’s time for me to stop complaining about what has happened to the former food section of the L.A. Times. It has shrunk just as almost every other section of every other paper that hasn’t folded altogether has shrunk. As for the Times, they are now food pages, not a food section. Last week it was three pages plus a front page devoted to promotion. This week it’s simply three pages and just seven articles or features. As I have pointed out before, we have more content on this online food magazine than the Times has in it’s print pages. And I find the Times’ online food effort to be jumbled, confusing and not graphically pleasing. But all that, while it may be true, also is self-serving. What the Times pages lack in quantity, is somewhat offset by quality. Noelle Carter’s piece on cheese making is interesting and something I’m going to try. S. Irene Virbila’s review of a new restaurant in Baldwin Hills – Post & Beam – makes me want to try the place. Jonathan Gold still can’t seem to find the period key on his keyboard. This week’s longest sentence – 68 words, with several others eclipsing the 50-word mark. Whatever happened to the journalism school directive of no sentence longer than 26 words. And with that, I will try to stay away from the subject of the L.A. Times food pages in future weeks.

MARCH 23, 2012 -
My favorite dinner companion … my favorite companion is just outside of Seattle, visiting our son, daughter-in-law and grand children. I’m working long and tiring days and don’t feel like cooking when I get home. Last night I went to Panzanella in Sherman Oaks by myself and had a Cesar salad and gnocchi verdi. Tonight I tried a Japanese restuarant in our neighborhood – in the same mall as Kennara Thai. The place was packed and tables were  re-seated quickly as diners finished and left. I didn’t know there were so many Japanese living our our neighborhood. Probably three-quarters of the people at Kyushu Ramen were Japanese. It’s a restaurant in two rooms with three menus – a ramen menu, a Japanese menu and a sushi menu. Tonight I had a sea weed salad and six types of sushi. I’ll go back a time or two before deciding if I want to recommend it at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation web site. In the meantime, you can read recommendations of Kennara and Panzanella at http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 21, 2012 -
I expanded my repertoire at Brats Brothers Gourmet Sausage Grill in Sherman Oaks today. At lunch I tried the smoked pork Black Forest sausage. It was very good, as have been every sausage I’ve eaten at Brats. I was still hungry. So, I had a Hot Italian, which I had tried before. This is getting confusing – this business of trying to decide which is my favorite. I think it just might be the Hungarian. Read a recommendation of Brats Brothers at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation web site. http://www.atlarrys.com.

MARCH 20, 2012 -
Three weeks without sushi … it may be a record of sorts. The drought ended tonight at Boss Sushi in Beverly Hills. My friend Amanda and I may have been the only customers in the place over 40, except for the guy sitting next to me at the bar. Chef Koji told us they had just one reservation for the night, yet the place was packed. Lots of walk ins.  The abashiri scallops are Boss are the only scallop sushi I will order anywhere. Tonight’s uni was super. Read a recommendation for Boss Sushi at http://www.atlarrys.com.

MARCH 19, 2012 -
If a doctor ever says, “Nuts to you”, pay close attention. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine says eating a handful of nuts each day can lower your blood cholesterol. 25 people ate 2.3 ounces of nuts each day. Their bad cholesterol dropped 7.4 percent and their triglycerides – the amount of fat in their blood – dropped 10.2 percent. The nuts they ate included walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamias. Some of them appear on lists of nuts to avoid on a low cholesterol diet. Go figure. As nuts are high in fat, the study advises to factor the calories into your daily total.

MARCH 18, 2012 -
Lunchtime at Art’s Deli in Studio City on a Sunday and the place is packed. The look and the buzz reminds of some of the great old Manhattan delis, when there were great Manhattan delis. Residents of the valley are twice blessed when it comes to delis. Art’s and Brent’s in Northridge are as good as they come. I was at Art’s for lunch a few weeks ago and it happened to be Art’s birthday. He was at a table at the back with some friends and we all sang Happy Birthday for him. “Every sandwich is a work of Art” is the slogan of this 50+ year old deli and it’s no overstatement. Read recommendations for Art’s and Brent’s at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation website – http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 17, 2012 -
Week II update on the L.A. Times food pages in the new Saturday section. It can’t be called a food section because it’s only three pages of content plus one page of promotion. So, we’ll call it the food pages. But what’s there is worth reading. A nice and informative piece by Betty Hallock on the transformation taking place on Sawtelle Blvd., S. Irene Virbila has an interesting piece on how food fads come and go from the restaurant scene, and Jonathan Gold offers a solid article dining in Koreatown. While the quality is good, the quantity can’t rightfully be called quantity. There are just four articles plus a few sidebars. We have nearly triple that content right here at Table Talk atLarrys.com.

*****
The Pixies are back. Those most wonderful of tangerines are back in the markets. I saw the first batch while shopping today. These are the tangerines that succeeded against great odds. You can see an essay on the history and challenges faced in developing these sweet, seedless, late season tangerines by clicking on Essays in the menu on the home page of this online food magazine. Then click on It’s Pixie Time.

*****
This time it was the Hungarian sausage at Brats Brothers in Sherman Oaks. These are a bit more spicy that some of the others I’ve tried. They bring a nice warmth to the tongue and leave a pleasant afterglow. I’d probably rank the Hungarian right below the Hot Italian on my list of favorites. Read my recommendation of Brats Brothers at the restaurant recommendation website atLarrys.com  – http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 16, 2012 -
The branzino at Panzanella is consistently outstanding – either the whole fish grilled and filleted tableside, or fillets as I had it last night. Three nice size pieces with the skin beautifully browned, topped with a morel mushroom sauce and served with an assortment of vegetables and mashed potatoes. I started with a half order of Panzanella d’ farrow, a varitation on the more traditional Panzanella salad. This one is served with a slight chill, near room temperature. It’s perfectly cooked farrow with chopped tomato, cucumber and onion with basil in olive oil and a little balsemic vinegar. A full order is enough for two, so I have a half order. Read my enthusiastic recommendation of this fine San Fernando Valley restaurant at http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 15, 2012 -
Here’s a tip if you end up at Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers and are trying to stay off the red meat and fat. The Barney’s Chicken sandwich is one of the better grilled chicken breast sandwiches around. Problem for those of use trying to be health conscious is that the fries are so great – skinny or thick, aah. Read the recommenation for Barney’s Bourmet Hamburgers at http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 14, 2012 -
I had been hearing good things about The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica for a year or so. Last night, we went there with our cousins, Barry and Beverly. I had a Colorado rack of lamb that was as good as any rack of lamb I’ve ever eaten. The Penthouse is a high energy bar with restaurant tables on either side. The bar crowd is young, well-dressed and alive. There’s a great ocean view at the tables to one side of the bar.

