Cafe Surfas tops Bon Appetit's list of dine-in stores

What? No Ikea and its Swedish meatballs???

Cafe Surfas, the eatery at Surfas gourmet and kitchen supply store in Culver City, tops Bon Appétit's list of the 10 best in-store dining spots. Says the mag:

Southern California's premier restaurant supply store has everything for the aspiring chef on your gift-giving list, from cutlery to specialty food items. Your reward? Kurobuta ham panini, Jorge's Jidori chicken sandwich, or a Kobe burger from the adjacent café.

Two other California spots also made the list. Any other places that Bon Appétit should have included? Perhaps the Oaks Gourmet or Nicole's Gourmet Food in South Pasadena?

Also in the new issue of Bon Appétit: a Christmas dinner in just 59 minutes, Hanukkah dishes done with Mexican flair and a holiday dinner served up at a Chicago couple's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. There is just one and only one headline for this story, and it is, of course, "Dreaming of a Wright Christmas."

-- Rene Lynch

Photo: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Small Bites (breakfast edition): Contortionists, Santa and IHOP's egg nog pancakes

Coffee, tea or contortionists? Michael Mina's new Sunday brunch menu at XIV in Hollywood includes bagels and lox, chopped salad, a fruit plate, eggs Benedict, steak and eggs, caviar parfait, a Kobe burger or a vegetarian falafel burger, and chilled prawns or snow crab. A restaurant representative also says there are contortionists, fire-breathers and stilt-walkers. Has anyone witnessed this yet? Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. 8117 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 656-1414; www.sbeent.com.

Looking for Santa? Santa's working brunch at Patina Restaurant Group's "Breakfast With Santa." Holiday brunch, storytelling, cookie decorating and photo opportunities are on offer at select Patina Group locations. For locations, dates and times, see the jump. 

Is that pecan pie filling in my pancake? IHOP's seasonal pancakes include pumpkin pancakes made with spiced pumpkin; ginger spice pancakes with powdered sugar and holiday sprinkles; pecan pie pancakes, with pecan pie filling between two buttermilk pancakes; and egg nog pancakes, with vanilla cream, cinnamon and nutmeg between two pancakes, topped with cinnamon sugar and butter rum. All have "whipped topping." See www.ihop.com for locations.

Small Bites: 50% off at the Smoke House; Pinkberry introduces chocolate yogurt; Stone Fire Pizza reborn as Oak Fire

Half off at the Smoke House: If you're not utterly sick of food by the day after Thanksgiving, old-school steakhouse Smoke House will be offering 50% off its entire menu Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. Slip into a red leather booth, order a basket of its famous cheese bread and sip a martini while soaking up the ambiance of this classic restaurant, which celebrated its 63rd birthday in October. Reservations recommended. 4420 W. Lakeside Drive, Burbank. (818) 845-3731, www.smokehouse1946.com.

Pinkberry goes brown: The fro-yo purveyor will make its newest flavor, chocolate, available in California on Friday.

The name game: It didn't happen in summer as Greg Morris had planned, but Stone Fire Pizza has finally and officially rechristened itself as Oak Fire Pizzeria & Pub. Morris, the man behind the Spanish Kitchen, the Belmont, the upcoming Olive and most recently the Oaks gourmet market, made the change to eliminate any brand confusion with a similarly named L.A. chain (cough, cough, Pitfire Pizza). In addition to thin-crust and deep-dish Chicago-style pies, it boasts a full bar with artisanal liquors and a rotating selection of microbrews. 829 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 659-8848, www.oakfirepizza.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo credit: Jill Connelly / For The Times

More last-minute Thanksgiving options: Fraiche, Vermont, Agura, Oaks Gourmet, Kiss My Bundt

Last-minute bakery (for candied yams too): Kiss My Bundt will be open Thanksgiving Day so you can pick up side dishes such as candied yams, sweet potato souffle, sweet or savory cornbread and strawberry butter, and Big Ol' Bundts and mini and baby bundts for desserts. For pickup on Thanksgiving, the order deadline for side dishes and Big Ol' Bundts is Wednesday at 1 p.m. (Delivery also available). 8104 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; (323) 655-0559; www.kissmybundt.net.

