Counter: Italian in Atwater, steaks in Brentwood, beer for us all

Counter Intelligence

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Dear Readers: This week we take you to a newish Italian restaurant in Atwater Village, a steakhouse in Brentwood and some possibilities for St. Patrick's Day. You'll also be reading about a goat curry in a farmers market, great beer in cans and making margaritas in space. —Jonathan Gold

ITALIAN IN ATWATER This week, Jonathan Gold heads to Glendale Boulevard to check out All'Acqua — because, apparently, it's Italian for Atwater, and you're in Atwater and the food is Italian! The chef is Don Dickman, also the chef at Barbrix, the Silver Lake restaurant owned by Claudio Blotta and his wife, Adria Tennor, who also own All'Acqua as well as Cooks County. All three have a long lineage in L.A. food. As for their newest, there's plenty of handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza and drinks to pair with them.

MORE FUN WITH STEAKHOUSES Maybe someone should have called it the Year of the Steak instead of the Year of the Goat. Or maybe the Few Years of the Steak, since the trend seems to show no signs of abating. Thus, Jenn Harris checks out Baltaire, a new luxe steakhouse in Brentwood. (Think dark wood, plush leather armchairs, white marble countertops and a lounge with a fireplace.)

CORNED BEEF, GREEN BEER — AND MORE BEER Yes, it's that time of year again, when we all pretend to be Irish. As if we needed an excuse to drink beer and eat a good plate of meat and potatoes — or, in some cases, green cookies. We highlight seven excellent places in L.A. to get your Irish on for St. Patrick's Day. Or at least get a few pints. If you're in Pasadena and want brats with your beer (probably not green), try out a new German-style beer hall. We check out Der Wolfskopf, where you can also get Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese sauce.

NOTES FROM THE FOOD AND DRINK UNDERWORLD We also discover a great Caribbean vendor at the farmers market (goat curry!) and what's going on with Marcel Vigneron, the "Top Chef" alum who's now cooking free food on a food truck. And no, sorry, it's not a new Syfy show. Meanwhile, if you still think beer in cans limits you to Budweiser, you haven't been getting out enough. Here's a piece on four great IPAs, all from California craft breweries and all in aluminum. Oh, and let us not forget the week's big news: Jose Cuervo made a margarita in space.

P.S. Be on the lookout for Wednesday's In the Kitchen newsletter, with cooking tips and news, including new recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen. Feedback? We'd love to hear from you. Email us.