Dishes

While some animated phenomena such as Disney have more than 70 years of appeal and universal recognition, there are other players in the marketplace that have carved their own particular segment. From the much smaller Big Idea Company comes ?The Pirates Who Couldn?t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie.? If you?re not familiar with the Veggie Tales ? and my own knowledge of this popular television series was very limited ? just understand that simplicity is key. We?re talking animated vegetables hopping around and teaching positive values to very young kids.

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.

DOWNTOWN ? In hopes of making money in a busy downtown location that didn?t work for its predecessor, BJ?s Restaurant and Brewhouse opened its doors to Glendale on Monday. Parked at the corner of Brand Boulevard and Broadway, on the ground floor of the Glendale City Center at 101 N. Brand Blvd., the restaurant?s new stainless steel facade beckoned passersby to test the newly opened eatery. The sign was familiar to Irvine resident Shannon Shin, who randomly stopped in for lunch to enjoy some deep-dish pizza.

GLENDALE — Outdoor grilling at restaurants, a contentious issue in Glendale, lost another battle Wednesday when an Armenian eatery's application to continue its smoky cooking method was denied. Sam Arutyunyan submitted an application June 6 seeking a variance to maintain an outdoor grill at his Karoun Restaurant in southeast Glendale. In her denial issued on Wednesday, City Zoning Administrator Edith Fuentes pointed to a city code that requires all commercial grilling to be indoors.

WOODLAND HILLS — The Crescenta Valley Major All-Stars found themselves in some unfamiliar territory on Wednesday. Not only was the team entrenched in a close battle, but it trailed by a significant margin for the beginning stages of it's Sectional 2 championship game against El Dorado. Normally the team on the positive side of an offensive assault as evident by its 21 runs on Sunday, the Crescenta Valley bats did not awake in time, leading to a 10-6 defeat at the Sunrise Little League Complex in Woodland Hills.

This is not your parents’ Chinese restaurant. Forget the red vinyl booths, papier-mâché dragons and rice-paper lanterns hanging everywhere. And don’t expect the kitschy plates or pots of tea. It is a minor detail, but it says everything. The fortune cookies are delicious. Instead of the usual break-your-teeth perfunctory after-dinner treat, here they bring fortune cookies wrapped in brightly colored foil that are fresh and have been partially dipped in white chocolate.

Cuban-Americans Felix Lopez and Luis Rodriquez, friends for 35 years, know a thing or two about Cuban cuisine. But their new restaurant, Sabor, is a taste of the world. Though the official concept for Sabor, which opened at 933 N. Brand Blvd. last month, is "Latin Fusion Cuisine," the menu has traces of just about every continent. There are a lot of excellentethnic restaurants in Glendale, but there is a surprising void of fusion cuisine, Lopez said. By combining a variety of ethnic culinary traditions, the partners believe they can appeal to the diverse population of Glendale at once.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Aaron McGuinness (Crescenta Valley High, 2003) senior shortstop, Gonzaga baseball: The former News-Press Male Athlete of the Year has been on a tear to start his senior year. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs (1-5) have not. They picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, defeating a previously undefeated UC Riverside (5-1) by a 3-2 margin. McGuinness, the Bulldogs' No. 2 batter, went two for five in the game with a run batted in and a run scored.

Once my roses are pruned in early January, I tend to avoid the barren garden. Without the calming influence of daily pottering among my plants, I develop a split personality. I want to curl up with a good book by the fireplace, soothed by the aroma of a casserole warming in the oven. On the other hand, I am itching to bundle up against the chill to venture out for a new dining experience. Usually, I end up doing a bit of both. Maybe you feel the same way? If so, you'll enjoy some fresh dining suggestions balanced by a comforting casserole recipe.

Children by the dozen took full advantage of the chance to dictate ice cream orders to their Valley View Elementary School teachers Thursday as part of a fundraising campaign at the Cold Stone Creamery on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta. The brisk January weather seemed to be a distant afterthought for the students as they pressed their hands and faces against the glass display case in blissful indecision as they contemplated flavors like "Banana Split Decision" and "Strawberry Shortcake Serenade."