Thanksgiving at Fraiche: Fraiche will be serving family-style Thanksgiving with wood-fired mushroom salad or chestnut soup to start, followed by roasted turkey (or chicken), seared duck breast or flat-iron steak, served with mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac 'n' cheese, creamed spinach, green beans, glazed carrots and cranberry sauce. Pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. $35 per person. Noon to 8 p.m. 312 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 451-7482; www.fraicherestaurantla.com. (The Culver City location is closed Thanksgiving.)

Thanksgiving at Vermont: Order Thanksgiving a la carta at Vermont; choose from starters such as butternut squash soup, crab cakes or apple endive salad and mains such as organic roasted turkey, filet mignon, halibut or goat cheese and truffle ravioli. Pumpkin pie and apple tart are on the dessert menu. 1714 N. Vermont, Los Angeles; (323) 661-6163; www.vermontrestaurantonline.com.

It's a Turkey Plate: The Oaks Gourmet is offering a Thanksgiving Turkey Plate for $19, for take-out or dine-in: roasted turkey with foie gras gravy; sage and chestnut dressing; roasted brown butter yams; grilled Brussels sprouts with pancetta and shallots; truffle mashed potatoes; and a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Wine pairings and a beer selection available. Pre-order or same-day service. 1915 N. Bronson Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 871-8894; www.theoaksgourmet.com.

Turkey teriyaki rolls!?! Agura is offering a "Japanese-inspired" Thanksgiving feast. For $12, you can get roasted turkey breast with grilled vegetables and ginger-flavored Madeira wine sauce. The restaurant also has created a special teriyaki turkey roll (only in L.A. ... ) for $8. 514 N. La Cienega Blvd., Hollywood; (310) 289-1940; www.aguradining.com.

-- Betty Hallock

For a complete list of Thanksgiving to-go and dine-in options, click here.

Photo: Kiss My Bundt

Restaurant preview: The Mercantile

New York entrepreneur George Abou-Daoud has a spanking new place for Hollywood hipsters to hang. That would be the gourmet market and wine bar called the Mercantile just a few blocks west of his popular Bowery and Delancey venues. And this time, he's nabbed a name chef to do the food -- Kris Morningstar, who comes fully credentialed from stints at A.O.C. and Blue Velvet, not counting a short tenure at Casa downtown as opening chef. Morningstar will be handling both the Mercantile and the restaurant District next door (slated to open soon). Read more here:

Photo caption: Chef Kris Morningstar chats with a customer at the Mercantile, a new wine bar and restaurant, off Sunset Boulevard. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

A cookbook meant to bring into the grocery store

After working all day, do you find yourself wandering the aisles of Trader Joe’s, trying to figure out what products to put together to make dinner? Wander no longer. The authors of “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” feel your pain, and they are doing their part to ease your confusion.

“The Trader Joe’s Companion,” by Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati, is just a bit bigger than a Zagat’s guide. And if that’s too big for pocket or purse, it can live in the reusable shopping bags that sit in your car. (Of course, you have to do the work of remembering to bring them into the store.)

And while the book is geared toward what’s sold in one particular grocery store chain, you could use it elsewhere, though in some cases you’d have to adjust the products a little.

The authors are not associated with the company; they call themselves “very devoted” fans with busy lives who use many of Trader Joe’s prepared sauces, precut vegetables and other products. For instance, their black bean soup uses canned beans, frozen crushed garlic, jarred salsa and bagged diced onions, among other ingredients.

The book also has a handy bunch of blank pages in the back for notes.

-- Mary MacVean

(Photo by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Kiss My Bundt needs to sell 5,000 mini bundts to stay in business

The charming 3rd Street bakery Kiss My Bundt, which we have featured a few times in this blog (since its bundts and cupcakes are so tasty) is in a bit of trouble. Due to the recession and the rising cost of ingredients such as milk, butter, sugar and Belgian chocolate, the little bakery is struggling to stay afloat.

Last week, investor Erin Hill sent out an e-mail saying in part:

Chrysta [Wilson], the owner of the bakery, has been fighting valiantly since things got tough in January, but hasn't been able to build the business fast enough. So it has come down to the next few weeks, in which she has to sell about 5000 mini bundts to raise the money to keep her doors open into the Christmas season, when business will hopefully pick up.

