The Monthly BEAT: Venice. Wabi-Sabi.

This month's weekend focus city is Venice, California!

Abbot Kinney is one of Venice's (in fact all of L.A.'s) trendiest, most pleasant, cute, pedestrian-friendly streets. It has tons of great restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques.

Wabi-Sabi has been a favorite sushi restaurant of mine for years. The space is cool, modern, and clean, while being comfortable (cozy even) at the same time. The servers are always pleasant and attractive--and the food is spot-on. The crunchy shrimp roll is the one dish I am crazy for. It's a spicy platter of a cut shrimp tempura roll that is one of my favorite very favorite meals. It is made with soy paper (which I usually request for any roll) and all kinds of delicious sauces (one of which I think is Sriracha) on the plate for dipping.

The miso soup is really flavorful and always hot, the cocktails are interesting, well-made, and strong, and the fish is fresh. There are also plenty of hot dishes (small and large), for the non-sushi lover in your life, and some great dessert options too.

There is a very good Happy Hour for select food and drinks from 5:30 p.m. (when they open) to 6:30 p.m. daily.

Wabi-Sabi is located at 1637 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Calif. Info: (310) 314-2229, wabisabisushi.com

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Open Table

Eat Out. Blue Plate Oysterette.

I love when a magazine interview says where it takes place. The May Vogue cover story--Reese Witherspoon--starts at Santa Monica's Blue Plate Oysterette. As if the lobster rolls weren't reason enough to try the seafood joint with an ocean breeze.

If you're a fan of Witherspoon's (and who isn't, really?), Water for Elephants is out Friday.

Blue Plate Oysterette is located at 1355 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Info: blueplatesantamonica.com, (310) 576-3474

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: blueplatesantamonica.com

Eat Out. Boneyard Bistro.

Last Saturday night we went out for barbecue at Sherman Oaks' Boneyard Bistro. The beer selection was vast, the music was live, and the fried macaroni and cheese (above) was as delicious as it sounds (and looks). And the pulled bbq chicken sandwich was pretty good too!

Other good BBQ joints in L.A. ...

Baby Blues BBQ (Venice and West Hollywood)

Zeke's Smokehouse

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill (at The Grove and other locations)

My favorite part is always the sides!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

The best sandwich I've had in recent memory was from Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at L.A. Live.

From the lunch menu, it was roasted turkey, on grilled sourdough, with balsamic onions, and fontina cheese. And I ate it while driving--not actually driving, but riding in a car, with a boy. Not getting the sandwich to-go nor devouring it on the hectic 110 freeway could take away from its incredible flavors. I usually find turkey sandwiches so boring that I avoid them, but this one, I'd get again in a heartbeat.

The rest of the items on the menus look equally delicious. Creamy cauliflower soup with wild mushrooms and crispy parsley, almond crusted salmon with celery root puree and port-red wine sauce, dulce de leche parfait ... you get the idea.

Note: Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill does not have to-go cups for to-go drinks, but Lawry's Carvery (also at L.A. Live) does. And their turkey sandwiches are likely very good too.

Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is located at 800 West Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles. Info: wolfgangpuck.com, (213) 748-9700

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: wolfgangpuck.com

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 Out. Whole Foods teriyaki bowls.

This photo doesn't exactly do my teriyaki tofu rice bowl justice. There's some condensation going on because I drove with the steaming bowl sealed shut from the 3rd & Fairfax Whole Foods to Los Feliz last night. But, when I got in and ate it, it was still delicious.

I've had the chicken option for lunch, too, and it's very tasty. You can choose white or dark meat chicken, which is cooked to perfection and really delicious drenched in sweet teriyaki.

Recently I made the switch for the most part from white to brown rice, and with a meal like this, the brown rice adds substantial flavor. Like having an actual other ingredient rather than just filler.

Bell peppers and bok choy round this out to be a great option for lunch or dinner.

Well-priced too - $6.05 for the tofu bowl. I think the white meat chicken bowl is close to $8.

Click here to find a Whole Foods Market near you.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat Out. Pitfire North Hollywood.

It's been almost a year since I wrote about Pitfire Pizza, so I say it's high time for round two.

This past weekend I went to the North Hollywood arts district location, before seeing a movie at the ArcLight. There's a nice outdoor patio complete orange chairs and a large fire pit. It was quite crowded on Saturday night, which made for a pleasantly lively alfresco experience. Inside the bustling would have been just annoying, really.

Although the "rustic fire singed pizzas" and baked white macaroni and cheese looked delicious, I stuck with my favorite, the Grilled Steak Salad. And I actually also ate 1/2 a Pepperoni Pizza.

The salad is so good that I couldn't stop thinking about it, and made the journey back for a take-away order of it for my dinner tonight (Monday)!