MARCH 13, 2012 -
Angelini Osteria on Beverly Blvd. is my favorite lunch place in L.A. I was there today with visiting cousins Barry and Beverly. We shared four appetizers and it was plenty of food. That’s the way I like to do lunch at Angelini. At dinner I’ll go for the bigger, heavier dishes. Today it was octopus, bone marrow gnocchetti, sweet Italian sausages and sea scallops. I got there from my office in the Valley in 15 minutes. I don’t know what’s up with L.A. traffic the last week or so, but I’m just flying around town – getting place 15 to 30 minutes early. Read my recommendation of Angelini Osteria at http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 12, 2012 -
One of the most recognizable men in the country walks into a restaurant and hardly a head turns. That’s life in L.A. and dinner at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. Not only is he recognizable, he’s also seven feet tall. Hard to miss basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but in this town and in this place he drew little more than casual glances as he walked through the room with two other people. Then everyone quickly returned to their lobsters in Shanghai sauce, crispy spinach, grilled lamb chops, black cod and all the other unique specialties of this wonderful restaurant. My friend and State Senator Rod Wright says it’s his favorite restaurant in the world, and he’s eaten at some great ones. Rod’s recommendation of Chinois appears at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation website. We were there tonight with our cousins Barry and Beverly Wellman from Toronto. It was a reprise of an excellent meal we had at Chinois with them several years ago. http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 11, 2012 -
L.A. restaurants have turned amuse-bouche into an extra course. Last night at Melisse we were served four items before we ever ordered our dinner. Tonight at Providence it was three items before ordering. Are the chefs showing off; are they bored; are they experimenting? Restaurants run on a pretty tight profit margin. So there must be something else going on with this business of giving away free food. It isn’t really free, of course. The price is built into the menu items. Once upon a time amuse-bouche was a novelty that made the diner feel special. Now, I wonder if customers have come to expect it. Anyway, the cheese cart at Providence is sensational and the servings are generous. The Ugly Bunch cold, raw appetizer is fun – geoduck, abalone and uni in a smoked creme fraiche. For my main, I had turbot for the first time in a long, long time. I love that fish, but it has all but vanished from the markets and menus.

*****
I stopped in at Hugo’s Tacos in Studio City for lunch today. For a place with difficult access and egress, this little food stand does an very big business. I don’t know that I’ve ever been there and not found a line at the order window. But they move quickly and the waits are never very long. I had my favorite today – carnitas burrito with tomatillo and jalapeno salsa.

MARCH 10, 2012 -
The crowd at Melisse tonight seemed younger than usual. The house was pretty full, with a number of tables turning over for more than one seating. Nice to see that during what are supposed to be difficult economic times. But, as we’ve become aware over the last few years, the times are more difficult for some than for others. Tempted as I was to go for the Foie for All seven course foie gras menu, I opted for some restraint. I did have the seared foir gras – excellent. That’s my favorite way to eat foie gras. We’ve got to do something to repeal the ban. As of July 1 it will be illegal to produce or serve foir gras in California. No other state has such a ban. But we don’t start out with a very big constituency to organize a repeal. Less than one percent of the population eats foie gras.  Chicago banned foie gras several years ago. Then the restaurant association rose up and succeeded in having it repealed. So, where is the restaurant association in California. They fought like hell against smoking bans a few years back. Why not fight the foie gras ban now. Melisse is one of my two favorite restaurants in California. You can read my full  recommendation at the restaurant recommendation website Table Talk atLarrys.com – http://www.atlarrys.com

*****

After all the hype and hoopla, the L.A. Times new SATURDAY section made it’s debut today. The food section, transplanted from it’s old stand-alone Thursday position, occupies the first four pages of the new section, although one of those pages is a full-page super market ad. What’s left is three pages that contain just seven articles. S. Irene Virbila’s review of Wolfgang Puck’s revival of the restaurant at the Bel-Air Hotel tells me I want to get there as quickly as possible. Any place with guinea fowl on the menu is going to call to me. But just seven articles in the food section of a paper in a major metropolitan area? We have more content than that every day at the online food magazine you are reading right now.

*****
MARCH 9, 2012 -
The energy on a Friday night at The Lobster at the foot of Santa Monica Pier is electric. It is one of the qunitessential restaurants of Los Angeles – young, happy, pretty people gathering to have a good time in the balmy pre-spring air with the Pacific Ocean just a few steps away. Dinner at The Lobster tonight was grilled Spanish octopus and steamed Maine lobster. Jennifer had New Zealand cockles and a beet salad. We were joined by cousins Barry and Beverly Wellman, who are visiting from Toronto. Last summer they showed us some of their favorite eateries in Toronto. Now it’s out turn. Read my recommendation of The Lobster at atLarrys.com – http://www.atlarrys.com. You also can read about our dining experiences in Toronto by clicking on Travel in the menu of this online magazine and then go to A Food Lover’s Journey.

*****
Good on you, L.A. Times. Starting this weekend L.A. Times no longer will award stars as part of it restaurant review rating system. The reasons they give all are solid. I can’t count the times I would read a review that added up to “I won’t go there” only to see the place get two or more stars. They were silly simplifications of often complex and thoughtful writing. This brings the Times in line with the restaurant recommendation website atLarrys.com, where there not only are no stars, but there are no negative reviews. The policy of the site is “if it isn’t good enough to recommend to a friend, relative or colleague, we won’t list it. You go to this site to learn of places to eat, not place not to eat.” It’s http://www.atlarrys.com

*****
Santa Monica is about to become the culinary center of our lives for a few days. Our cousins are arriving from Toronto for a visit today. Its starts with dinner tonight at The Lobster at the foot of the Santa Monica Pier. Saturday it will be foie gras and more at Melisse. Monday we’re book at Chinois on Main and Tuesday it will be my first visit to The Penthouse at The Handley. Squeezed in Sunday will be Providence and lunch Tuesday is at Angelini Osteria. The Lobster, Melisse, Chinois and Angelini are all recommended at atLarrys.com. You can read about them at http://www.atlarrys.com

*****
MARCH 8, 2012 -
Sunday is the first anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. This online food magazine was the first publication to write of the threat the plant posed to the world’s food supply. That was just two weeks after the accident. We have done a total of three pieces on the subject. The most recent one draws on the lessons of Fukushima to discuss the threat to California’s agricultural economy and the national and world food supply  posed by possible earthquakes near San Onofre or Diable Canyon nuclear plants. Now, EnviroReporter.com has a piece on how radiation from Japan has reached California since the Fukushima disasters. You can read it at http://www.enviroreporter.com/2012/02/beta-watch/

*****

The chicken chow mein at Kannara in Van Nuys is among the best I’ve ever eaten. It’s a Thai restaurant but this chow mein reminds me of what I used to get at a kid at the Chinese restaurant around the corner from where we lived in Brooklyn. The sui mai like dumplings also are a treat. Read about Kannara at the restaurant recommendation website atLarrys.com – http://www.atlarrys.com

*****
Once there was a time, when I waited all week for the Thursday L.A. Times. That was the day I could read George Skelton’s political column and David Shaw in the food section. I still look forward to George’s columns twice a week. But every Thursday morning since David died in 2005 I have been reminded of him, when the Times arrived without his writing in the food section. In the intervening years the Times food section has become a ghost of its former self. As of today it all went away. Today the L.A. Times food section is no more. It has vanished to be merged into some mutation of a Saturday section. Yes, there is the promise of the addition of Jonathan Gold’s writing and reviews. But even with Gold on board, a major newspaper without a meaningful food section is an embarassment.

