Lasagna

In my family, no one can make lasagna like my mom. Everyone, including myself, has tried and come up short. When I see lasagna on any menu, I skip it. I did, that is, until I stopped by Victorio's Ristorante in Burbank. From the moment you walk into Victorio's, you feel like you have discovered a quiet, comfortable refuge from the world. I was greeted by a friendly young hostess who offered me any booth. There are not many choices, the restaurant is rather small, but I found the perfect seat in direct view of the baseball game on the flat-screen television.

Let’s face it, when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday the touchdowns, quarterback sacks and unexpected interceptions take a knee to the real star of the game — the food. While nutritionists get lost in the huddle, Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of chicken wings and more than 3 million pizzas while they watch the big game. The take-out food that scores the highest with football fans every year is pizza. While Burbank has plenty of great pizzerias, Ron and I decided to go old school and check out the place where we ate our first slices of cheesy pie. Rico’s Pizzeria on Glenoaks has been in business for more than 52 years.

The crowd at the late Bob Hope's house Saturday indicated one of two things: Either people will buy anything just because a celebrity owned it, or people will buy anything at a garage sale. At 8:15 a.m. Saturday morning - a full 45 minutes earlier than it was supposed to start - shoppers packed the parking area of Mr. Hope's home in Toluca Lake like sale-seekers at a Walmart on Black Friday. Elbow to elbow they shoved each other, grabbing anything they could from the folding tables manned by volunteers and some of Hope's family.

You've probably heard that red wine goes with meat and white wine goes with poultry -- and that summertime calls for chilled, white wines while wintertime necessitates the warmth of reds. While these "rules" can be helpful, consider pairing wine and food based on weight, texture, and flavors. Gina Gallo, third-generation winemaker for Gallo of Sonoma, encourages wine drinkers to enjoy different varietals throughout the year and to try unexpected pairings.

Refreshing, sparkling, reasonably priced -- these words, used to describe Prosecco wine, might just as well describe Prosecco the restaurant. A true Italian trattoria, Prosecco's is a place of casual elegance specializing in personal service, where regulars are greeted by name and individual preferences are indulged. Where the warmth and tastes of Tuscany can be found in the simple, well-prepared dishes set before you. Begin with the wonderful soups. Prosecco's soups are dairy-free, but they're so rich and creamy, you'll wonder how they do it. The Roasted Corn Chowder, always on the menu, is savory, hearty and topped with crispy proscuitto.

Mary Burkin A musical retelling of the classic children's story, Glendale Centre Theatre's "Pinocchio" earns an A-plus for the care shown to its audience of budding theater-goers, and a "C-plus" for overall content. There are no surprises in this adaptation by Tad Allyn Doyle, who also wrote the music and lyrics. Grown-ups might yearn for a little more wackiness, and maybe a more modern musical sound. Whether the villains should have been directed to be more threatening is a judgment call.

After an emotional battle over a proposed wireless telecommunications facility at the Little White Chapel in Burbank, the neighbors who fought against it joined church members Wednesday for a potluck to mend fences and look toward a more harmonious future. Over a potluck that included lasagna and fried chicken, the two sides mingled in a garden at the church, where Pastor Bill Thomas Jr. welcomed the group as they applauded his entrance. “That is the most glorious sound that God has heard in the last few minutes is all of us clapping together,” he told the gathering.

Let’s face it, when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday the touchdowns, quarterback sacks and unexpected interceptions take a knee to the real star of the game — the food. While nutritionists get lost in the huddle, Americans consume more than 90 million pounds of chicken wings and more than 3 million pizzas while they watch the big game. The take-out food that scores the highest with football fans every year is pizza. While Burbank has plenty of great pizzerias, Ron and I decided to go old school and check out the place where we ate our first slices of cheesy pie. Rico’s Pizzeria on Glenoaks has been in business for more than 52 years.

In my family, no one can make lasagna like my mom. Everyone, including myself, has tried and come up short. When I see lasagna on any menu, I skip it. I did, that is, until I stopped by Victorio's Ristorante in Burbank. From the moment you walk into Victorio's, you feel like you have discovered a quiet, comfortable refuge from the world. I was greeted by a friendly young hostess who offered me any booth. There are not many choices, the restaurant is rather small, but I found the perfect seat in direct view of the baseball game on the flat-screen television.