Dishes

Don't blink when you're driving west on Foothill before Lauderdale or you'll miss T-House. And you would be very disappointed if you did. Just a tiny storefront, this wonderful little place holds some of the best Thai cuisine in the Crescenta Valley. Most of the business seems to be take-out or delivery (free within a 3-mile radius) because the restaurant space holds only about 20 people for dining, but the care to the interior, and the caring service, make it worth staying. The tablecloths, obviously homemade, since they match the curtain to the kitchen area, change with the seasons and holidays.

In Spanish, bahia is translated as bay and caporales means the person in charge of a ranch. So when it comes time to corral those shrimp, fish, and lobster, your friends at Bahia Caporales proclaim their expertise in their name. And Burbank residents agree, having named Bahia Caporales one of "Burbank's Best" in our readers' choice pollings. Since 1986 when the Burbank location was opened, the Garcia family has provided the community with seafood that has a decidedly Latin flavor.

Bill Scollon At Gourmet 88, good fortune begins when you step in the door. The Chinese symbol "88," according to the menu, means good health and good fortune. The restaurant lives up to that billing with a wide selection of fresh dishes that are -- fortunately -- delicious. Gourmet 88 specializes in Mandarin cuisine, which is a style of cooking created hundreds of years ago in Beijing's Forbidden City. Sometimes called the food of the emperors, Mandarin cooking seeks harmony through contrast combining crispy textures with smooth ones, sweet with sour and contrasting colors.

Lola'sHaving never visited Peru, I claim no frame of reference for how authentically Peruvian Lola's cuisine might actually be. But within my frame of reference for affordable and tasty, Lola's fits the bill. The décor is eclectic, with the focus on an open kitchen in back, where the "All You Can Eat Lunch Buffet" takes center stage Monday through Friday. Cheerful cooks man the buffet line to describe and serve the dishes available. At $7.99, this lunch buffet is a bargain, featuring several salads (mixed green, Caesar and Russian potato salad)

Cherie Twohy LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- Min's Kitchen in La Canada Flintridge sits on busy Foothill Boulevard, conveniently located for its many take-out customers. For 23 years, this family-owned Thai eatery has been serving friendly greetings to regulars and newcomers, along with reasonably priced American-Thai cuisine. Proximity to the street mars the atmosphere a bit, as picture windows at the front reveal a steady whoosh of traffic outside. Sheer shades might diminish the roadside-dining effect.

This is not your parents’ Chinese restaurant. Forget the red vinyl booths, papier-mâché dragons and rice-paper lanterns hanging everywhere. And don’t expect the kitschy plates or pots of tea. It is a minor detail, but it says everything. The fortune cookies are delicious. Instead of the usual break-your-teeth perfunctory after-dinner treat, here they bring fortune cookies wrapped in brightly colored foil that are fresh and have been partially dipped in white chocolate.

Christine Putnam The closing of the Chopstick Chinese Restaurant in Burbank ended an era. How many of us remedied a bad cough or cold with their war wonton soup? How many of us took our largest pots and pans to be filled with their soup only to realize that five gallons of hot liquid weighs more than we expected? And where in the Valley could you find a quiet atmosphere, even on a busy Saturday? Fortunately, Joy Feast Chinese Restaurant has recently opened at 2009 W. Alameda Ave. The bright, open atmosphere with etched-glass windows and sophisticated Asian decor harmonize with the more modern approach to Chinese cooking.

Set back in the corner of a mini-mall at the intersection of Pacific and Arden avenues in Glendale is a gem of a Chinese restaurant. In fact, that’s all the main sign says — “Chinese Restaurant.” But its real name, written on the door, is far more uplifting — House of Joy. A family-run operation, House of Joy has been at this location for 25 years and in that time has amassed a loyal following of patrons, many of them Chinese. They recently opened a second location on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta where the menu is streamlined to offer mainly best-sellers.

CITY HALL — La Bamba, a tiny open-air restaurant serving California-eclectic cuisine, will be able to sell beer and wine along with seafood and salads after the Planning Board approved its application this week. The board, after hearing no opposition from neighbors, voted unanimously to grant a conditional-use permit to owner Chris Facchetti allowing the incidental sale of beer and wine from his 315-square-foot kitchen within the 500- square-foot outdoor dining patio. Facchetti, in the public hearing, said La Bamba patrons and neighbors of the eatery at 2600 N. Glenoaks Blvd.

It’s 11:41 p.m. Sunday, and Mayor Gary Bric has reading to do. There’s the phone book-thick draft city budget, and the usual City Council agenda packet. But he’s not at a desk ; he’s standing behind the bar at his restaurant, Gary Bric’s Ramp, serving drinks to a cluster of loyal customers. For more than two years the restaurateur, bartender and avid golfer has juggled city business, work and home life, careful not to let one passion bleed too far into the other.

Set back in the corner of a mini-mall at the intersection of Pacific and Arden avenues in Glendale is a gem of a Chinese restaurant. In fact, that’s all the main sign says — “Chinese Restaurant.” But its real name, written on the door, is far more uplifting — House of Joy. A family-run operation, House of Joy has been at this location for 25 years and in that time has amassed a loyal following of patrons, many of them Chinese. They recently opened a second location on Foothill Boulevard in La Crescenta where the menu is streamlined to offer mainly best-sellers.

Sophisticated, yet welcoming and relaxed, the new Cucina Rustica is a fine addition to the restaurants of Montrose. The atmosphere is lovely, with comfortable and elegant furnishings, well-thought-out lighting, excellent acoustics and a stylish bar serving fine wines and, pretty soon, cocktails. The service is friendly and attentive. The mood is right for romantic dinners, business lunches, girls? night out, and even gastronomically adventurous families. It welcomes all and guarantees a pleasant experience.

Ingredients as varied as chocolate and sirloin, honey and cornmeal made their way into batches of chili served up on Friday by high school students from Glendale, Burbank and La Cañada Flintridge. Students who are enrolled in culinary arts classes in seven high schools in those cities congregated at Glendale Community College on Friday for the college’s second annual chili cook-off. The cooking contest, which was hosted by the college’s Culinary Arts, Nutrition and Hospitality Management Department, was meant to be a fun experience for the students, and introduce them to the culinary arts program at the college, said Andrew Feldman, the head of the culinary arts department.

While some animated phenomena such as Disney have more than 70 years of appeal and universal recognition, there are other players in the marketplace that have carved their own particular segment. From the much smaller Big Idea Company comes ?The Pirates Who Couldn?t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie.? If you?re not familiar with the Veggie Tales ? and my own knowledge of this popular television series was very limited ? just understand that simplicity is key. We?re talking animated vegetables hopping around and teaching positive values to very young kids.

Don't blink when you're driving west on Foothill before Lauderdale or you'll miss T-House. And you would be very disappointed if you did. Just a tiny storefront, this wonderful little place holds some of the best Thai cuisine in the Crescenta Valley. Most of the business seems to be take-out or delivery (free within a 3-mile radius) because the restaurant space holds only about 20 people for dining, but the care to the interior, and the caring service, make it worth staying. The tablecloths, obviously homemade, since they match the curtain to the kitchen area, change with the seasons and holidays.