MARCH 7, 2012
California State Assemblymember Bill Monning has a bill to prohibit food trucks from operating within 1,500 of a school between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. It’s AB 1678. Critics claim it would damage the burgeoning food truck movement. Supporters point out gourmet food trucks don’t park at schools to sell their high end wares. They say it’s only the old style junk food “roach coaches” and seek out student customers and their presence counters the efforts by schools to provide healthier diets to students. The bill is awaiting hearing in the Assembly Health Committee. You can read the bill at the Assembly webside – http://assembly.ca.gov/. The L.A. Times had an article on the bill this week. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-trucks-20120304,0,4188494.story

MARCH 6, 2012
Of all the things I’ve had to give up, or cut back on, since my cardiac bypass surgery, sausages have been one of the most difficult. So, I allow myself a treat every so often. Like tonight at Brats Brothers in Sherman Oaks. I had the Hungarian, which was excellent. The skin snapped with each bight. It’s a pork sausage, and oh, those rolls. Jennifer had the hot Italian, which isn’t at all overly spicy. I had that one the first time I visited Brats and it’s still my favorite. The Hungarian now ranks second favorite. The German and Polish, which I’ve had on earlier visits, also are wonderful. We shared an order of fries – plenty for two – and a side of Grandma’s saurkraut. My Hofbrau lager had a nice malty flavor. Jennifer loved her Spaten lager. Read my recommendation of Brats Brothers at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation website – http://www.atlarrys.com
* * * * *
Dinner last night at Panzanella in Sherman Oaks. Love to see a restaurant busy on a Monday night. Many years ago, at a long-gone Italian restaurant called Virgilio’s, I learned to appreciate a good piece of grilled white fish with a side of spaghetti instead of vegetables. Grilled white fish was on the specials menu last night. So, I ordered it and asked them to hold the vegis and bring me a side of spag with olive oil and garlic. After an aranchini appetizer and with a glass of barolo, this was wonderful. Yes. Red wine with fish. So, sue me. You can read my recommendation of Panzanella at atLarrys.com, the restaurant recommendation website – http://www.atlarrys.com

MARCH 5, 2012
Ricio Camacho is a mole genius. But when it comes to business sense, the jury is still out.
Ricio first drew attention with her rich variety of sauses and Moles La Tia in East L.A. In 2010 she moved on to become head chef at the more upscale La Huasteca in Lynwood’s wonderful Plaza Mexico. A year later she was gone from there. Then, late in 2011 she opened her own place, Ricio’s Mole De Los Dioses in Bell CA. And then Jan. 14, 2012, she opened a second place with the same name, this oone in Sun Valley CA.
We were at the Sun Valley restaurant Friday night (March 2) and things were pretty grim. Our party of four and another party of two were the only people in the place at 8 p.m. The food was excellent. But if things don’t pick up this place isn’t going to make it. I hear the Bell location is struggling also. In both cases the question is whether the restaurant is too pricey for the neighborhood. The Bell site is in a heavily industrial area. The Sun Valley restaurant is in a corner of the San Fernando Valley that is not on the radar for any of the rest of the Valley.

MARCH 4, 2012
Soft shell crab followed by frogs legs, with roasted potato, pureed turnip and steamed green beans for dinner tonight at Le Sanglier in Tarzana. I love frogs legs and this place does them really well. Jennifer had a new item on the menu – baked Alaskan black cod. She said it was excellent. Your can read my recommendation of Le Sanglier at the restaurant recommendation web site atLarrys.com – http://www.atlarrys.com/

By Larry Levine -

Suppose you went to the most upscale restaurant in your city, one with a couple of Michelin stars on the wall. You order the most expensive, tasty and elaborate meal on the menu. You put it in a plastic box, shrink wrapped it and flash freeze it.

Now take it home and put it in the freezer for 24 hours. Defrost it and heat it in a convection oven. What do you think you would have for dinner that night?

Airline food. That’s right, airline food.

Any chance the medium rare steak you took home from Chez Michelin still would be medium rare by the time you ate it? Could that piece of fish possibly be moist and delicious? Would the chicken breast be anything but dried out?

Of course not. It’s airline food.

Despite recent efforts by some airlines, airline food still ranges between problematic and awful. In the last few years airlines have hired experts to look for scientific reasons why airline food is so bad. They’ve hired celebrity chefs to devise new recipes. And they’ve run test kitchens and invited people to taste and evaluate what they are turning out. All to little or no avail.

Part of the problem is there is a near total disconnect between and among these efforts.

Studies show up to 80% of what we consider taste actually is smell. But before a plane even leaves the ground the humidity in the cabin is dropped to prevent corrosion of the fuselage. Passengers in coach give off body heat that keeps humidity at about 15%. In first class it drops to about 5%. That lowered humidity causes evaporation of the nasal mucus that helps passengers’ odor receptors function. That’s fine if the guy next to you hasn’t bathed, or the baby across the aisle needs a diaper changed, but not so fine when dinner is served.

Humans have some 10,000 taste buds. Studies have found as much as 30% of them cease functioning at high altitude. The longer the flight, the more dehydrated the passengers become and the duller their palates become.

Then there are engine noise, fluorescent lighting, turbulence, reduced oxygen levels and cabin pressure and the stress of traveling, all of which further can diminish taste, scientific studies claim.

Pity the poor food. Even if the airlines were to commit to high quality ingredients, the food wouldn’t stand a chance. That’s what the airlines seem to want us to think when they tout the results of studies that shift the blame from the dinner to the diner. One might think great chefs, if they were armed with all the scientific research, could overcome and adjust their recipes.

But the celebrity chefs create their new recipes on the ground. The test kitchens are on the ground. The tastings are on the ground. Then they send the food up 35,000 feet in the air and find out it doesn’t hold up.