Do yourself a favor and try Pitfire if you haven't already.

Locations: Downtown, North Hollywood, Culver City, and West L.A. Info: pitfirepizza.com

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: LA Wad / flickr

Eat In. An Indian holiday dinner.

Christmas dinner is on my mind, and today I'm thinking it may be fun to go a non-traditional route and have Indian food. This may be due to the recent addition of a new jar of Patak's Sweet Mango Chutney to the cupboard. And Trader Joe's has a great frozen tandoori naan. Jamie Oliver has some good curry recipes. With all this rain in L.A., eating London (or India) style is appealing. Fish and chips could be good too--but more difficult to make at home.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: ukcornershoppe.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

Do It. Club 33.

If you ever get the chance to go to Club 33, do it. The mysterious club is in the heart of Disneyland's New Orleans Square, but that doesn't mean it's easily accessible. Entrance is only granted to members (they're not even accepting names for the waiting list at this point) or invited guests.

Club 33 isn't a nightclub (although, with its full bar, it is the only place at Disneyland to serve alcohol) with DJs and strobe lights--in fact, quite the opposite. It's more like a country club. There's a dress code, white tablecloths, big comfortable chairs, and fine china.

The great thing about being at Club 33, is that it's a second-story restaurant, so the balcony has views of the fireworks and shows at night without the hassle of being in the crowd on the street. It's pretty special to finish your Chateaubriand, step outside to catch Summer Nightastic, and come back in for dessert and a cappuccino. And then leave to make the line for Splash Mountain before midnight (not before paying a hefty bill though).

Walt Disney himself envisioned having this exclusive club, which is telling enough that it's worth checking out, if the chance comes up.

Club 33 is located at 33 Rue Royale in Disneyland - Anaheim, Calif.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat In. Mini casseroles.

I love casseroles. Maybe that makes me trashy. But mostly, it just makes me my mother's daughter. We ate quite a few meals from a baking pan. Never had green bean casserole, but there was plenty of Mexican lasagna, chicken and biscuits (I requested my mother make this for me when I go home to Massachusetts for X-Mas), and chicken divan.

The thing about casseroles though is that they are usually way too much food and preparation for a single girl. I don't have time to cook up pounds of chicken and veggies and there is no way I'm going to eat it all. I freak out when leftovers have been in my fridge longer than a day.

But I've discovered a quick, economical solution: mini loaf pans. They are disposable (I don't like dishes so much, but I have no doubt they make glass or metal ones), come in packs of 5 at the dollar store, and are perfectly portioned for one. It allows me to have fresh comfort food for a couple days. Here's my recipe for a veggie casserole that is incredibly inexact, takes whatever you have on hand, and pretty much the best thing I've ever made up.

Ingredients:

• About 3/4 cup frozen veggies or enough to fill the pan to the top. Whatever you have handy. I like to keep lots of options hanging out (they're frozen, why not?), so I usually include peas, green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes.
• Around 1/3 can of any condensed cream soup. I'm big on plain ol' Cream of Mushroom, but I will also use Cheddar Cheese soup, Cream of Potato, and I'm sure Cream of Celery or even Cream of Asparagus would be delish.
• Roughly 2 tablespoons of sour cream.
• A palmful of cheddar cheese.
• A generous sprinkling of parmesean. No canned powder stuff. At least get the pre-shredded kind that resembles the actual hard cheese. Why? Because we may be broke, but we still care about ourselves just a little bit.
• Breadcrumbs. Or crushed up crackers. Hell, even Cheez-Its. Whatever you got, baby.
• Pepper and oregano or your favorite herbs and spices to taste. No salt though, that soup contains more than enough sodium!

Directions:

• Thaw the veggies in the microwave or in a pot of water (no need to heat all the way, the idea is to keep the finished product a little crisp).
• Combine the soup, sour cream, and cheddar in a bowl. Season with pepper and oregano.
• Stir in the veggies.
• Pile it into the pan and top with bread crumbs, parm, and more oregano and pepper.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes-ish.

Now you can take that anywhere. Subtract and add until you've got dinner.

Also, don't you love how the flash makes the pan gleam in the photo? The holy grail of Heather's kitchen. For real.

-- Heather Robertson

Eat Out. Dollar taco night at Don Antonio's.

A delicious restaurant taco for $1? Yes. Wednesday nights at Don Antonio's in West L.A. from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. The mid-week happening is always packed, so arrive early. Avoid the temptation to order rice and beans, as that will quickly add up and nullify the good deal you can get by making dollar tacos an awesome and inexpensive dinner. Although I do recommend a margarita along with the tacos--either while you're waiting at the bar, or to celebrate when you finally get a table. Feliz Diciembre.

Don Antonio's is located at 11755 W Pico Blvd. in West Los Angeles

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Citysearch