Combo Plate: Veggie shake down, working for French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, fall getaways and more

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Blogspotting: I think Mr. Zucchini is the heavy in this neighborhood. You’d better pay up, Mr. EggTimer, if you know what’s good for you!! Thanks to Denise Sakaki for posting this photo to Twitter --Your Twip of the Day: Follow @wasabiprime -- and check out her Food blog, Wasabi Prime.

--The Parlor Santa Monica throws in the towel. [Grub Street L.A.]

--It’s a night to wine: the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce hosts the 4th annual Fine Wine & Food Festival on Sept. 22.

--A behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at the French Laundry -- and with Thomas Keller. [San Francisco Gate]

--Just tripped over this website called Regional Best, dedicated to aggregating home grown artisan fare. What a great idea, especially, as we near the gift-giving holidays. Which reminds me: Santa, I would like a jar of Guajillo Honey in my stocking. I only wish there were more So Cal vendors listed. Are there other sites that round up L.A.-area artisans? Let Daily Dish know, and we’ll list them all in a future post. In the meantime, here’s a look at some features we’ve written about local artisans.

--Toque Mag reviews the Orderberry Chef Tools iPhone app, describing it as ‘a Swiss Army Knife app for chefs, doing a little bit of everything. In short, it can house recipes, maintain your to-do list, store notes, and convert measurements.’

--With summer vacations out of the way, let’s start thinking of fall getaways. Here’s two in Oregon to consider:

--An olive oil festival takes place Nov. 19-21 at the Oregon Olive Mill, and all the focus will be on newly pressed olive oil, and -- bonus! -- wine: ‘Guests will enjoy tastes of a variety of freshly-pressed olive oils, and sample warm bruschetta grilled and rubbed with garlic, olio nuovo and sea salt. The Durant family will also pour tastes of their estate wines from Durant Vineyards.’

--The 6th annual Oregon Truffle Festival will be held in Eugene from Jan. 28-30. ‘Created to celebrate the magnificent Oregon truffles as they reach the peak of ripeness in their native soil, it is the first festival of its kind in North America, dedicated to sharing the experience of the chefs, foragers and fans of Oregon’s wild truffles, from their hidden source in the forest to their glory on the table.’

Got any links or tips for Daily Dish? E-mail me: rene.lynch@latimes.com

-- Rene Lynch
Twitter.com/renelynch