“We put a lot of effort in designing perfect meals for our clients, but when we tried them ourselves in the air, the meals would taste like airline food,” Ingo Buelow, who is in charge of food and beverages at Lufthansa, told the New York Times.

Food safety regulations require that meals be cooked on the ground because food cooks slower at high altitude and there would be a risk that dangerous organisms might not be killed at the lower temperatures. Meals prepared to be served hot while aloft have to be heated in convection ovens, which blow hot, dry air over the food. So, the food is reheated, not cooked, even on newer planes with steam ovens.

Airline dining experience shows sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors register well at altitude; more subtle flavors don’t. Fruity and floral aromas of wine go by the wayside. A Lufthansa study found the perception of sweetness and saltiness drop by 30%.  Other studies found seasonings like cardamom, lemon grass and curry hold up better than salt or sugar.

So, if you are going to pack your own meal to take on board, make sure your sandwich is loaded up on salt, spices and hot sauces. A well-spiced pastrami sandwich on corned rye bread, with a nice mustard and some kosher dill pickles will hold up better than rare roast beef on a Kaiser roll. Just be sure to have the steward bring you plenty of water to offset the effects of all that salt. And if you have hypertension, better think of something else.

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition food studies and public health at New York University has been quoted widely as saying, “Ice cream is about the only thing I can think of that tastes good on a plane.”

Some airlines are making serious efforts to do better. Air France hired Joel Robuchon of 28 Michelin starts fame to create new meals. He came up with Basque shrimp and turmeric-scented pasta with lemon grass. Fine when cooked and served fresh. But re-heated shrimp is going to be tough and re-heated pasta isn’t going to be al dante.

Delta hired Napa Valley chef Michael Chiarello to come up with new menus for transcontinental business class passengers. Lufthansa offered first and business class passengers the ability to go online and pick their meals from a menu 24 hours before flight time. Korean Airlines bought a farm to raise its own cattle. Emirates bakes its own bread, crumble cake and pecan pie.

The first airline meals were served by United in 1936. In the years since, airplanes have gotten bigger, faster, safer and higher flying. But through all that time, airline executives, suppliers and caterers don’t seem to have learned that food changes in a metal tube at 35,000 feet, even food prepared under optimal conditions and following the exact specifications of some of the best chefs in the world. And food preparation in the tiny, under-equipped airplane galley is anything but optimal.

Chefs aren’t stupid when it comes to food. They know the ambiance of a room can impact the enjoyment of a meal. They know water boils at 212 degrees at sea level and 198 degrees in Denver. They have the benefit of all the scientific studies and 78 years of anecdotal information about bad airline food.

So, why haven’t they figured out the meals they create for airline passengers need to be flavored to pass muster at 35,000 feet, not in a tasting facility at ground level? Don’t try to serve us proteins that will break down, dry out, toughen and lose their flavor when re-heated. Skip the sodium load that puts the health of passengers at risk and get creative with the herbs and spices.

There are two truisms about dining in Italy: 1) all food is regional, and 2) it’s almost impossible to get a bad meal.

In Italy regional can mean city-to-city, or even neighborhood-to-neighborhood. Take tortellini en brodo for instance. I ordered it at a restaurant in Bologna and it was heaven in a bowl – deep, rich, flavorful broth with an ample amount of pillowy stuffed pasta. But in five weeks of driving around Italy we never saw it on a menu anywhere else. And nothing I’ve ever found at a restaurant in the states has come close to matching it.

Then there’s prosciutto crudo di Parma, the king of dry cured ham. It’s everywhere in Parma, but outside of Parma you might not get the crudo grade. I actually found an Italian deli – Domingo’s in Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley – that imports the crudo di Parma. But in Italy, once we left Parma, the prosciutto was hit and miss – always good, but never quite as good.

Then there’s the bad meal proposition. In five weeks – three meals a day – we had one meal that was below par. It was in Montalcino and it was our own fault. We wanted a quick lunch while driving through the Tuscan countryside. We walked away from the crowded restaurant on the corner with people waiting outside. Instead, we went to the empty restaurant right up the street. As seasoned travelers and diners, we knew better. But we ignored our own knowledge. There was a reason people were waiting to get into one place and passing up the place half a block away. But we wanted to get back on the road and didn’t feel like waiting. The menu at the place we stopped was sparse. Jennifer and I each ordered pasta and it was mediocre at best. However, one of the highlights of the trip came when the woman, who was running the place, asked me if I was Italian. That’s how good my restaurant Italian was. We took some Italian language classes before we left home and at this restaurant I spoke nothing but Italian.

We were fortunate in another way. We arrived in Italy armed with a list of restaurant recommendations from David Shaw, the late L.A. Times food writer. It was while we were in Italy in 2005 that I received an email in which David told me he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Hardly a month later, he was gone. Along with Johnny Apple, the late New York Times food writer, David was one of the finest I’ve ever read. You can see a review of a collection of Johnny Apple’s writing in the books section of this magazine.

With all this as background, I now will offer some tips that may help you plan some summer travel.

Number one – buy and airplane ticket, book some hotels, rent a car and get ye to Italy. Now that we’ve cleared that hurdle, here are some restaurants you may want to visit. We dined about one third of the time at places David Shaw recommended and about two-thirds of the time at places we discovered, sometimes with the help of a cousin, a hotel clerk, or a taxi driver. So, put some of the following cities are on your itinerary and try these:

The Santa Catarina Hotel in Amalfi is the most romantic hotel I’ve ever seen. It’s in the hills above the city. Every room has a balcony overlooking the ocean and when the lights of Amalfi come on at night the view is straight down on the city and the marina. Ristorante Santa Catarina is the hotel dining room. It’s beautiful, sedate and the food is excellent. So is the live music played softly in the background. We were directed to the Santa Catarina by our friends and atLarrys.com co-host Lenn Grabiner and his wife Kande Hall.

When in Rome, don’t be concerned with what the Roman’s do. You’re a tourist, so do what the tourists do. Go to the famous Fontana de Trevi. Be sure to stand with your back to the fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder into the water to ensure that you will return. Don’t worry about feeling silly or touristy. Do it. You’ll be glad later. Then walk down a block and around the corner to Al Moro an affordable fine dining restaurant. Make sure you have a reservation. There is no sign on this restaurant and it’s on a dark street, so you might walk right by the unassuming door. The crowd inside will be mostly locals. Start with the fried squash blossoms. When you are greeted with buona sera, just answer “sera”, like a local.

Also in Roma, plan a visit to Il Convivio, near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It’s Michelin starred, located in a 16^th century building and serves magnificent cuisine using locally sourced ingredients.

