Barbecue

The flowers are blooming. The butterflies are flitting. Spring is definitely here. What better way to celebrate than with a picnic under the trees at Descanso Gardens? The best part is that you can leave the cooking to the skillful chefs of Patina Catering. Every weekend until May 8, Descanso has added another option in al fresco dining, this one just outside the main entrance. Patina’s chefs are serving up a brief menu of barbecue favorites and a few special extras. I have to say their pulled pork sandwich ($8.95)

To the uninitiated motorist driving down Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank on a given Saturday, one might conclude there's a three-alarm fire, with huge billows of smoke near the intersection of Buena Vista Street. But open the car window and you'll know this fire was deliberately set, on one of the largest smoker grills you've ever seen. The intoxicating (at least for meat lovers) smell of fresh barbecue brings lines halfway down the block, week after week, year after year. The weekly cookout at the Handy Market has become so popular that some customers plan their weekly wait in line to catch up on their social lives and update their kids' progress in school.

The aroma of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers filled the air at Descanso Gardens on Tuesday as chefs from the Patina Catering Group prepared food for the Independence Day family barbecue. Jim Clune of La Cañada Flintridge and his brother-in-law came to take a stroll at the Gardens and stopped to taste the food. They two ate hot dogs and drank Heineken beers. "It was just perfect, it hit the spot exactly," Clune, said of his hot dog. "We had hot dogs with every kind of condiment."

Claudia Peschiutta LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- The La Canada Flintridge Republican Committee will hold a barbecue today in which speakers will express their opposition to Proposition 39. The ballot measure would lower the votes required to pass local school bond measures from two-thirds to 55%. Guest speakers include Republicans Paul Zee, who is running in the 21st state Senate District race, and Susan Carpenter McMillan,...

Lilit Baron Realtor Appreciation Day will be celebrated at the New Horizons Family Center at Thursday. Entertainment will include the "New Horizon Kids" along with a free barbecue meal and beverages. A raffle will be held, with prizes including an outdoor barbecue grill donated by Virgils Hardware, Dodgers tickets, airplane rides to Catalina, $200 cash and tickets to Disney's California Adventure. Proceeds from raffles will go to kids at risk in Glendale.

The smell of barbecue, sounds of swing music and the legend of Manchester Boddy drew hundreds of visitors from across the Los Angeles area to La Cañada?s Descanso Gardens Monday for Boddy?s Big Backyard, an annual event at the gardens. While children rode ponies and kids of all ages toured the gardens on the Enchanted Railroad, some families shared picnics on the lawn and listened to Verdugo Swing Society play music from the 1930s and ?40s. Others took time to smell the flowers in the rose garden or share a shady bench by the koi pond.

What would the Cruise Night be without great food and fun? The Jewel City Kiwanis Club is again rolling out its barbecue trailer to the corner of Brand Boulevard and Lexington Drive tonight to cook for the event. They will be serving up hamburgers, nachos and hot dogs, plus drinks. Members of the Crescenta Valley High School baseball team and their cheerleaders will be helping the Kiwanians serve the food. It should be fun. All the money raised from the barbecue and drink sales will be donated by the Kiwanis Club to local organizations.

Glendale was humming to the sounds of mariachi, Greek and Armenian music Sunday. The Glendale home of Frank Lopez was the setting for the Glendale-Mexico Sister Cities Committee Summer Barbecue. A mariachi band greeted about 70 guests who dined on sausage and pepper sandwiches on the patio. Committee members in attendance were President Efrain Olivares, Treasurer Celina Enriquez, Nelly and Jose Meza, Carlos Elia, Frank Bacino and granddaughter Jackie Bacino, Mary and Paul Wight, Kay and Walter Hunt, Silvia Larrea, Marya Seelos, and Maria Lydia Cousens.

