Sampler Platter: Top 100 Wines of 2009, best late-night diner, best gay bar, Soda Pop's sandwich shop opens this week, tofurky gravy soda

The world's grossest soda and manicured nails made to look like bacon are in today's food news roundup.

• Main Street merchants want a crack at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Santa Monica Daily Press

• Soda Pop's sandwich shop to open this Wednesday on La Cienega at Beverly. La Brea Dining Japanese restaurant to open at Crescent Heights and West 3rd Street. Blackburn and Sweetzer

• While the rest of the world tries to reduce its plastic use, Aussie winemaker Peter Yealands switches to plastic wine bottles. Stuff

• Playboy names Original Pantry Cafe as a Top 10 Late-Night Diner

• TripOut names the Abbey as Best Gay Bar in the World. Brand X

• Nov. 23 is the New Yorker's food issue with John Colapinto on the secrets of the Michelin guide, Calvin Trillin on poutine, Adam Gopnik on cookbooks, Mimi Sheraton on spit cakes; Evan Osnos on Beijing's love of wine, Raffi Khatchadourian on the Givaudan flavor factory and more.

• Jones makes tofurkey and gravy soda (read: carbonated vomit). Chicago Sun Times

• Wine Spectator will announce its Top 100 Wines of 2009 on Wednesday. Members get a sneak peek today.

• Prospectors set to drill for Shackleton's booze in Antarctica. Metro

• Meat manicure: bacon nail tips. Jezebel

• All About Beer celebrates 30th anniversary edition: "Revolution!" versus "What Revolution?"

• Elizabeth Hurley's diet tips: vodka and one meal a day. Daily Mail

• Yes, people do win McDonald's Monopoly game. (Daily Finance) In other news, McDonald's will open 1,000 new restaurants in 2010. CNNMoney.com

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Stan Augustyn handles oils at Givaudan-Roure Corp. Credit: Joe Tabacca / For The Times

Top Chef 'Just Desserts' and Season 7 casting

On Sunday, swarms of starry-eyed chefs showed up at Tom Colicchio's Craft restaurant to take a stab at becoming the next Top Chef. The Magical Elves production company was doing a double-whammy cattle call, where the pastry chefs auditioned for the first season of "Just Desserts" and the rest auditioned for Season 7 of "Top Chef."

Casting producer Donna Lee says that there have been some big names that have come out in other cities, but her lips are sealed on who. Eater LA reports that chefs from Ivan Kane's Cafe Was and the Dakota were in attendance, but here's a peak at a few of the promising under-the-radar hopefuls we had a chance to speak with:

You can put a winning pie on your Thanksgiving table

There was plenty of disagreement and plenty of cajoling as the judges sorted out their opinions about the 150 pies entered in the first -- but perhaps not the last, producers say -- pie contest sponsored by "Good Food," Evan Kleiman's show on KCRW-FM (89.9). Above, the judges, including Eric Greenspan and Elizabeth Belkind in the center, talk over their choices.

Here's the winning recipe from the KCRW "Good Food" pie contest Saturday. The pie was baked by Barbara Treves, who lives in Mar Vista. This recipe was not tested in The Times test kitchen.

More Americans feeling hunger's pinch

More Americans last year lacked the ability to put adequate food on their tables than in any year since the federal government began monitoring food insecurity, according to a government report today.

The report, posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s website, blamed the current recession for the increasing number of people who are having difficulty meeting their dietary needs.

“The recent economic downturn has brought a sharp increase in the number of Americans who report having difficulty meeting their food needs,” said the report. “In fact, in 2008, the number and percentage of U.S. households classified as ‘food insecure’ reached the highest level recorded since federal monitoring of food insecurity began in 1995.” Read more here:

Photo: Volunteers fill rice bags at a food bank near downtown Seattle. Credit: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press

Enough pie to reach the sky in KCRW contest

Bring on the pie! And the pie ... and the pie. One hundred and fifty pies. Sour cream apple blueberry. Apple and more apple in every variation, including one with bacon and smoked paprika. Lots of pumpkin pies (no surprise in November). Maple sweet potato pie with pecan brittle topping. Chocolate banana cream pie. Savory duck pie.

Welcome to the KCRW-FM (89.9) "Good Food" show pie contest, an event inspired by host Evan Kleiman’s summer project of baking a pie (almost) every day. Kleiman, the emcee at Saturday's contest, wore a pie pin embroidered by her friend Jill Smolin. She introduced herself as "your pie god," to lots of cheers.

