Scraping the Barrel for a Pot Cleaner

Molly Himmel of Los Angeles is looking for Top Job, produced by Procter & Gamble; she says it is excellent for getting burnt-on foods off pots and pans, but the stores where she used to buy it no longer carry the product. Can you help settle this burning issue, or will this top job go to the bottom of the list until Himmel gambles on a substitute product?

Mary Lou Will of Glendale would like to hear about a product or a process that can recolor an existing concrete patio. She has been told this can be done without painting. Can you offer some hard-and-fast help in this matter, or will Will wonder whether this problem will ever be set in concrete?

Listen and Learn

Marvin Linn of Calabasas is looking for instructional videocassettes for beginning golf and ballroom dancing. Can you help get him off the first tee before he gets stymied by some swing, or will he never know the difference between a double bogey and boogie-woogie?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Phil at (213) 829-2135 is trying to locate an eyeglass cleaner called Glass Wick, which he has not been able to purchase for years. Please help, so that Phil can once again look at the world through clean rose-colored glasses. . . . Lisa at (714) 494-3338 would like to find a replacement for an iron flower-decorated Dru roaster that she bought about 30 years ago; the product was made in Holland but is no longer available. Please help so that Lisa will soon be able to offer her guests a Dutch treat. . . . Linda at (213) 373-1504 is looking for Germain Monteil lash cleaner for false eyelashes, which was manufactured in the 1970s and seems to have disappeared without batting an eyelash. Please help by keeping an eye out for the product, or will this open Linda’s eyes to the fact that she’d better have eyes for another lash cleaner?

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products that are no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that other readers may contact you directly.

Sandy Espinoza of Redondo Beach, who was looking for someone to recondition an old-fashioned children’s pedal car, can stop spinning her wheels. Steven Thomas of the Vintage Cyclery of Pasadena, (818) 440-1730, says he’ll be happy to set Espinoza’s wheels in motion once more. He specializes in restoration, parts, accessories and literature for antique and nostalgic bikes, including pedal cars, wagons and scooters. Also, Madeline Curry of Rancho Cucamonga writes that a neighbor of hers, along with his partner, restores antiques and collectibles and “does beautiful work.” The firm is called the Antique Company; they buy, sell, refinish and restore collectibles. The neighbor is Ken Rellinger, (714) 987-1787, and the partner is Terry Harte, (714) 981-4681.

Lila Corrigan of Brentwood, who was looking for green tea ice cream, can start licking her chops; we have a number of sources. The one closest to her is Safe & Save Market, 2030 Sawtelle Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 479-3810; this came from Susan Yamauchi. Also not too far from Brentwood is Ta-Ke Sushi, 8866 Sunset Blvd., on the Strip, (213) 659-6580.

Chinese Restaurants

Keiko Noda, who told us about Ta-Ke Sushi (her mother’s place), says this is a Japanese ice cream but that many Chinese restaurants carry it. One we know of is Lew Mitchell’s Orient Express, 5400 Wilshire Blvd. Another restaurant, according to Sharlene Gale Roth of Hollywood, is the Tempura Inn in Canoga Park.

In Gardena, the ice cream is sold in the New Meiji Market and Spot Market, according to R. Kuegeman. In Glendale, the place to get it is the Fish King, 722 N. Glendale Blvd., (818) 244-2161. This we learned from Glendale readers Charlotte Fournier and Gretchen Kanters. Elsie Calloway of San Pedro buys her green tea ice cream at Hughes Market and at Bristol Farms in Palos Verdes. If Corrigan is still not sated, reader Rabin of Los Angeles says to contact Richy Distributors, (213) 927-5463 (speak only to Richy) for the nearest outlet. The product is made by Dutch Maid but distributed by Richy. And if that isn’t enough, Maxine Williams of Sunland says she has an easy recipe for making green tea ice cream; if Corrigan wants it, we’ll give her Williams’ phone number.

More on all-cotton socks: Iris Pinsky of Los Angeles, also a 100%-cotton fan, says Lismore Hosiery Co., 334 Grand St., New York, N.Y. 10002, was very helpful to her on a recent trip to the East Coast. They are wholesalers and recommend 75% cotton, 25% nylon for the longest wear. Pinsky writes that they have many colors to choose from; she bought a dozen for $21 and reports no holes yet.

Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who have--or need--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.