Debate-watching at Social Hollywood

There are sure to be a lot of big-screen TVs tuned in to the vice presidential debate on Thursday, when Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin square off in St. Louis. Some of those big screens will be at Social Hollywood, where Generation Obama hosts a viewing. Debate-watching young activists will be sipping cocktails and eating chicken "faux gras" (hey, if men and dinosaurs coexisted, then you can get "foie gras" from a chicken) from Michel Richard's bar menu. 

Social Hollywood, 6525 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. Call (310) 836-2009 to RSVP. Event starts at 5 p.m. Debate starts at 6 p.m.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Sarah Palin. Credit: Mandel Agan / AFP/Getty Images

Espresso Profeta is open in Westwood

L.A.'s coffee geeks (their term) have a new place to get pulls of Vivace espresso and cappuccinos topped with latte art, like this one being poured here into a vintage Illy decorative cup: Espresso Profeta in Westwood.

The coffee bar, which opened three weeks ago after a redesign (it was previously West Burton Coffee & Tea), is a partnership between Samantha Langford -- whose father owns the 30-year-old jewelry store across the pretty courtyard as well as the 1924 building now occupied by Profeta -- and Mitch Hale.  Hale was previously at Caffe Luxxe in Santa Monica and was one of the first baristas at Seattle's Espresso Vivace. (Pacific Northwest readers: Espresso Vivace reopened their second store this past Friday, in Capitol Hill.) It's a family operation: Samantha's husband and Hale's nephew also pull shots from the Syneso machine and serve up the house-made sandwiches and pastries from Breadbar and Buttercake Bakery. Look for continued changes in the coming weeks, as Langford and Hale tailor the spot to UCLA students and those coffee geeks (squishy couches and dictionaries will replace the antiques; free WiFi as of next week). Macchiato fans, take note: Those served at Espresso Profeta (the name means 'the prophet of coffee,' according to Hale) resemble short double cappuccinos. Hey, you get latte art on these!

Espresso Profeta, 1129 Glendon Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 208-3375. (Website under construction.)  Open Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

-- Amy Scattergood

Photo credit: Samantha Langford

Q&A: Advice for restaurateurs from Marco Pierre White

Marco Pierre White (aka "the godfather of rock-star chefs," "enfant terrible of the British restaurant scene," etc.) retired from the kitchen in 1999 but has recently embarked on a television career; last year, he was head chef on the third season of the British "Hell's Kitchen" series. It seems he's on a mission to solidify his status as "the first celebrity chef."

We caught up with him for a Q&A during his visit to L.A. this week. He's promoting his coming TV show, an American version of "The Chopping Block," produced for NBC by Granada America (which also brought us "Hell's Kitchen"), in which couples compete for a shot at having their own Manhattan restaurant. The show is expected to air sometime next year.

The chef notorious for applying the "10-second throttle" to his cooks (according to his 2007 memoir "The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef") has opened 30 restaurants and now has his sights set on the U.S.

With stocks plunging and the economy in crisis here, what advice do you have for anyone trying to open a restaurant now?...   

Philippe the Original turns 100, French dips to be sold for a dime

If you thought the lines at Philippe the Original were bad already, wait until Monday, Oct. 6, which marks the historic restaurant's 100-year anniversary. On that day, three generations of the Binder family (who have owned Philippe's with two other families since 1927) will be on hand to help sell the restaurant's heart-stopping roast beef French dip sandwiches for a dime. That was the price the meaty, juicy sandwiches were sold for when they first appeared on the menu in 1918. The price of coffee, which normally sells for a dime, will be slashed in half to a nickel.

If the Dow continues its downward spiral and the House remains deadlocked on what to do about the financial crisis, the monstrous line that will surely snake around the block Monday may resemble a bread line more than a party. But no matter, those are prices to wait for these days. And Philippe's French dip sandwich, with liberal amounts of signature hot mustard, is worthy of dedicated, solemn, slow-line celebration, which is just what you'll find Monday, so make sure to bring some sort of cane chair. And please, be gentle on the restrooms -- which with an estimated 2,200 customers daily and up to 4,000 on weekends are on the edge already.

Philippe the Original, 1001 Alameda St., L.A. (213) 628-3781.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo of the counter at Philippe the Original by Jay Clendenin for the Los Angeles Times

From Tokyo to Venice: J's Kitchen to take over Stroh's

Last week Eater LA reported that Abbot Kinney institution Stroh’s Gourmet had closed. It turns out the new leaseholder of 1239 Abbot Kinney is Kumiko Ueki, who was passing out flyers about her small restaurant at this weekend's Abbot Kinney Festival. Ueki says she will open macrobiotic eatery J’s Kitchen "by the end of October" inside the former Stroh’s space.

J’s Kitchen, which already exists in Tokyo, will serve up vegan fare with Tokyo flair to Abbot Kinney’s hungry hordes. Ueki, who owns several restaurants in the greater Tokyo area, says this is her first U.S. venture. Most of the dishes at J’s, which is named after her son Jerome, will be of the grab 'n' go variety.  Also, Ueki says she's not sure if J's will be open for breakfast (a shame as Stroh’s was known for being a fantastic meeting spot for a quick cup of coffee and a bite in the morning to Venice residents in the know). 

A quick look at the menu from J's Japanese website reveals a few tempting clues as to what the food might be like at the new casual vegan cafe. A teriyaki tempeh sandwich "set" at J’s Tokyo goes for around $15. However, don’t expect Ueki to have the same prices here that she has in the Hiroo neighborhood in Japan's capital, where people are used to paying $20 for a decent lunch. Prices are likely to be much cheaper at her Venice outpost.

