A letter to beleaguered female waitstaff everywhere

A former bartender at West Hollywood's Foxtail nightclub is filing a sexual discrimination lawsuit against Foxtail parent company SBE for allegedly telling her she needed to lose weight if she wanted to keep working in the front of the house.

The story gained traction today as blogs like Eater L.A. reported that self-dubbed feminist lawyer Gloria Allred has signed on to represent the bartender, Virginia Tzortzos. Allred, whose clients have included Paula Jones and Nicole Brown Simpson's family, is known for catching the media's attention, and she did it again this morning with a feisty appearance on CBS' "The Early Show," where she chided SBE and asked, "How thin must a woman be to keep her job?"

SBE would not comment, saying, "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending or threatened litigation."

It will be interesting to follow this story, because although it's reprehensible to tell a woman she needs to stay skinny to keep her job, it's not remotely surprising to any woman who has spent time in the service industry.

Before becoming an employed writer, I spent seven years bartending and waitressing at a bar that was owned by a pair of elderly German men who hired only women, and those women were required to wear sexy-looking dirndls to work. I was 23 and broke when I took the job; the first day I had to put on the dirndl, I looked in the mirror and started to cry.

Crumbs coming to Los Feliz

Is dessert recession-proof? Expanding New York-based cupcake chain Crumbs is betting that even with the economy in shambles, consumers will pony up $3 for cupcakes.*

With a store in Beverly Hills and one in Larchmont Village, the company will open its newest outpost at 1856 N. Vermont Ave.,  former home of Los Feliz Lock & Key Services (now around the corner at 4647 Russell Ave.) and half a block north of Skylight Books. Opening date hasn't been finalized; might be as early as mid-November or as late as January. More details to come.

— Elina Shatkin

*Crumbs regular-size cupcakes sell for $2.95 to $3.75.

Geoduck is for lovers

We're not in the business of mocking press releases (might as well shoot fish in a barrel), but every now and then something comes across our desk that's so goofy, we can’t help ourselves.

"When gift packages of panties get old, or adult toys are no longer a funny gift to find under the tree, show your lover you really care with high-end sensual food gifts," MarxFoods.com suggests. You could go for aphrodisiacs ranging from the obvious (oysters, chocolate) to the odd (truffle honey, lobster-filled heart-shaped ravioli). But "for the adventurous couple" (in and out of the dining room) there's the geoduck.

Roundup: The great pumpkin-food hunt

This time of year the ubiquitous fall fruit, which represents both Halloween and Thanksgiving, becomes as much of a marketing tool as a food. Fortunately for us it's delicious -- and flexible -- enough to please all kinds of palates. The following is a sampling of pumpkin-themed foods and drinks being served around town:

Gyenari: About the last place you’d expect to find pumpkin drinks (or desserts) is at a Korean BBQ restaurant.  Yet this Culver City newbie is offering both.  Pumpkin cheesecake, made with pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla and cream cheese and topped with house made sour cream and sugar glaze is $7 a slice.  Also on the menu is a $12 "Smashed Pumpkin" cocktail made with rum and pumpkin pie filling with a whipped cream float flavored with Grand Marnier, vanilla and sugar.

Hungry Cat: The Persimmon Margarita ($13) and Rhumpkin ($13), which is made with Barbancourt rum, Goslings Black Seal rum, roasted pumpkin and lemon, are back on the autumn menu. And for one night only, the Halloween menu will feature a handful of yet-to-be-concocted thematically appropriate libations.

Did your favorite restaurant make this Top 40 list?

Gayot, trusted for its restaurant reviews but not limited to just following culinary trends (it also covers hotels, travel and lifestyle topics), released its list of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. And Los Angeles — where the Gayot headquarters is located — claims five spots on this list. Did your favorite restaurant make the cut? Find out at our Daily Travel & Deal blog.

So, is this list on the money? Or did they blow it?

Photo credit: Patinagroup.com

John Sedlar's Rivera to open Dec. 4

John Sedlar says his new restaurant, Rivera, is set to open Dec. 4 -- that's exactly one month after the election for all you tequila-loving politicos -- downtown at the Met Lofts at 11th and Flower. Rivera (Sedlar's middle name) will feature a pan-Latin menu, with dishes drawn from Spanish, Portuguese, South American, Central American and regional Mexican cuisine -- with some Southwest from the chef's native New Mexico thrown into the mix too. "It's an unconventional definition of Latin," said Sedlar, who sounded very excited about getting back into the restaurant business after a 15-year absence.

Sedlar described the space (designed by partner Eddie Sotto) as "windows, windows, windows" with a "vibrant metropolitan vibe" featuring a Latin raw bar -- think yellowtail with mole verde -- 20 small- plates offerings and five 'platos fuertos.'  Patrons can sit around a 16-seat communal table made from Red Dragon marble as servers bring tortillas made from house-made nixtamal and grilled on the big comal in the dining room. Sedlar recently planted a crop of agave in Mexico that he says will yield about 5,000 bottles of prime tequila in, oh, 11 years or so.  In the meantime, guests can order flights of Rivera's "tequila on tap" with their tamales. 

Rivera, 1050 S. Flower St., Los Angeles. www.riverarestaurant.com (no phone number yet).

-- Amy Scattergood

Rendering of Rivera courtesy Sotto Studios.

