Eat In. Potato tacos.

Some of my favorite tacos in town are made with potatoes. El Carmen makes really delicious ones with a slice of avocado and salsa on top. Lotería's are great too. I've even seen potato tacos pop up at the Whole Foods hot food bar recently. I thought it was time I tried to make them at home.

At Gelson's I found some homemade-style corn tortillas which are chewy, like the ones I love at Poquito Más and The Spanish Kitchen. I boiled and mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and added ripe avocado slices and a little spicy salsa. Pretty good!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat In. Smoky fusilli goodness.

Last night for dinner, I tried to re-create a pasta dish from one of my favorite Italian restaurants in L.A. The "Fusilli con Melanzane e Scamorzaa" at Pane e Vino is so delicious. Before having it, I was not particularly a fan of smoked cheese. The smoked mozzarella in this dish though, gives the vegetarian meal such heft (in a good way).

On their menu it's simply described as "corkscrew pasta, smoked mozzarella, eggplant, tomato sauce". Simple enough--but a great combination I honestly wouldn't have come up with on my own.

I had an unopened jar of Trader Joe's Traditional Marinara Sauce in my cupboard, but stopped off at Gelson's for the other ingredients: De Cecco brand fusilli, a small eggplant, and both fresh small mozzarella balls, and smoked Gruyère (I couldn't find smoked mozzarella and didn't want to forgo the smoked flavor).

I rinsed, sliced into discs, chopped (into about 1/2 inch cubes), then rinsed again, and salted the eggplant. Apparently (in some quick research I did) eggplant has a tendency to be bitter, and rinsing and salting can help. I let the rinsed, salted eggplant sit in a colander for 10 or so minutes as I got everything else ready.

The rest was so easy--I just cooked the pasta, drained it, poured it into a large bowl with some marinara sauce at the bottom of it, threw in the eggplant and cheeses, tossed it all together, adding some more sauce along the way, then put it in the oven (at 325° F) for about 20 minutes for the cheeses to melt.

Delizioso!

Pane e Vino is located at 8265 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. Info: panevinola.com, (323) 651-4600

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: panevinola.com

Eat In. Cottage cheese.

Still avoiding hard food post-dental surgery, I'm enjoying the simple goodness of cottage cheese. It's so versatile--you can literally have it at any time of the day. It goes well with everything from pineapple or strawberries in the morning, to lightly toasted sourdough with cracked pepper and sea salt in the evening, or just on its own for a mid-day snack.

Gelson's sells a convenient four-pack of California-made Knudsen brand 'On the Go!' cottage cheese, which are about the size of small yogurts (4 ounces).

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: sodahead.com

Check It. Gelson's.

In a big city like Los Angeles, we have so many choices of supermarkets, they should all constantly be on their toes, bringing their A-game if you will. That's not exactly the case, but Gelson's is one that consistently impresses. Yes, it's on the expensive side, but after debating for years if it's worth it, I decided yesterday it is.

The Gelson's on Hyperion and Griffith Park in Silver Lake is especially wonderful. Not only do they have the widest selection of cold drinks (from Blue Moon's Honey Moon Summer Ale to every flavor of Snapple to Honest Tea, to Diet Cherry Coke) of anywhere I've seen, the checkers and baggers are friendly, the manager is stellar, and they have ample convenient parking.

Olive bar? Check. Fresh organic fruit juice, check. Spicy tuna cut roll on soy paper? Ahh, that last one would throw most supermarkets for a loop--not Gelson's, $7.29, and it's super fresh, with fluffy rice that doesn't taste like refrigeration. What's great about Gelson's is, you can buy big brand products (who doesn't like Lay's?) as well as smaller, more gourmet brands, like La Brea Bakery breads, a variety of French brie cheeses, and Tate's Bake Shop cookies.

A fun side note--this Gelson's was the original Disney Studios, when Walt and his brother Roy lived just up the street.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: pacificcoastnews.com