Restaurant

Tallyrand Restaurant has a new fan in Huell Howser. The TV icon who tours the state looking for interesting stories is spreading the word about the restaurant's hometown feel and hot turkey sandwiches on his show "California's Gold," which airs on public television station KCET. Tallyrand is owned by siblings Karen Ross of Toluca Lake and Mark Thomas of Valencia. It was opened in 1959 by their parents, Al and Delores Thomas. Howser had stopped by for lunch and met some of the employees and customers.

Like a lot of people in Glendale, I had noticed the Sedthee Thai Eatery sign lit since October, yet I had never seen any signs of life. I had all but given up on the restaurant opening. So it was with a fair amount of surprise when last week, I saw people inside and thought I’d give it a shot. I’m not a bona fide culinary critic, but I am a lover of Thai food. So I’d like to think I can competently discern between good, better and best. I am overjoyed to say that what is happening at this new spot on Brand goes above and beyond anything I’ve experienced in the genre.

Smoke House celebrates 63 years of serving food The Smoke House restaurant in Burbank is celebrating its 63rd anniversary in October. The eatery opened its doors in 1946 and is famous for its garlic cheese bread and other menu items. The Smoke House is considered a landmark and a popular spot for the Hollywood Studio crowd. The restaurant will thank all its loyal guests by offering a $19.46 menu that includes 12 classic entrees. On Tuesday and Oct. 14, the restaurant will offer its lunch and dinner menu at 50% off, and its award-winning Sunday Brunch will be priced $19.46 all month.

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.

1949. It was the year the first Emmy Awards were given in Los Angeles. It was the year the first Volkswagen Beetle arrived in the United States. It was the year the People?s Republic of China was founded. It was the year Bob?s Big Boy began flipping hamburgers, in what 60 years later is one of the most popular burger joints and oldest remaining Bob?s Big Boy restaurants in the country. Bob?s Big Boy, at 4111 Riverside Drive in Burbank, began operations that year in a building designed by the late Wayne McAllister, a Los Angeles-based architect responsible for resorts and hotels from Las Vegas to California and Tijuana.

CITY HALL ? Porto?s Bakery would get some close competition at the intersection of Magnolia Boulevard and Hollywood Way under a proposal endorsed this week by the Planning Board. The board on Monday unanimously approved a development review and series of conditional use permits to convert up to 2,000 square feet of post-production office space at 3619 W. Magnolia Blvd. to a restaurant. The property, at the northeast corner of West Magnolia Boulevard and North Hollywood Way, is about 16,340 square feet and houses Kappa Studios and Quiznos submarine sandwich shop.

CITY HALL — It’s margarita time. Well, almost. The City Council this week authorized city executives to allow owners of the downtown Don Cuco Mexican Restaurant to serve alcohol in a fenced-off section of the sidewalk. The 3-1 vote to grant the encroachment came after a cascade of questions from Councilman David Gordon, who expressed dismay upon discovering that the city failed to notify property owners within 100 feet. Guidelines for encroachments, adopted by the council in 1996, specify that “property owners within a 100-foot radius of the encroachment are to be notified prior to the granting of any encroachment agreements.

Burbank, known mostly for its entertainment studios and the airport, is also home to a bundle of intriguing restaurants. On Friday nights, one restaurant in particular transforms from your typical ?home away from home? family restaurant into a swank, hip, fun and cool dining experience for those looking to start their weekend right. From 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday, Theresa?s Family Restaurant on West Olive Avenue plays host to incomparable pianist Rob Correll. The evening is suited for all ages or anyone who enjoys good music, good food and good people.