Preview: Philippe by Philippe Chow in West Hollywood

 

One of the great joys of life in Los Angeles is its aspiration toward casualness at all costs. In this city, the more dressed down you are at an upscale restaurant the more likely it is that you are someone important.

And so it was that on a recent Wednesday night at West Hollywood's new chichi Chinese restaurant, Philippe by Philippe Chow, a sizable turnout of meticulously informal diners found themselves seated in the resplendent red-white-and-black dining room, nibbling on thimble-sized crispy duck rolls and sipping exotic fruit-based martinis. Read more here:

Photo: The main dining room at Philippe by Philippe Chow, a recently opened ultra high-end Chinese restaurant in West Hollywood. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Guy Fieri on TV, OK. But Guy Fieri in concert?!?!?

Food Network personality Guy Fieri is hitting the road -- not for dives, but for concert halls.

The Guy Fieri Road Show is part cooking demonstration, part concert, and kicks off Tuesday for 30 days and 21 stops complete with a food demo, a deejay – L.A.’s DJ Cobra -- and an on-stage mixologist to attend to, among other things, a six-foot-tall, 25-gallon margarita. Fieri pulls up to the Gibson Amphitheater on Dec. 17 and Las Vegas on Dec. 19.

It’s not just the concept that screams rock star. The higher-end ticket prices do too: At the Gibson, prices start at $18.95 and top out at $250 per person for the "Off Da Hook" package that includes stage seating and a chance to sample what Fieri is cooking and some of that margaritaville. Tickets for the Guy Fieri Road Show went on sale in September, and so far, according to his website, no venue has sold out. Has the host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," who enraptures audiences while he tries one decadent dish after another, bitten off more than he can chew? Click here to find out what Guy has to say.

Photo: Guy Fieri. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / Los Angeles Times

Crooner and restaurateur Andy Williams talks about what Alpo tastes like

When the late Ronald Reagan was president, he proclaimed that singer Andy Williams was a “national treasure.” That's a strong a description, but Williams certainly has been treasured by audiences around the world for more than 60 years, first as member of the Williams Brothers quartet and then as a solo act.

Williams, now 81, has recorded 18 gold and three platinum certified albums. Among his memorable hits are “Canadian Sunset,” “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses." The Iowa native also hosted a musical-variety series on NBC from 1962-71 and has been a staple at the Branson, Missouri resort since 1991 when he opened his Moon River Theatre. Two years ago, he opened the Moon River Grill adjacent to the theater. Williams recently published his autobiography, “Moon River and Me”, and Sony Music has also released the CD “Moon River: The Very Best of Andy Williams.”

But that is not the only reason Williams has been in the news of late.

Despite his strong friendship with the late Bobby Kennedy, Williams is a longtime Republican who accused President Obama last month in the Daily Telegraph in England of “following Marxist theory” and “wanting the country to fail.” But on a recent afternoon, Williams was more in the mood to talk about the comfort food found at his restaurant than politics.

Q: In your memoir you say that you ended up eating dog food when you first went solo in the 1950s because your career was struggling.

Blogging moms wooed by food firms

On most days, Andrea Deckard can be found in her home office, digging through stacks of coupons and grocery receipts for money-saving tips and recipes that she can share with readers of her Mommy Snacks blog.

That is, when the stay-at-home mom isn't being wined and dined by giant food companies.

Earlier this year, Frito-Lay flew her to Los Angeles to meet celebrities such as model Brooke Burke and the Spice Girls' Mel B, while pitching her on its latest snack ad campaign.

More recently, Nestle paid to put her and 16 other so-called "mommy bloggers" -- and one daddy blogger -- up at the posh Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena, treated them to a private show at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and sent packages of frozen Omaha Steaks to their families to tide them over while the women were away learning all about the company's latest product lines.

In return, Deckard and her virtual sisterhood filed Twitter posts raving about Nestle's canned pumpkin, Wonka candy and Juicy Juice drinks.

"People have accused us of being corporate shills," said Deckard, a Monroe, Ohio, mother of three whose junkets also have included a free trip to Frito-Lay's Texas headquarters. Deckard, noting that she is up front with her readers about such trips, said they were educational for her and her fans, and "just fun."