Crescenta Valley High School's Prom Plus Committee will offer a barbecue and bake sale during the school's Back-to-School Night on Tuesday evening, Sept. 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The barbecue will be held on the school's quad area and the menu includes a hot dog, chicken sandwich or sausage sandwich and chips and a drink for $5. Dessert can be purchased for $1 more. Pre-orders are encouraged. Prom Plus is also securing homes for its annual Holiday Tour of Homes in December.

Without a doubt, barbecue is the national comfort food of the United States. Whether you are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs over a backyard charcoal grill or smoking baby backs in a smoker the size of an RV, barbecued meat, poultry, fish and vegetables are an American staple that dominates, especially during those hot summer months. Kansas City, Texas and North and South Carolina each claims to be the barbecue capital of the U.S. When you talk about barbecue, every place has its own distinct ideas and flavors, including Downtown Burbank.

For the second year in a row, TV celebrity Mario Lopez is slated to be a celebrity guest at Unity Fest, an international street fair aimed at promoting Glendale's cultural diversity. The 10th annual Unity Fest will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday on Brand Boulevard between Wilson and California avenues. Zizette Mullins, Glendale's community relations coordinator, said event-goers can expect even more diverse food than last year, larger crowds and more games for children.

The flowers are blooming. The butterflies are flitting. Spring is definitely here. What better way to celebrate than with a picnic under the trees at Descanso Gardens? The best part is that you can leave the cooking to the skillful chefs of Patina Catering. Every weekend until May 8, Descanso has added another option in al fresco dining, this one just outside the main entrance. Patina’s chefs are serving up a brief menu of barbecue favorites and a few special extras. I have to say their pulled pork sandwich ($8.95)

Lucy’s Pizza Corner was full of surprises. Its Burbank Boulevard location is not in the best Burbank neighborhood — it is attached to a liquor store and its overhead sign says, “Al Forno.” Furthermore, it has no web presence. If you Google it, you only get an address, phone number and basic information. Google “Burbank pizza places,” and you get nothing. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the quality of the food. But that turned out to be my final surprise.

GLENDALE — Life hasn't been the same for 24-year-old Christopher Chappelle since he was deployed twice to Iraq and Afghanistan while in the Navy. During his four years in the Navy, Chappelle was never stationed on the ground. He lived on the USS Enterprise at sea from January 2005 to September 2008. "When I first got out, I was really depressed," he said. "There was a lot on my mind. I wasn't sleeping, had a lot of anxiety and wasn't sure what I was going to do. " Since off active duty, the paychecks stopped.

To the uninitiated motorist driving down Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank on a given Saturday, one might conclude there's a three-alarm fire, with huge billows of smoke near the intersection of Buena Vista Street. But open the car window and you'll know this fire was deliberately set, on one of the largest smoker grills you've ever seen. The intoxicating (at least for meat lovers) smell of fresh barbecue brings lines halfway down the block, week after week, year after year. The weekly cookout at the Handy Market has become so popular that some customers plan their weekly wait in line to catch up on their social lives and update their kids' progress in school.

The Glendale Unified elementary school lunch menu through Dec. 22. ? TODAY: Beef RiBBQ, grilled cheese, chef salad, turkey and cheese on French roll. Domino?s Pizza: Monte Vista; McDonald?s: Glenoaks; Wienerschnitzel: Jefferson; California rolls: Franklin; barbecue: Columbus. WEDNESDAY: Orange chicken rice bowl, turkey corn dog, taco salad, ham and cheese on bagel. Domino?s Pizza: Mann; McDonald?s: Balboa; Wienerschnitzel: La Crescenta; California rolls: Mountain Avenue; barbecue: Lincoln.

In a world of pre-fab mini-malls, where restaurants turn over annually, it?s pure pleasure to see a place that?s stood the test of time. Pecos Bill?s Bar-B-Q was built brick by brick by Bill Stenzel back in 1946 with a fabulous wood-burning oven as the cornerstone of this 10-by-10-foot space. He came from Oklahoma by way of Tennessee armed with family recipes, old school barbecue know-how and a desire to share his passion for slow-cooked Okie barbecue. His grandson Owen Stenzel and wife, Eva, carry on the tradition today and we?