Restaurante Cibreo in Firenze is one of the finest restaurants in which you ever will dine. Fish is fresh from the Tuscan sea; produce comes from nearby farms. Fresh local Porcini mushrooms when available; Cheese from local shepherds; Sicilian lemons; Calabrian Clementini tangerines: locally butchered meats: oregano from Pantilleria … it’s all at Cibreo.

In Milano it’s Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia. Chef-owners Aimo and Nadia Moroni are known by chefs and restaurant owners around the world, who flock to their restaurant. This was David Shaw’s number one recommendation for our visit to Italy. The cooking is innovative and beautifully textured and the room is warm and welcoming. Just call it Aimo e Nadia.

Out of the way in Padava is Le Calandre. We never would have thought to stop here were it not for our cousins Barry and Beverly Wellman, who have friends at the university and had dined at Le Calandre before. We were in route from Venice to Bellagio and made this an overnight stop just so we could eat a Le Calandre. Chef and co-owner Massimiliano Alajmo trained with Aimo Moroni in Milano. The owners of this restaurant also own the butcher shop across the street and the bakery around the corner. They also run the Hotel Maccaroni in the same building as the restaurant. Think Holiday Inn Express when you think about this hotel. But it couldn’t be more convenient to the restaurant; you can drink all the wine you want and not have to drive after.

Lunch at Ristorante Al Veluu in the hills above Tremezzo overlooking Lago Como is the most memorable meal I’ve ever eaten. You can read about it in the My Most Memorable Meal feature at this magazine. You’ll take a ferry across the lake from Bellagio to the town of Tremezzo. From there the restaurant will send a car to drive you up the hill. Weather permitting, eat outdoors and let the view add to the experience.

Trattoria Il Cortile is a charming restaurant in a remote alley of Parma. We never could have known of it expect for the advice of the clerk at our hotel. She made the reservation and gave us directions. We were there on a night when no one else in the room spoke English, save for one young woman who was busing tables. She spoke a very, very few words – not enough to be helpful. Again, my restaurant Italian saved the day.

If you find yourself in any of these cities, try to book a meal at some of these restaurants. But leave plenty of time to explore and find other places on your own. Remember, it really is almost impossible to get a bad meal in Italy. Just pick a place and go on in. Look for the locals; they’re the best restaurant guides you could have.  Or let your hotel clerk or taxi driver suggest something. The odds are overwhelmingly in your favor.

One reactor at the San Onofre nuclear power plant on the coast of Orange County in Southern California has been shut down since January because of the discovery of hundreds of leaky and corrroded pipes, many of which were installed just two months earlier. In mid-April the second reactor was shut down for the same reason. We first published this article In December, 2011, some six weeks before the problems were discovered at San Onofre.

(First published December 14, 2011)
By Larry Levine -

The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant sits on the coast of California 197 miles from downtown San Francisco, 170 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

It’s 119 miles from Diablo Canyon to Fresno and 103 miles to Bakersfield, both in the heart of California’s great Central Valley, one of the most important agricultural areas in the world. The nuclear plant sits in the middle of the central coast wine region and just down the road from the Monterey and Salinas agricultural centers.

The San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant is half way between the population centers of Los Angeles and San Diego and some 100 miles from the agricultural fields and cities of the Inland Empire.

Why does any of this matter?

In July, 2011, four months after the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant disaster in Japan, cancer causing radioactive cesium was found in milk, spinach, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tea, fish and other food products as far as 225 miles from the plant. Early this month, nine months after the accident, water containing strontium, an even more dangerous radioactive material, spilled from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Since the March nuclear accident, Japanese food exports have fallen sharply and consumer confidence in that nation’s agricultural products has been shaken. Reports from Japan indicate consumers are choosing imported rice over domestically-grown rice and are refusing to buy beef from cattle raised near Fukushima.

A similar nuclear accident at either Diablo Canyon or San Onofre would devastate California’s agricultural economy and the state and worldwide food supply.

California has been the nation’s number one producer of food and agricultural products for at least 50 years. California’s 84,000 farms and ranches generate some $100 billion in economic activity each year and employ between 300,000 people and 450,000 people seasonally.

California farmers grow more than 450 different crops. The state is the nation’s number one producer of milk, cheese and other dairy products. California produces more than 99% of the world’s supply of almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, persimmons, pomegranates, pistachios, prunes, raisins and walnuts. California produces more cantaloupes than the next four states combined, 86% of the lemons consumed in the U. S., some 80% of the olives and 90% of the wine produced in the U.S., 83% of the nation’s strawberry crop and 94% of the processed tomatoes. California leads the nation in production of alfalfa hay, grapes, peaches, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, lettuce, honeydew, onions, bell peppers, spinach, apricots, raspberries, nectarines, and tangerines. Some of the best uni (sea urchin) in the world is harvested off the coast of California.

Almost all of this happens within 225 miles of the aging Diablo Canyon and San Onofre nuclear power plants.

How real is the threat these nuclear plants pose to the world’s fifth largest food supplier?

Diablo Canyon and San Onofre are located near active earthquake faults that had not yet been identified at the time the plants were approved and built.

Southern California Edison claims San Onofre was built to withstand an earthquake greater than any that could be expected on the nearest fault. Therein lays the rub: nuclear plants are built to withstand the expected. No one expected a 9.1 magnitude quake in Japan 70 miles from a nuclear power plant or the 30-foot tsunami that quake caused. Active faults exist within just a few miles of California’s two nuclear plants.

As part of the process for considering the feasibility of extending the operating license at San Onofre, Edison intended to use its own experts for new seismic studies. Under pressure from the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility a judge indicated he will order Edison to fund a truly Independent Peer Review Panel for the seismic study at San Onofre.

PG&E ignored a directive from state regulators to conduct new seismic studies before applying to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license extension at Diablo Canyon. Despite the existing state directive, the NRC began to process the application and move it toward approval. It was only after the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami shook up the world of nuclear power that the NRC delayed the license renewal process for 52 months and instructed PG&E to conduct a complete seismic analysis.

It’s not just natural disasters that pose a threat at Diablo Canyon and San Onofre. The infrastructure at the two plants is aging. Large components – steam generators, reactor vessel heads, and turbine rotors – that were supposed to last the lifetime of the plants have failed and had to be replaced.

PG&E and Edison are publically held corporations. Their purpose is to generate and sell electricity, put the profits on the books and keep stock prices strong. They are not inclined to want to spend money on safety measures they don’t consider necessary or on the overhead of the regulatory process. PG&E has asked the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for permission to charge ratepayers for the costs of the license renewal process. Yet, in the event of a catastrophe the utility will not be financially responsible for the damage done to California’s cities, farms, farmers, food supply, or economy. Federal law limits the utility’s liability. Most of those costs will fall on the taxpayers. In Japan the costs of cleaning up Fukushima are estimated as possibly reaching several trillion dollars.

