Cheese

The Falcon Theatre closes its all-comedy season with the West Coast premiere of Garry Marshall’s “Everybody Say ‘Cheese!’” It’s a bittersweet look at a troubled marriage, uniquely character-driven and unexpectedly serious coming from the man famous for “Happy Days” and “Pretty Woman.” The comedy starts off slow, but patience for the second act leads to big emotional pay-offs and plenty of well-earned belly laughs. Marshall is a TV and film comedy icon as director and producer of mostly lightweight entertainment.

Batter up! Spring training is over. The outfield is green. And Major League Baseball has brought back the boys of summer for another exciting season. While everyone's trying to figure out how to get out of the stadium parking lot, why not spend your time improving your swing and catching a great meal? Central Park Pizza may be hidden in the Batcade, but the food is definitely out of the park. On my first visit to Central Park Pizza, I took a group of friends more interested in taking their cuts in the batting cages than eating from what they assumed would be typical concession-stand fare.

Krust, a café and bakery with a sense of humor, has a motto that is closely aligned to my philosophy of life: A balanced diet is a brownie in both hands. But that's not the only reason I like the place. Krust Café & Bakery is a new addition to the Burbank restaurant scene. The owners Shawn and Kaylene Stevens have done a great job, taking a Verdugo Avenue storefront and turning it into a beautifully decorated café/bakery that exudes style and comfort. The cabinetry that houses mouthwatering baked goods and even souvenir T-shirts, came custom-painted from Arte de Mexico.

About 15 years ago, I wrote my first restaurant “review.” Our local paper asked readers to write up their favorite place, and mine was a 300-square-foot shack on a corner in La Cañada Flintridge with a smiling, friendly woman, and the most amazing sandwiches I had ever had. By now everyone in Los Angeles knows what a torta is, right? It’s even on Wikipedia. Tortas Poncho, the shack in La Cañada Flintridge, became Tortas Mexico, moved, moved again and has steadily grown.

Ever wish there was a clean, homespun place where you could bring a horde of hungry youths, let them eat their fill, and still have money left in your wallet? Well, your wish is granted. Just trot the little ones over to Pinocchio's Italian Restaurant in Burbank and line 'em up at the cafeteria-style counter. A recent facelift added some tables and freshened the restaurant's faux wine-cellar motif, but the big menu board survived. The food is old-style southern Italian with heavy sauces, pasta, meats and lots of cheese.

Ben's Delicatessen enjoys a loyal following of true-blue customers, due in part to its location across the street from Burbank's Police and Fire Headquarters. But the modest eatery also attracts its share of local business people, seniors and families. In fact, fans of Ben's have voted the restaurant Burbank's Best Deli for several years in a row. What keeps them coming back? It could be the friendly staff that welcomes each regular customer by name and often knows their order before they do. Or, it could be the extensive menu, or maybe the low prices that make it possible to eat your fill for single-digit bucks.

Bill Scollon Looking for a place where not everyone knows your name, but it seems like they should? Then head down to the tried-and-true Dalts Classic American Grill. Sustained by a business-lunch crowd, Dalts has been dishing out essentially the same fare for many years, both a weakness and strength. But a recently unveiled, expanded menu features new additions across the board. Dinnertime at Dalts can sometimes feel like a ghost town, but the wait staff is nearly always pleasant and perky and the food reliable.

If you're looking for health-conscious Mexican food, stop in for a taste at Santa Fe Café. The counter-service café uses fresh ingredients and heart-friendly oils to prepare a full board of Mexican specialties. Tacos here are well made with savory meats, cheese and lettuce. But there's a twist ? the taco shell is dusted with Parmesan cheese. The sharp cheese nicely complements the traditional taco ingredients. To go with it, or anything else on the menu, Santa Fe offers a fresh salsa bar with a nice variety of color, chunkiness and degrees of heat.

Whiplash is one of the hazards of my job. I take unfamiliar streets when I drive around town with the express purpose of discovering new restaurants. Peacha's, a tiny place on south Victory near Alameda in Burbank, made me do a hard double-take, almost hitting the car in front of me. Luckily, I didn't. Instead, I got to enjoy the best chimichanga of my life. In all fairness, I don't normally do chimichangas, with the deep-frying and all, but I had to believe the nice guy behind the counter when he said they were really good.

Nearly a dozen people, spurred on by the hosts of KFI's "John and Ken Show," dropped off everything from Spam to macaroni and cheese at the office of Assemblyman Mike Gatto after he publicly opposed state Controller John Chiang’s decision to suspend lawmaker pay without a state budget.

When Rick Massa agreed to join the Bob Hope Airport Police Department, the 60-year-old was obligated to work just two days a week. But the 35-year LAPD veteran, 25 of them in Special Weapons And Tactics, ended up giving a great deal more. After joining Chief Ed Skvarna's department two years ago, it didn't take long for the recipient of the Los Angeles Police Department Medal of Valor to start in with large-scale improvements to policy and training. He appeared before the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority six months into his tenure with a stern warning: They were ill-equipped and unprepared to handle an active shooter.

In thinking about our dining experience at the Corner Bistro in Glendale, almost every aspect was out of alignment. It began when we entered at prime dinner hour and there were no customers, a dubious start. We were told they had only recently started serving dinner, so maybe the word isn’t out yet. We asked if we should order at the counter or table and the hostess/waitress said it didn’t matter. That seemed to set the tone for the evening. My son ordered the beef burger ($10.

It’s a California Cheesehead’s dream come true — a spacious bar jammed with Green Bay Packers fans all pledging to bleed green and gold, right here, in sunny Burbank. Every week the faithful congregate at the Park Bar and Grill, some sporting Aaron Rodgers jerseys, others donning cheese foam atop their domes. All are tuned to any six of the 13 flat-screen TVs owner Kent Tieche has devoted to their home team, usually playing some 2,000 miles away. “This is a real find,” said Hollywood resident Tyler Knowles, who, along with his friend Alex Ott, was born in Wisconsin.

The Falcon Theatre closes its all-comedy season with the West Coast premiere of Garry Marshall’s “Everybody Say ‘Cheese!’” It’s a bittersweet look at a troubled marriage, uniquely character-driven and unexpectedly serious coming from the man famous for “Happy Days” and “Pretty Woman.” The comedy starts off slow, but patience for the second act leads to big emotional pay-offs and plenty of well-earned belly laughs. Marshall is a TV and film comedy icon as director and producer of mostly lightweight entertainment.