Read more here:

Photo: Andrea Deckard, a stay-at-home mom in Monroe, Ohio, points to a post on her Mommy Snacks blog. Both Frito-Lay and Nestle have brought her to Los Angeles this year to be entertained and to learn about their products. Credit: Samantha Grier / Dayton Daily News

 

Thanksgiving countdown: Pumpkin pie ice cream with pecan praline

The only thing better than pumpkin pie ice cream to finish off the Thanksgiving meal? Pumpkin pie ice cream with pecan praline. (Bonus: You can make it ahead.) Here's your recipe.

-- Rene Lynch

RELATED:

PHOTO GALLERY: A Thanksgiving feast for the eyes

Favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

This Thanksgiving, let someone else do the cooking

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

 

Sampler Platter: McRibs, pantry raids, diet patches and more

L.A. Times headlines:

Pantry Raid: Do you remember the families that got themselves a nutritional makeover by the Health section? Times staff writer Jeannine Stein has an update. And she's added a new family to the mix. Click here to read about the Nobles and their nutritional challenges. 

The McDonald's McRib is back: But before you eat, read this.

Diet patches: Do they really work?

Product placement: The London Underground has crafted a holiday season deal with Coca-Cola Just one question: Won't you get a ticket if you try to drink it on the train?

Photo: Registered dietitian Lisa Gibson, left, joins the Noble family of Mission Viejo for dinner: Kristy Noble and her sons, Scott Noble, right, 14, and Robert Noble, 17. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Finally, a new way to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers

Pumpkins and cranberries in the supermarket signal the beginning of the holiday season. As it happens, these two festive foods also provide a feast for your skin.

Savvy spas and beauty product manufacturers are capitalizing on the autumnal bounty to help customers develop a fetching glow. For instance, the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills offers a fruit and pumpkin enzyme peel, and Verabella Skin Therapy (also in Beverly Hills) is showcasing what it calls the "Fall on Your Face" facial with pumpkin. Skin-care brands including Eminence, Jason Natural and Kiss My Face make cranberry scrubs, lotion and body washes -- some organic -- that smell delightful.

And you can even use your leftover holiday treats to create economical home treatments. Read more here in our Image section:

Photo credit: (Peden + Munk)

Thanksgiving countdown: Roasted pumpkin salad

This would be a colorful addition to your holiday table. It calls for using fresh pumpkin -- peeled, seeded and cubed. Here's your recipe for roasted pumpkin salad:

--Rene Lynch

PHOTO GALLERY: A Thanksgiving feast for the eyes

Favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

This Thanksgiving, let someone else do the cooking

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

 

Top Chef 'Strip Around the World': Hot or not?

The "Top Chef" cheftestants were given a breakfast-in-bed room service quick-fire challenge. For the elimination, they were to take inspiration from various hotels along the Strip to create a single dish for 175 people. A look at what sizzled, and what fizzled.

What's hot: 

• Seeing Padma and my girl-crush, Nigella Lawson (whom I now have to fight Jacques Pepin for, as he admitted last week that he has the hots for her too), critiquing cuisine in bed together.

• Michael V's spicy buffalo wings with cool blue cheese disc, which were inspired by New York, New York and the FDNY. I've got my fingers crossed that he puts that on the menu at the Langham Hotel & Spa in Pasadena; though the dining room is a bit too fru-fru to watch a football game in, those wings looked like the ultimate game-time grub.

Thanksgiving countdown: Bruleed pumpkin pie

What we like about this pumpkin pie is that is that it must be made ahead -- you have to allow the crust to freeze for a minimum of a few hours, or overnight, and also let the filling freeze overnight. Here's your recipe for Bruleed pumpkin pie: 

--Rene Lynch

PHOTO GALLERY: A Thanksgiving feast for the eyes

Our best Thanksgiving Day recipes

This Thanksgiving, let someone else do the cooking

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

Photo credit: Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times

 

At the market this week: Purple Queen beans, Pink Lady apples and satsuma mandarins

The Laguna Beach farmers market, held in a city parking lot below a huge bluff, has remained a stable, successful venue for the past decade. It features about 20 produce vendors, including three Orange County vegetable growers, Smith Farms and two branches of the Berumen family.

