Dishes

I'm not sure who approved the design plans for the exterior of the new Zen Sushi and Gourmet Asian Cuisine on Foothill in La Crescenta, but the menacing look of the boxy white building had kept me at bay for months. Plus, I was irrationally angry that our favorite Chinese restaurant, Grandview Palace, which used to be on the site, was so abruptly and unceremoniously closed. But one step inside has got me singing a different tune. The interior of Zen looks as if it was designed by a different person altogether.

We're all familiar with kebab restaurants, with dozens of choices in the Glendale/Burbank area alone. But how many of us have gone deeper into their menus to savor some of the more complex and savory dishes of the Mediterranean and African countries? You will do well to try the Shekarchi Restaurant, a newcomer to Glendale and part of a chain of three in the Los Angeles area. I was eager to try its version of Persian stew — Ghormeh Sabzi — chunks of beef marinated for more than a day, then simmered with red kidney beans and a variety of tasty herbs.

On Sunday, for the 18th consecutive year, the Ceramic Castle in Glendale hosted a Christmas celebration and gift exchange for patrons and friends. Fifty eight people were invited to the dinner, held in the work room where ceramic classes at the shop normally take place. To make room for the elegantly decorated dining tables, a Christmas tree and gifts, owners Ellen and Bill Francis stored several work tables in the back room. “We've had as many as 80 people,” said Ellen Francis.

Eugenio Spano and Vicky Lung are living their dream. After Spano hired Lung to work at another local eatery, they were wed and began their family (which now includes children, Bianca and Giorgio). With the opening of Bric Montrose in April of 2002, their family dream is complete. Specializing in Italian dishes from Spano's hometown of Genoa, Bric Montrose is "re-introducing" original recipes that would probably be missing from menus in contemporary Genoa.

Bill Scollon At Gourmet 88, good fortune begins when you step in the door. The Chinese symbol "88," according to the menu, means good health and good fortune. The restaurant lives up to that billing with a wide selection of fresh dishes that are -- fortunately -- delicious. Gourmet 88 specializes in Mandarin cuisine, which is a style of cooking created hundreds of years ago in Beijing's Forbidden City. Sometimes called the food of the emperors, Mandarin cooking seeks harmony through contrast combining crispy textures with smooth ones, sweet with sour and contrasting colors.

Sweet bread from Ecuador, rice cookies and tri-colored Mochi candy from Japan and Polish potato pancakes were just some of the dishes being served at Mountain Avenue Elementary School?s Third Grade International Feast Day. A long standing tradition at the school, the day celebrates the diversity of the students? background through a variety of cuisines. Parents bring in dishes from their ethnic background, students make flags of the country their food represents and parents set up tables at Ocean View park.

Amber Willard NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Salad is a pre-entree dish for many, but on Tuesday, dishes and dishes of the stuff will make up a benefit luncheon. Church Women United is hosting its 24th annual salad luncheon that day to raise money for the local Meals on Wheels program operated by the Salvation Army. "It helps keep the cost of Meals on Wheels down," luncheon organizer Lavita Hill said. The group also aids literacy and battered women's programs.

Having never visited Peru, I claim no frame of reference for how authentically Peruvian Lola's cuisine might actually be. But within my frame of reference for affordable and tasty, Lola's fits the bill. The décor is eclectic, with the focus on an open kitchen in back, where the "All You Can Eat Lunch Buffet" takes center stage Monday through Friday. Cheerful cooks man the buffet line to describe and serve the dishes available. At $7.99, this lunch buffet is a bargain, featuring several salads (mixed green, Caesar and Russian potato salad)

Janine Marnien Los Gringos Locos has everything associated with a Mexican restaurant -- a picture of a chili holding a bowl of guacamole hanging from the entrance, a menu featuring traditional and specialized Mexican dishes and, of course, a name that's all in Spanish. Ever think about what that name means in English? It means "the crazy white people," and The Crazy White People has been family-owned and operated by the Hansens for about seven years.