She's back: Amanda Scheer-Demme returns to Hollywood

The woman who helped put the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the national nightlife map via her ruthless door policy at the hotel's Tropicana bar (and Teddy's), Amanda Scheer-Demme, will soon run the show at a new bar located in the former Stork. 

According to sources familiar with the project, the Stork, which opened earlier this year on North Orange Avenue near the Hollywood & Highland complex, is now closed. The phone number is busy 24 hours a day and the website is down.  We're told that Scheer-Demme is currently in the process of revamping the space into a lounge tentatively titled "H-Wood." 

The widow of film director Ted Demme declined to comment on the new space Wednesday, but we hear that things are moving quickly and that an opening before the end of the year is likely.  What might be in store in terms of a menu is still unknown, but we're guessing "H-wood" will serve some sort of upscale fare.  Check back here and with The Guide for more details soon.

The Stork / H-Wood, 1738 N. Orange Ave., Hollywood.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of the Stork courtesy the Stork Bar

Hot new trend: hobo chic

What is it about a gasping economy that makes people who still have enough pocket money to treat themselves to a snazzy night out think it's super fun to play at being really down and out?

First, downtown's Edison began its completely ridiculous (although admittedly entertaining and affordable) Soup Kitchen Fridays, during which customers are given two nickels upon their arrival to the bar. One nickel gets you a tiny tea cup of tomato soup and a sliver of grilled cheese; the other gets you a heavy-on-the-ice bourbon or gin concoction. Last Friday, the guy giving out the goodies to a long line of giggling, presumably gainfully employed sartorialists wore kitchen whites and looked glum in a little white soup kitchen hat.

Now, in yet another sign that it's hip to play hobo, the tony new restaurant and bar in Hollywood, Ivan Kane's Cafe Was, has introduced flask service. "Rather than wallow in lowly circles and grumble about the state of the economy, go out and live it up," reads a recent press release.

Silly, lowly circles of people worried about the job you just lost! Obviously, you won't be following your fun-loving, rail-riding friends to Cafe Was to have a "bohemian hobo" flask of Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey delivered to your table in a nifty brown paper bag for prices ranging from $58 to $72.

The press release concludes, "Note to the thrill seeker, glasses are optional." You mean I can just swig straight from the bottle like I would if I were drinking the same thing on a park bench? Now that's a thrill worth the extra $30.

Cafe Was, 1521 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 466-5400.

--Jessica Gelt

Photo from the Cafe Was press release

Farm to table: Bush basil, blue hubbard squash and Thetis Sammons

Malaqueta peppers, 50 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, borage, curry plants, variegated basil, Mexican mint, Italian squashes and New Zealand water spinach. "This is all fairly common compared with what I would like to grow," says Thetis Sammons over the phone (while she's also watering her herbs).

Since summer Sammons has been farming five acres, on a 75-acre agricultural preserve, in the Santa Ynez valley under the name Epic Organics (also the name of a farm she had up in Santa Cruz). For many California chefs, Epic Organics is synonymous with unique, outstanding vegetables -- maybe even the Platonic idea of unique, outstanding vegetables. Now she is planning to expand with an additional 4 1/2 acres.

"My dream is to bring in food from areas where there are conservation issues -- Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego. ... Hopefully by next year I'll be able to bring some new things to the table." Sammons will be the first farmer featured in a series of "Farm-Maker" dinners at Craft in Century City, organized by chef de cuisine Matt Accarrino.

"I do the growing part," Sammons says, "and I envision what happens to the vegetables, but it's a pretty rare treat to sit down to dinner" at a restaurant with the fruits of her labor. On the menu are her late-harvest purple tomatillos, blue hubbard squash, shell beans, sweet peppers, leeks, sage, chard (see the full menu after the jump). Pastry chef Catherine Schimenti uses the spicy, tiny-leaved bush basil for her chocolates.

Craft 'Farm-Maker' dinner, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., $160 per person includes wine pairings. 10100 Constellation Blvd., Los Angeles, call (424) 204-7485 for reservations.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Thetis Sammons. Credit: Betty Hallock   

Eco-friendly club Ecco debuts Wednesday

L.A.’s first “green” bar, Ecco Ultra Lounge will debut Wednesday night featuring the musical stylings of beloved San Francisco House DJ Miguel Migs.  A private opening will take place on Tuesday.

Formerly Tokio, Ecco will feature small plates such as a Jerusalem artichoke salad with goat cheese and entrees such as Guinness-braised beef with mashed potatoes.   The full menu can be seen here, although the kitchen won’t officially open until late November, when the Hollywood bar celebrates its grand opening with a full schedule of events. This week’s slate of parties is a “teaser, with the bar only 85% done,” says co-owner and longtime promoter Danny B.   

Several promoters who have been inside the space report that the club looks stunning, with an all-black interior accented by LED lighting. If you're out and about in Hollywood on Halloween, swing by for the soft launch but be forewarned that getting in may be difficult without connections.  A safer bet might be Wednesday night’s party, which is open to the public. Tickets are $20 at the door.

Bonus: For those arriving via the ecologically correct Prius hybrid, the valet is free (at least the bar hyped the free-valet angle in early press materials ... but we're not sure if they will honor this during the soft-launch phase).  See pictures of Ecco here.

Ecco Ultra Lounge, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd.,  (323) 464-2065.

-- Charlie Amter

Rendering courtesy of Ecco