In an unusually frank statement, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko recently pointed to years of complacency on the part of nuclear utility operators, combined with an overload of unattended, backlogged safety issues, when he predicted trouble ahead for the industry in 2012.

Jackzo’s statement, unfortunately, is not reflective of the NRC’s history of oversight of the nuclear industry. The NRC is charged with safeguarding the operation of Diablo Canyon and San Onofre, as well as every other nuclear power plant in the nation. Yet, no application for extension of a license for a nuclear power plant in the U.S. has ever been denied, even for the oldest, most trouble-plagued plants located close to population centers.

Could “it” happen here in California?

Utility executives, nuclear vendors, pro-nuclear politicians and federal regulators try to assure us an accident on the scale of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island or Fukushima can’t happen here. They point to the industry’s “overall record of safe operation” and to “redundant safety systems” designed to protect the plants and the public. But every nuclear disaster anywhere in the world has been caused by something that had not been foreseen and occurred despite long odds and strong assurances by the industry that it couldn’t happen. Unlike an auto accident, there’s no such thing as a “fender bender” when radioactive iodine, cesium, or strontium is released into the air or water after an accident at a nuclear power plant.

An NRC study published in 2010 estimates the chance of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Diablo Canyon is 1 in 23,810 each year. A gambler would say those are pretty slim odds when faced with the potential of losing hundreds of billions of dollars. For perspective, the odds against winning the California lottery are 41 million to1. So an accident at Diablo Canyon is some 1,800 times more likely than the chances that any individual will win the lottery. And this doesn’t account for any of the potential risks other than that of an earthquake.

History has demonstrated lotteries are won and accidents do happen at nuclear power plants, and no one can predict when or where. At Diablo Canyon and San Onofre the costs of losing the bet are too great. If it does happen the “grown in California” label will become a plague in national and international food markets, food prices will rise around the globe and many products will vanish from the market place.

The Japanese learned this lesson the hard way. Distribution of Fukushima cattle was halted when radiation-tainted meat was discovered soon after the accident last March. The ban was lifted in August and purveyors began to ship cows that had been tested and found safe. But a worried public was not convinced. Fukushima beef cattle have attracted few customers and prices are running about half what they were before the accident.

So, what is the answer? Can we just shutdown Diablo Canyon and San Onofre?

The state receives about 16% of its electrical power from the two nuclear plants, making it difficult to just shut them down. We are in this bind because the state has done little if anything in the last three decades to avoid the situation. The dates of the license expirations at Diablo Canyon and San Onofre were known on the day the plants were fired up. So were many of the risks. But no meaningful steps have been taken to replace the capacity of the plants when they go off line. Instead, the utilities have counted on automatic license extensions from the NRC. While a number of enlightened legislators and state policy makers have tried to enact meaningful solutions, their efforts have been frustrated by a combination of utility lobbying, complacency and partisan wrangling. Too many legislators have had an “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” attitude about nuclear power, willing to look the other way as long as there were no major problems.

The answer must not lie in extending the license at either Diablo Canyon or San Onofre. The state should move now to phase out the two plants as quickly as possible – perhaps even before the licenses expire.

The first of the operating licenses at Diablo Canyon will not expire until 10 years from now. At San Onofre it’s 13 years. It was 10 years between the time President John F. Kennedy committed America to send a man to the moon and bring him safely back to Earth and the time that goal was achieved.

We still have time to replace the output of Diablo Canyon and San Onofre with energy efficiency measures, co-generation, solar, wind, geothermal and other technologies that already exist. To do anything less would be irresponsible. And it would leave California’s agricultural economy and the food supply of the nation and world in jeopardy for an indefinite period of time.

By Larry Sheingold -

Mornings in a strange town. The limbo between last night’s excess and today’s agenda. Things may perk up. But right now, it’s a newspaper full of other people’s news and a cup of bland coffee.

Unless you are in Louisville, Kentucky. These guys do breakfast. In snappy, upscale restaurants. Dives. Neighborhood haunts. Even a place where the weird go to feel normal.

It’s morning along the Ohio River. The sun is rising on King Louis XVI’s namesake city.  Home of the racetrack. The baseball bat factory. And breakfast.

So. Lose the limbo – all you innocent and righteous souls (and the rest of us.) Five days. Five breakfasts. Join me.

Lynn’s Paradise Café
Yes. Love the art, not the frame. But at Lynn’s, it’s easy to get confused. There’s so much frame. You don’t get featured on Oprah, Bobby Flay and the CBS Evening News for food alone. But when you get past the Ugly Lamp Contest winners, the mannequin leg sprouting from the wall and the neo-retro-décor, there’s a huge breakfast menu. Great pancakes. An ample portion of potatoes covered with cheese and eggs. Cinnamon swirl French toast. All that, while you check out the horse statute with a piece of toast popping out of its back. http://www.lynnsparadisecafe.com/breakfastlunch.html

Wagner’s Pharmacy
It began as a hangout for horsemen in the 1920’s, when Leo Wagner bought an old pharmacy and moved it across the street from Churchill Downs. It’s still there. Still serving the workout jockeys, racing writers and anyone else in the mood for a great old time breakfast. The walls are covered with framed photos of Derby winners. http://wagnerspharmacy.com/

Toast on Market (and Muth’s Candy Store)
Peanut butter pancakes. Lemon soufflé pancakes. Not a bad breakfast in the place. But there is a bonus. Down the block is Muth’s Candy Store. A Louisville original. Family run since World War I. Family recipes. If you are going to Toast, save some room for Muth’s. http://www.toastonmarket.com/breakfast_menu.html. http://www.muthscandy.com/

North End Café
Bright. Friendly. Local hangout. Frankfort Avenue is one of those pleasant, historic neighborhoods with local shops and restaurants. Including North End Café. Located in two renovated shotgun houses. From basic breakfasts and biscuits and gravy to trout hash and veggie tofu stir-fry. http://www.northendcafe.com/

Wild Eggs
They close at 2:30 in the afternoon (3:00 on weekends) so they better do breakfasts well – and they do. Scrambles and skillets, frittatas and breakfast burritos, waffles and crepes. The owners started with the upscale Napa River Grill in Louisville then applied the winning formula to breakfast. http://www.wildeggs.com/

Between breakfasts, there is plenty to do and see in Louisville. The Muhammad Ali Center (http://www.alicenter.org/Pages/default.aspx), the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory tour (http://www.sluggermuseum.org/visitorguide.aspx), an array of bourbon distillery tours, Churchill Downs, and of course, the grave of Colonel Sanders.