J's Kitchen, 1239 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of a J's Tokyo location from J's Kitchen

Hall Bar & Grill at the Palihouse Vine is set for spring, serving up 'Britalian'

New Palihouse Holloway executive chef Brendan Collins (most recently chef de cuisine at Anisette in Santa Monica) has been testing the recipes for his new menu, which will be unveiled this week at The Hall, the hotel's brasserie. Look for radicchio salad with watercress, poached egg, Pecorino and truffle vinaigrette; Arctic char with grilled eggplant and Argan oil; and an apple creme brulee.

Collins is also working on the food for the Hall Bar & Grill at Palihouse Vine, the restaurant at a second Palihouse project, scheduled to open in spring 2009.  (Above right is a rendering of the exterior.) Palihouse owner Avi Brosh describes the Palihouse Vine as an "upscale British bohemian gentlemen's club set in an industrial shell" and its food as "British 'gastro-pub' inspired with Italian cuisine influences." OK, then. Collins has his own adjective for the food: Britalian. He says that the food will be "a good middle ground between Anisette and Melisse" (where Collins was chef de cuisine for four years), and that he'll also offer some of the traditional pub food of his childhood (his parents ran a pub in England) like bangers and mash.  A third Palihouse, with Collins also as executive chef, is in the works for Venice.

The Hall at Palihouse Holloway, 8465 Holloway Drive, West Hollywood. (323) 656-4020; www.palihouse.com.

-- Amy Scattergood

Image: Rendering of Palihouse Vine. Credit: ByPalisades

Bidding farewell to Paul Newman, a film icon and a foodie

Paul Newman was a rare breed -- an A-list celebrity who never took himself too seriously. He was a perfectionist about his craft, as well as his food. Times Staff Writer Lynn Smith's story about Newman's life and death tells how his particular taste in salad dressing and his penchant for mixing up batches in the bathtub and giving them away at Christmastime led to a multi-million-dollar empire.

The food world -- like the film world and the rest of the world -- was mourning the loss Saturday of a celebrity whose name was as good as gold to consumers.

Christopher Kimball recalled being skeptical when he first heard about Newman's salad dressing. But Kimball, whose TV show, "America's Test Kitchen," and "Cooks Illustrated" brand of cookbooks and magazines put products and recipes through rigorous testing, said he was immediately won over by the high quality of the dressing's simple ingredients. So was the rest of America. It certainly didn't hurt that proceeds went to charity. But that's not what kept people coming back when the "Newman's Own" brand extended into popcorn, lemonades, salsas and the like, Kimball said.

"People knew: If his name was on it, it was high quality, it was good."

Photo credit: AP file photo

AIA/LA Restaurant Design Awards finalists

On Monday the L.A. chapter of the American Institute of Architects will announce the finalists for their 4th annual Restaurant Design Awards. The Dish got a sneak peek at the results, which were culled from more than 40 submissions:

Restaurant: Blue Velvet designed by Tag Front; Comme Ca designed by KAA Design Group, Inc.; Katsuya Glendale designed by Starck Network/DesignARC; Luckyfish designed by Tag Front; Mozza Osteria designed by Kelly Architects, Inc.; R+D Kitchen designed by stenfors/Associates architects.

Cafe/Bar: FOOD designed by Fleetwood Fernandez Architecture; Kitchen 24 designed by Spacecraft/Torres Architects; LAMILL designed by Formation Association/Rubbish Interiors; Monsieur Marcel designed by New Theme, Inc.

Lounge/Nightclub: Elevate Lounge designed by Tag Front; oneworld Lounge at LAX designed by Gensler.

The judges -- one of whom is Patina's Joachim Splichal -- have already picked the winners and the results will be announced at a ceremony Oct. 16. In the meantime AIA/LA will open up voting for the People's Choice Awards next week, so put on your thinking caps. My vote goes to Blue Velvet 'cause I love the whole brooding, '80s-noir thing they've got going on; oh, and the co-ed bathroom with the crazy sinks -- how weird is that?

Voting begins Monday at www.aialosangeles.org. Deadline to vote is Monday, Oct. 13.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo of the pool and patio at Blue Velvet by Tyson Ellis, LOOK Photography.

Melisse, Spago and Bastide served up top spots in Zagat survey

If Los Angeles restaurants are feeling the economic pinch, Tim Zagat has a tip: Do something about the waiters.

Nearly 70% of diners are fed up with poor service, according to Zagat's annual dining survey -- just released today online at zagat.com. And that surely has to be cutting into return business, he said: "It's waiters who disappear, or give you the bum's rush, or can't speak about the menu. The front of the house is the weak link in the industry, and that comes up again and again, city after city."

Maybe that explains why Southern California diners on average tip 18.5% -- less than the U.S. average of 19%, according to the survey.

An online component of the Zagat survey also found that Los Angeles and Southern California diners are cutting back on extras like desserts, wine and bottled water -- or just choosing cheaper places to eat -- in response to economic uncertainty. A total of 27% said they are eating out less, added Nina Zagat, who, along with her husband, founded the burgundy restaurant guide: "There's great sensitivity there."

Cafe Was offers Burt Bacharach brunch

Ivan Kane's Cafe Was announces brunch -- with Burt Bacharach songs played live on the piano (not by Burt himself). A little "What's New, Pussycat" (early Bacharach) or "Heartlight" ('80s Bacharach) with your omelets, crepes, quiche and "brunch classics"? There's champagne and cocktails too.

Cafe Was, 1521 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 466-5400. Brunch is Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo of Burt Bacharach by Vince Bucci/Getty Images