"southern california" news and stories

At one point in time, not so very long ago, the word "rehab" conjured up images of less-than-glamorous institutionalized settings. This is no longer the case, especially not in Southern California, where there are more luxury rehab centers than you can shake a stick at. They offer everything from ocean views to full service spas and cater to the rich, famous and anyone else willing to spend up to $80,000 per month. Any anyone prepared to spend that much money for such a trip is not going to settle for cafeteria food. These centers also have gourmet chefs that are not only willing to meet the nutritional needs of the clients, but to go above and beyond. As the director of one such program said, "What good does it do to have a very wealthy person have a roommate, have to get up at 6 a.m., make their bed and go to breakfast? That's not their real life. They are used to getting weekly massages, to the food, the private bedrooms and everything. That's what gets them through the door to get the help they need."

Not to make light of serious problems or chemical dependencies for which many people need treatment, these ultra-luxe rehab centers do offer top shelf counseling that can really put people on the road to recovery.

You just might get to enjoy a seasonal tasting menu when you're done.

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I know that it has been a while since I first mentioned my pineapple plant. If you recall, I was having some difficulty growing it because I followed less-than-wonderful directions when I began my quest. Thanks to the support of several excellent commenters, I decided to give it another go. Unfortunately, after the first few weeks, it looked as though the plant might not make it. I had it potted and outdoors in a sunny place, but it was first met with unseasonable cold then a massive heat wave. Some of the leaves began to brown and I figured that I had yet another failed plant on my hands.

I failed to pay close attention to it for a few weeks and, when I looked closely yesterday, what did I see? New growth at the center of the plant! You can see the contrast between the new leaves and the outer ones in the picture.

Who knows if it will ever bear any fruit for me, but frankly I'm pleased just to know that I don't have a "brown thumb" when it comes to pineapple growing.

Jonathan Gold just might be the most popular food critic in Los Angeles, especially with Chowhounds, who love him because he spends just as much time in bargain strip-mall finds as he does in higher end restaurants. This week, in the LA Weekly, Gold put out his list of the 99 essential LA restaurants. They're not the best, the most expensive or even the most famous, but they all made the list because they reflect LA and inspire people to think about food in a new way. "And it's also a damned good place to eat."  Gold describes how and why he made his choice for each selection on the list, but even without the extra information, there are too many to list here. As a sampling, the list includes: A.O.C., Border Grill, Campanile, Geisha House, Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe, Pink's, Spago and Wat Thai.

You'll have to read through the whole thing yourself to find out the rest.

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Vinh Loi Tofu makes Vietnamese vegetarian food in Reseda. S. Irene Virbila gives two stars (**) to Mia Sushi in Eagle Rock, a sushi bar made over from a plumbing store. Thomas Keller's new joint in Yountville will be a burger barn.

On a recent trip to Spain, the culinary highlight wasn't El Bulli, but spending time in the Catalan countryside. In the kitchen, Regina Schrambling sings the praises of leafless salads, avgolemono is a soup that's a sauce for artichokes, and apricots and sugar snap peas are in season at the farmers' market.

The Wine of the Week is 2004 Dveri-Pax Renski Rizling "E" Maribor, a Slovenian Riesling. It retails for about $20 a bottle and is "everything you'd want in a summer Riesling." If the wine is cheap, you can try using a new simple pour spout that claims to take the edge off of cheap(er) wines.

A few days ago we mentioned that Krispy Kreme was revoking the licence of its Southern California franchisees, which would cause 28 stores to close. Today, however, Krispy Kreme announced that it had reached an agreement with its franchisee and was reinstating their liscence to operate the stores. The stores had refused to pay royalty or brand fees and contribute to the marketing and advertising fund for the brand. They have been involved in a lawsuit with Krispy Kreme since September of last year, accusing the company of misappropriating franchisee funds and overcharging for equipment and supplies.

As part of the agreement, the franchise has agreed to resume payment of the brand and royalty fees and Krispy Kreme has agreed to resume shipment of ingredients to the stores, which will continue to operate.

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