There are also historic old homes, quirky neighborhoods and the University of Louisville. And an abundance of breakfast choices.

By Larry Levine -

One of my most prized culinary possessions is a recipe for Gefilte Fish in my mother’s own handwriting.

Mom made Gefilte Fish twice a year and served it as an appetizer for the Passover and Rosh Hashanah holiday dinners. A couple of weeks before the holiday, she would phone the fish store in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles, order what she needed and schedule a day to pick it up.

The result was by far and consistently the best Gefilte Fish I’ve ever eaten. Mom has been gone nearly 11 years. But as each holiday season ticks by, I recall fondly how much of herself she invested in this dish and how wonderful it always turne out. So, this year, with Passover just around the corner, I thought I would share some of that.

To go with the fish my father would hand-grate some fresh horseradish root. Mom would add the juice of grated red beets, which seemed to intensify the heat of the horseradish. I’ve seen recipes that call for the addition of sugar, or lemon juice, or even sour cream to the horseradish. Mom added sugar and vinegar.

The recipe I have is written in ink on two 5-inch by 8-inch sheets of note paper. It’s stained from the one time my sister Elisa and I used it to prepare the fish for a big family holiday dinner. We asked mom to write the recipe after she told us she was no longer physically up to making the fish.

Gefilte Fish is from the German “gefullter fisch”, meaning stuffed fish. It’s an Ashkenazi Jewish dish that originally was cooked stuffed in fish skin. That method faded from popularity sometime in the 19^th century. Some religiously observant Jews view Gefilte Fish as a traditional food for Shabbat, the Sabbath. Most families restrict their consumption to the holidays and ever-diminishing numbers are ambitious enough to take it on homemade.

I gave up on restaurant or pre-packaged Gefilte Fish years ago. Most of it ranges between bland and awful. I’ve had decent Gefilte Fish made at home by others a couple of times. But none that matched what mom turned out year after year after year.

Here’s the recipe exactly as mom wrote it for us – spelling errors, abbreviations, lack of punctuation and all. It’s the same recipe her mother brought to the U.S. from Rumania some 130 years ago.

NORMA LEVINE’S GEFILTE FISH
1 medium size white fish
1 medium size yellow pike
1 medium size sucker
1 small size buffalo
3 inch slice of (shpegal) carp
ask man to fillet & save all skins – bones & heads
ask man for extra carp head
4 large onions – 3 eggs – 3 ½ tables koshering salt
4 large carrots – 1 ½ teas peper
¾ cup seltzer (or water)
put skins & carp head aside
in 3 cups of water cook bones & other heads with 1 of the onions ½ tables salt & ½ teas peper 1 ½ hrs stew 3 onions in ½ teas oil until very dark brown but not burned.
strain juice from bones in large pot – add skin & carp head & sliced 3 ½ carrots cover & simmer grind onions add 1 heaping tables to juice – simmer
grind all fish to rest of onions mix – grind again – add ½ ground carrot eggs – rest of salt & peper ¼ cup seltzer mix well add ¼ cup seltzer mix again if hands come clean with no fish sticking to hands do not add remaining seltzer. If fish sticks to hand add remaining seltzer make medium size patties line pot – fish should not touch one another cook 10 min – shake pot slowly add another layer of fish cook 10 more min – Shake pot slowly continue this until all fish is in pot – simmer ½ hour – add 2 oz water
shake pot, repeat this until fish cooks 1 ½ hrs

That’s what Elisa and I had to work with. Fortunately we had been around the house often enough while mom was making Gefilte Fish to have picked up enough additional information to fill in the blanks. Here is the same recipe in a form you may find more user friendly.

NORMA LEVINE’S GEFILTE FISH (user friendly translation)
1 medium whole white fish
1 medium whole yellow pike
1 medium whole sucker
1 small whole buffalo
3 inch slice of (shpegal) carp
1 carp head
4 large onions – divided
¼ cup lite olive oil
3 eggs
3 ½ Tblsp koshering salt – divided
4 large carrots – divided
1 ½ teasp pepper – divided
¾ cup seltzer or water club soda
3 cups water
Ask the fish monger to skin and fillet the fish, saving the skins, bones and heads
Put the skins and carp head aside
Put all the bones and other heads in a pot with 3 cups of water along with 1 of the onions quartered, ½ teasp salt and ½ teas pepper
Simmer for 1 ½ hours.
In the meantime heat the oil in a wide fry pan.
Slice 3 onions and cut into half-moons. Stew the onions in the oil until very dark brown but not burned. (see stewing directions below)
Strain the liquid from the bones into a large pot. Discard the bones. Add the skins, carp head and 3 ½ sliced carrots; Cover and bring to a simmer.
Grind the stewed onions and add 1 heaping tablespoon to the pot with the liquid, skins and carp head. Simmer for 1 ½ hours.
Grind all the fish and the rest of the stewed onions
Mix with your hands and grind again.
Grind the remaining ½ carrot and add to the fish along with the eggs, the rest of the salt and the pepper, and ¼ cup of seltzer.
Mix well with your hands. Add ¼ cup seltzer and mix again with your hands.
If your hands come out with no fish sticking to them do not add the remaining seltzer. If fish sticks to your hands add the remaining seltzer and mix again.
Form the ground fish mixture into medium size balls.
Put the fish balls into the pot with the hot liquid. The fish balls should not touch each other.
Simmer 10 minutes.
Shake the pot slowly. Add another layer of fish balls. Cook 10 more minutes. Shake pot slowly again and continue this until all the fish is in the pot.
Simmer ½ hour.
Add 2 ounces of water
Shake the pot gently, cover and simmer. Shake occasionally and continue to simmer until the fish is cooked – about 1 ½ hours
Remove the fish and the carrot slices from the pot. Put them on a platter, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
Strain the liquid in which the fish was cooked. Pour it into a jar or serving bowl, cover it and put it in the refrigerator.
Remove the fish from the refrigerator about ½ hour before serving.
Serve with sliced carrots and the jarred fish broth, which will have turned to a jelly.
Serve with a side of prepared horse radish. (recipe follows)

Unfortunately I can’t tell you precisely how many fish balls this will make or how many people it will serve. I can assure you it will be enough for a modest size dinner party of maybe 8 to 10 people.

To stew the onions: sauté the onion slices in the oil until they are well softened and just beginning to brown at the edges. Add about ½ cup of tap water, turn the heat down and cover the pan. Check the onions occasionally to be sure they don’t burn. Add more water as needed and stew until dark brown. This is going to take a fair amount of time.

