the restaurant

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I
I
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Ii
THE
RESTAURANT
ISSUE
Sharp Picks: S. Irene
Virbila's choices of the
best places to use a knife,
fork, corkscrew and so
much more
Lynell George on a
California chef who can't
stay out of the heat
The new dynamic duo:
cocktails and dessert
West's guide to eateries
upscale and affordable
across the Southland
west
I JUNE 18, 2006
I THE RESTAURANT
ISSUE
Stick
a Fork
iolt • •
By S. IRENE VIRBILA
Opening photograph by VICTOR SCHRAGER
All other photographs by GINA SABATELLA
packed with Maryland blue and West
Coast Dungeness crabmeat, trumps just
about every other one in town. ChefDavid LeFevre sets it on a mint-perfumed
couscous and tunes its flavors with
a yogurt-lime-cucumber sauce. Water
Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; (213)
891-0900.
and a squirt of lemon or spanakopita
made with hand-rolled phyllo dough.
But most irresistible is the octopus salad,
which shows up sometimes as a special.
The tender charred octopus tentacles
are slick with olive oil and fragrant with
lemon and herbs. Petros Greek Restaurant
and Lounge, 451Manhattan Beach Blvd., No.
BllO, Manhattan Beach; (310)545-4100.
SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS
Michael Cimarusti is such a genie
with fish, you have to wonder if he's
sold his soul to the devil of the deep.
His tasting menus at Providence dance
through species from around the globe.
From local waters, Santa Barbara's glorious prawns arrive butterflied, still in
their brilliant shells and wearing skeins
of coral red roe. One time he might serve
them with tiny ochre shimqi mushrooms
and a subtle sake sauce. Another time
with waswith ememldpetitspoisdusted
abi pea powder and a swirl of pea puree.
Providence, 5955 Melrose Ave .. Los Angeles;
(323) 460-4170.
SMOKED TOFU AND GREEN BEANS
Beacon's Kazuto Matsusaka, Chinois'
original chef, turns out light, beautifully
focused Asian dishes. One of my favorites is his green bean salad showered
with julienned smoked tofu in a sesame
oil dressing cut with Banyuls vinegar
made from the famous sweet wine of
French Catalonia. His avocado salad has
an appealing purity: creamy, perfectly
ripe avocado, sliced and strewn with
Japanese scallions, cilantro leaves and
sesame seeds. Beacon, 3280 Helms Ave.,
Culver City; (310)838-7500.
LITTLE GEM SALAD WITH SOFT EGG
AND ANCHOVY
[SAlAD FORK]
CHARRED OCTOPUS SALAD
Finally, a modern Greek restaurant
with a beach-town address. At Petros,
chef Yianni Koufodontis plies guests
with Greek meze: a smoky eggplant dip,
an elegant Greek salad, shrimp with feta
At Lucques, Suzanne Goin turns
out beguiling salads in every season.
Lately, I've been taken with her Little
Gem lettuce-similar to a crisp, sweet
cos or romaine-with all the goodness of
greens plucked from the garden, embellished simply with salt-cured anchovies
and soft eggs, their deep-gold yolks the
texture of custard. Lightly dressed with a
garlic-and-Iemon-drenched vinaigrette,
it is summer on a plate. Lucques, 8474Mel-
OPAl
The charred octopus
salad, opposite, just one
of the enticing meze at
rose Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 655-6277.
the contemporary Greek
restaurant Petros.
BEAN SALAD WITH BOTTARGA
Pecorino stands out along Brentwood's Italian restaurant row with a
more quirky regional menu from an
Abruzzese chef. First courses ditch the
cliche with salads such as mixed beans
with wild arugula, pecorino and briny
bottarga (dried, pressed mullet roe), or
one of firm green beans, cherry tomatoes and their own tuna put up in oil
and sprinkled with oregano. Pecorino,
BY THE SEA
At Stonehill Tavern,
above, the elegant bar
makes a mean cocktail.
Maine lobster Is baked
under a salt crust.
The sommelier shows
off the wine selections
in the entry.
11604 San .vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310)
571-3800.
[DINNER FORK]
STINCO DI VITELLO
It's hard not to feel smug at Angelini
Osteria as all eyes swivel to follow the
stinco to your table, where a server slices
off the beautiful roasted veal shank finished in the wood-burning oven. The
meat is so tender, you almost don't need
a knife to cut it. Served with potato puree, it's a meal in itself. Finish with a perfect cup of espresso or an affigato-vanilla
gelato "drowned" in espresso. Angelini
Osteria, 7313 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323)
297-0070.
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