It's surprising news, since the bakery has become a favorite with a lot of dessert-loving people I know and is often mentioned on popular blogs. Wilson even has a "Kiss My Bundt" cookbook coming out over Thanksgiving.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: A maple bacon bundt cake from Kiss My Bundt. Credit: Noelle Carter / Los Angeles Times

Small Bites: Steak with Spike Lee, celebs cook up comfort for Thanksgiving

Meat/meet with Spike Lee: Have a hankering to discuss the recondite narrative mechanisms of "Girl 6" or the New York Knicks' defense? Filmmaker Spike Lee will join Andrew Siciliano and Mychal Thompson of 710 AM ESPN for a luncheon that combines steaks and sports. Morton's The Steakhouse. 735 S. Figueroa St., L.A. 11 a.m. Tuesday. $50 (includes tax and gratuity); cash bar.

Celebs donate recipes for suicide prevention: Actors Glenn Close, Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Pantoliano, comedian Joan Rivers, singer-songwriter James Taylor, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Melissa d'Arabian, winner of last season's "The Next Food Network Star," are sharing their favorite holiday recipes as part of an awareness campaign for National Survivors of Suicide Day. Held every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, this year's campaign includes a recipe contest featuring Pelosi's chocolate mousse, Close's baking powder biscuits, Rivers' pumpkin bread pudding and more.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Spike Lee takes in a meal from a court-side seat before a Lakers-Knicks game in 2008. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Small Bites: Rockwell, VT kicks off weekend brunch, Street gives away $20 gift cards

'Tis the season to give: Business must be booming at Street because between now and Dec. 23, every time your bill totals at least $50, you'll get a gift card for $20. That should keep you rolling in Kaya toast and Turkish doughnuts. 742 N. Highland Ave., L.A. (323) 203-0500, www.eatatstreet.com.

Weekend brunch and daily drink specials: Starting this Saturday, Rockwell, VT in Los Feliz is offering weekend brunch (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) featuring steak and eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes and lunch fare like Kobe beef burgers. They turn up the volume on Sundays with 10 Bloody Mary concoctions and a DJ. All that should help you recover from the weekly drink specials Rockwell also just rolled out: Margarita Madness Mondays, with specialty margaritas for $7; Ladies Night Tuesdays, with 10 different Cosmopolitans for $7 each; $7 martinis and mojitos on Wednesdays; and caviar Fridays featuring a complimentary caviar bar and an array of specialty vodkas and champagnes. 1714 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. (323) 669-1550, www.rockwellvt.com.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Turkish doughnuts simmered in cardamom rose syrup at Street. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times.

More Thanksgiving options: Joe's, Simon L.A., Henry's Hat, Gus's BBQ, Josie and Larcmont Larder

Joe's Restaurant is offering a four-course Thanksgiving menu with several choices for each course, including sunchoke soup with smoked baby artichokes and hazelnuts; crispy sweetbreads with fall vegetables; Heritage Farms turkey breast and leg confit; Eastern monkfish and gulf shrimp with butter clam parsley broth; and pumpkin pie with pepita brittle and parsnip vanilla ice cream. $52 per person, $22 for children. 1023 Abbott Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 399-5811, www.joesrestaurant.com.

Henry's Hat opens Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m., serving brunch all day long (including 2-for-1 mojitos and Bloody Marys, and bottomless mimosas and sangria). A Southern Thanksgiving buffet dinner starts at 2 p.m.: spinach salad; deep-fried turkey breast; brown butter and honey glazed ham; mashed potatoes; stuffing; roasted Brussels sprouts; coconut cream pie and pumpkin pie. $20 per person; children under 8 eat free. 3413 Cahuenga Blvd., Studio City; (323) 512-2500; www.henrys-hat.com.

Simon L.A. at the Sofitel Hotel is serving Thanksgiving, featuring free-range, organic turkey and trimmings such as sweet potatoes with caramelized walnuts, cornbread and sage stuffing, and buttermilk mashed potatoes. Kerry Simon's signature junk food platter: pumpkin cupcakes, orange coconut snowballs, pecan-date cookies, candy corn Rice Krispies treats, cranberry-orange sorbet, and pumpkin milkshake. Or you can have pumpkin pie. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., $46 per person, $21 for children under 12. Sofitel L.A., 8555 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 358-3979; www.simonlarestaurant.com.