HORSE RADISH FOR GEFELTE FISH
1 red beet, boiled
2 Tblsp white vinegar
½ teasp sugar
1 Tblsp water
1 piece of horse radish, 4 inches long
Cut the beet into small to medium pieces. Put it in a blender with the vinegar, sugar and water. Grate the beet, but do not liquefy.
Strain the beet and save the juice.
Peel the horse radish. If you are ambitious you may want to grade the horse radish by hand. Then add the beet juice.
Otherwise, chop the horseradish into small pieces. Put it in the blender with the beet juice and grate to a coarse texture.
Careful. This horseradish mixture is going to be very hot. That’s one of the many great reasons to serve all this with a nice, fresh, sliced challah.

By Larry Sheingold -

It’s easy to find wine tasting opportunities in the Napa Valley. Just ask your chauffer. Or if you’re not on one of those all-you-can-sip, designated-driver, wine limo tours, you can just try glancing out your car window as you drive up Highway 29 – the main artery from Napa to Calistoga.

Vineyard showrooms pop up like Starbucks. Highway 29 is awash with roadside wineries, old and new, beckoning you to stop in and swirl a glass or two.

But if you are looking for good food, it’s not as obvious where to start. Dining gems like Mustard’s are visible along the highway as is Dean and Deluca, which makes great take-out sandwiches. But other food finds take some exploring.

Here’s a hint that might prove helpful. Start by trying one of two Napa Valley streets just a minute or two off Highway 29. Each is dotted with interesting food destinations worth your attention – First Street in Napa and, a few miles further north, Washington Street in Yountville.

Here are several places I have tried, and others I have only glanced at enviously, along these two streets.

FIRST STREET, NAPA
Napa Valley Toffee Company, 1470 First Street is Napa’s version of a candy store. The buttery, chocolate-covered toffee is hand-made and packaged on-premise. But this is Napa, so the toffee company’s definition of confectionery extends to fine wine tasting and chocolate and wine pairing as well. Candy store indeed. http://www.napavalleytoffeecompany.com/Home_Page.php.

Oenotri, 1425 First Street – Italian food for grown-ups. Bustling. A little noisy. Enthusiastic diners and servers. The menu changes frequently. But the selections I enjoyed seem to be regulars. Dry-cured salumi that entices you to ignore the salt and fat content and just enjoy the taste and texture. If you’ve ever considered trying squab, this is the place. There is also a wide variety of pasta, meat and fish dishes and desserts – some familiar, some more exotic. All appealing. http://oenotri.com/

Sushi Mambo, 1202 First Street – I haven’t eaten here, but the expanse of windows fronting First showed a crowded, modern-looking dining room, suggesting the presence of good food or at least a large number of undemanding customers. http://sushimambonapa.com/index2.html

Oxbow Public Market, 644 First Street – Just across the river on First is a treat for all foodies, a modern emporium of delights modeled after the San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Not surprising since the founder is also one of the creators of the Ferry Building Marketplace. Oxbow is very Napa – a 40,000 square-foot collection of vendors featuring mostly sustainable, organic, locally grown foods. Free range Northern California beef, organic ice cream, locally-harvested olive oils, cheese-makers, wine merchants, bakers and a collection of restaurants and take-out.  And a lot more. http://www.oxbowpublicmarket.com/

WASHINGTON STREET, YOUNTVILLE
For years, Yountville meant the Veterans Home. Almost one third of the town’s population lives there. But during dining hours, Washington Street attracts a different crowd – gourmet diners heading to destination restaurants owned by celebrity chefs.

I haven’t tried all of them. Some are named here simply to illustrate the star power of the street. But I can strongly recommend two – each across the parking lot from the other – Michael Chiarello’s Bottega and Thomas Keller’s Bouchon.

Bouchon Bistro, 6528 Washington Street – This is Keller’s French brasserie. It can get noisy and active. But it is a dining and people-watching treat with a varied menu. There are lots of dishes to try, but you can’t go wrong with the roast chicken and truffle fries. The Bouchon Bakery is next door. http://www.bouchonbistro.com/

Bottega, 6525 Washington Street – Chiarello’s elegant showplace for his Italian cooking. Calmer and quieter than Bouchon, this converted winery serves a signature polenta appetizer, pasta carbonara with organic egg, sweet onions and smoked prosciutto and the fluffiest ricotta gnocchi you will ever try. http://www.botteganapavalley.com/index.html

Keller also has Ad Hoc at 6476 Washington – http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/ and the French Laundry at 6640 Washington – http://www.frenchlaundry.com/. Bistro Jeanty is at 6510 Washington – http://www.bistrojeanty.com/. Each is nationally-known.

Yes. There are lots of other places to try. Fresh, inventive and very different from what you are likely to eat at home. But in the spirit of getting off to the right start, you won’t go wrong if you go right down First Street in Napa or Washington Street in Yountville.

By Larry Sheingold -

It changes the dining out experience when you write for a restaurant recommendation website. You go from asking yourself: am I enjoying this restaurant, to: would I encourage others to try it. The answer may not be the same for both questions.

It’s not that I can’t deal with friends questioning my judgment. (God knows). And it’s not that good food isn’t good and bad food bad no matter what the setting. But experience teaches that not every diner measures excellence, or even acceptability the same way.

Apparently some people have a dollars-per-ounce standard. Small portions mean substandard. Others have a dollars-per-meal standard. The insult is the price, not the food.

But it’s curiously true that different people can dine at the same restaurant, eat the same food prepared and served by the same people and leave with opposite reactions to the experience. Kind of like watching a Tom Cruise movie.

Maybe it’s about expectations. Different occasions. Different days of the week. Different moods and degrees of adventurousness. Yes. That’s a paragraph with a lot of differents in it. All leading to something about no accounting for different tastes.

One thing, however, is universal. Bad execution makes a bad meal. And in the competitive restaurant business, it usually means diners won’t be coming back.

That’s how I feel about the Sacramento spot I tried for the first time last week. Why won’t I go back there: the short rib was cold. Not hot-and-allowed-to-cool cold. But refrigerated-and-never-got-hot cold. Obviously pre-cooked, then warmed up inadequately. Served with tepid edges and a still-chilled center.

A short rib is a fatty cut of meat. Prepared correctly, the fat melts into a buttery flavor enhancer. But chunks of cold, solid fat? Opposite of enhancement. Worse, our waitress, whom we liked, was too busy to check on us till the others at my table were half way through their meals, though not their cold mashed potatoes.

By then I’d eaten the luke warm edges of my short rib. Too late for a redo, even if I were still hungry for it. Even if I were interested in assuming the position of quality controller.

Sorry, but when I dine out, I don’t want to worry about lapses in supervision, execution and follow-up. I’d say, once burned. But my short rib never got that chance.