The best display belongs to Amado Rodriguez of J.R. Organics, from Escondido, who offers a wide range of freshly picked vegetables, including pristine Sebring gold zucchini, and unusual Purple Queen beans, which are dark purple, almost black, on the outside, and green inside. The beans' color fades to dark green with cooking, even if they are roasted rather than steamed, but the flavor is excellent. The farm, which brings dazzling bouquets of dried red Thai chiles and multicolored ristras, also sells at the Manhattan Beach, Mar Vista, and Santa Monica (Virginia Park) markets and offers a community-supported agriculture program. Read more here at David Karp's weekly Market Watch column:

Photo caption: Purple Queen beans grown by J.R. Organic Farms in Escondido, at the Laguna Beach farmers market. (David Karp / For The Times)

Battle over outdoor dining roils Larchmont Boulevard

When Larchmont Bungalow opened a couple of weeks ago, the “Artisan Cafe, Bakery and Brew” coffeehouse seemed a perfect fit for the tony neighborhood, with its exposed wooden beams, reconditioned hardwood floors and roasting coffee wafting through the airy space.

But there was just one problem — and it had everything to do with the chairs and tables where patrons sat, drank coffee and noshed on offerings such as red velvet pancakes and jerk chicken sliders.

Those chairs and tables, a group of residents says, threaten the very fabric of Larchmont Village because they transformed what had been permitted as a take-out restaurant into something vastly different.

Because the business offers patrons a place to sit and eat, they said, it knowingly violates a series of longstanding ordinances for the neighborhood known as “Q conditions” that, among other things, limit the number of restaurants in the shopping district. Plans for the business showed retail and a bakery — but not tables and chairs.

The controversy underscores a long-simmering battle on the boulevard that L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the area, calls “our American Main Street.” Read more here: 

Photo: Tables and chairs outside Larchmont Bungalow are tagged for sale.

Credit: Richard DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Audrey Saunders on the Tar Pit: cocktail flights, housemade sodas, Sunday brunch (served all day because Saturday nights can be long)

Now that New York bartender extraordinaire Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club has teamed with Mark Peel and Jay Perrin of Campanile to open the Tar Pit, what's in store? Cocktail flights, food-and-drink pairings, Sunday brunch, housemade sodas and more.

And if you thought the name Tar Pit made it sound, well, dumpy, there's a reason (besides the reference to the La Brea Tar Pits).

"We drew inspiration from the old black-and- white movie 'My Man Godfrey,'" said Saunders. "William Powell is homeless and living on the city dump. He goes to work for Carole Lombard’s crazy family as the butler, rebuilds his fortune, then returns to the city dump to open the Dump -- a nightclub. When someone enters the Tar Pit for the first time, they'll be able to connect the irony in what the name represents, as opposed to the actual feel of the space." This place is no pit.

"The beverage program is neoclassical and tips its hat to the 1940s Hollywood bar scene," she  said. "It will encompass everything from old classics to new creations. We will also be developing an in-house carbonation program for housemade sodas." 

Cocktail flights also will be offered, in which you pick any three drinks from the cocktail menu and create your own flight (each is half the volume of a standard drink).

And get this:

Eating along the Gold Line Eastside Extension: What didn't we include?

 

After eating our way from Little Tokyo to Atlantic Boulevard (and beyond) in East L.A., we had the difficult task of deciding which restaurants to include in an article about the many, many places to dine along the Gold Line Eastside Extension. (Trains are scheduled to start running on Sunday.)

The Little Tokyo stop presented some particularly difficult choices, because the area is packed with so many restaurants, without even including the Arts District. In this case, an editorial decision was made: The story focuses on those restaurants that are closest, within about a block or so of the stop at 1st and Alameda streets. So it doesn't include anything south of 2nd Street or much further west of Central Avenue. Unfortunately, that omits a lot of great restaurants.

And we heard about it from readers. Please let us know what else you would have wanted included. 

Here, a few additions from readers: 

Thanksgiving food costs down 4% -- and your holiday recipe for the day

Americans can be thankful for lower food prices this year as the traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, buttered rolls and pumpkin pie, will cost 4% less than in 2008, a farm group said. Details here.

Even better news: This recipe for roast turkey with wild mushrooms can be made a day ahead of time, and reheated.

-- Rene Lynch

PHOTO GALLERY: A Thanksgiving feast for the eyes

Our best Thanksgiving Day recipes

This Thanksgiving, let someone else do the cooking

Join us on Twitter @latimesfood and Facebook at facebook.com/latimesfood

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times