Cherie Twohy LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Min's Kitchen in La Canada Flintridge sits on busy Foothill Boulevard, conveniently located for its many take-out customers. For 23 years, this family-owned Thai eatery has been serving friendly greetings to regulars and newcomers, along with reasonably priced American-Thai cuisine. Proximity to the street mars the atmosphere a bit, as picture windows at the front reveal a steady whoosh of traffic outside. Sheer shades might diminish the roadside-dining effect.

Seems Glendale's biggest (literally) foodie -- the 400-pound bear dubbed "Meatball" -- is getting just as much attention these days for his preferred diet of fast food and other treats as he his for his herculean back-and-forth journeys from Angeles National Forest to Glendale. He was lured into a trap by a state game warden Wednesday morning with the irresistible combination of a McDonald's Happy Meal, French fries, honey and bacon. And since being taken to a temporary refuge in San Diego County, has turned his nose up at just about everything -- including marshmallows!

In a novel and potentially precedent-setting legal case, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge in Glendale ordered Dish Network to pay for the removal of three satellite dishes from an apartment building whose owner says were ordered by tenants without his approval, but who have since moved out. Christopher Spencer was awarded $850 in small claims court for the cost of removing the equipment from his apartment building in Burbank and $110 for...

On Sunday, for the 18th consecutive year, the Ceramic Castle in Glendale hosted a Christmas celebration and gift exchange for patrons and friends. Fifty eight people were invited to the dinner, held in the work room where ceramic classes at the shop normally take place. To make room for the elegantly decorated dining tables, a Christmas tree and gifts, owners Ellen and Bill Francis stored several work tables in the back room. “We've had as many as 80 people,” said Ellen Francis.

More than 500 golfers have participated in an online survey about DeBell Golf Club as a consultant hired by the city to turn the troubled course around starts evaluating strengths and weaknesses. A senior project manager for National Golf Foundation, which was brought on board in September, said the response was strong compared to work done at other municipal courses. “It's too early to look at the results, but it's one of the strongest responses we've received in comparison to other municipalities we've worked with,” the project manager, Ed Getherall, said.

Sushi Ike in Hollywood had a voracious following for years thanks to its legendary sushi chef, Ike. That restaurant recently changed ownership and we Eastsiders are the luckier for it. Ike-san brings his considerable talent to a brand new eatery in the Del Mar train station center called Sushi Kimagure. You won't find crispy tempura rolls here. No chicken teriyaki or cream cheese dynamite rolls. This is for sushi purists. Be forewarned: You must make a reservation to eat at this 34-seat restaurant.

The Loguercio family has seen good times and bad from behind the 24-seat counter at Chili John’s in Burbank since 1990. They say they are better people for the experience, but with rising food costs and the loss of a patriarch, the family faces a big decision deadline that has come and gone. Debra Loguercio and her 22-year old son, Alec Loguercio, have been working full time keeping the burners lit for several years since the real passion behind Chili John’s, Debra’s husband, Gene Loguercio, became ill and lost a tough battle with pancreatic cancer.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — The following are updates on area athletes in minor league baseball. Fernando Valenzuela Jr. (St. Francis High, 2000) designated hitter, Leones de Yucatan: Valenzuela has started his season out on the right foot, leading his team in batting average. Sixty-eight games into the season, he's hitting .362 (85 for 235), which is also tied for seventh best in the Mexican League. The St. Francis and Glendale Community College product has hit 18 doubles, six homers, a triple and driven in 44 runs this season.

With all the Korean barbecue restaurants dotting Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta, there's little reason to drive to Korea Town for your grilled meat cravings. Surajung Korean B.B.Q. is a top choice for decor and service, but it left me generally unimpressed in the food department. Surajung changed ownership about a year ago (it used to be called Surasang) so I was curious to check out the changes. My most salient memory of the old restaurant was their awful, chewy pork meat.

I'm not sure who approved the design plans for the exterior of the new Zen Sushi and Gourmet Asian Cuisine on Foothill in La Crescenta, but the menacing look of the boxy white building had kept me at bay for months. Plus, I was irrationally angry that our favorite Chinese restaurant, Grandview Palace, which used to be on the site, was so abruptly and unceremoniously closed. But one step inside has got me singing a different tune. The interior of Zen looks as if it was designed by a different person altogether.