ANOTHER SHOT AT THE NAME OF THE GAME

Not long ago, this column decried the use of the phrase wild game to describe farm-raised rabbit, pheasant, venison and such--suggesting that only animals that had been killed on the wing or hoof, as sport, ought to be considered as such. Moreover, that creatures of that kind were simply not available in fresh form in the restaurants of California. But those notions have since been, shall we say, shot down.

A Los Angeles company called Scancal Importers, working with the San Francisco-based Scandinavian-California Gourmet Food Company, regularly imports genuine sport-killed wild game to these shores, vacuum-packed and nestled in dry ice but not frozen, from Scotland, Sweden and Norway. Black grouse, pheasant, pigeon, mallard duck, hazel hen (or woodland grouse), moose and reindeer (which is delicious meat) are among the items offered.

And the range of restaurants that at least sometimes feature such items includes La Toque (whose owner/chef, Ken Frank, first alerted this writer to Scancal’s existence), L’Orangerie, Lalo and Brothers, Jimmy’s, Bistango, Le Dome, Le Chardonnay, the Rose Cafe, the Bel Air Hotel, La Cage aux Folles, Le Sanglier, the Saddle Peak Lodge, La Serre, the private club called Tramps, and that old stand-by, Robaire’s. The stuff isn’t cheap, it must be said--a 2 1/2-pound grouse runs about $28--but it is real, and (chefs tell me) incomparably more flavorful than its domestic counterparts. (Diners beware, though: As in Europe, this game sometimes has pieces of shot left in it--reassuring proof that it was really taken in the wild, but a bit hard on the bridgework.)

Just to make sure that the Scancal imports wasn’t contravening any state or federal laws, a check was made with Pat Moore, public information officer for the California Department of Fish and Game and with Sam Jojola, special agent for the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. Moore said the state government has no jurisdiction over imported game, but stressed that “No part of any game animal shot in California can be sold.” Jojola informed me that a properly licensed importer (like Scancal) may indeed import fresh wild game, as long as it obtains Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (or CITES) certificates from local game management authorities in the country of origin. In other words, this writer was wrong in stating that the importation of fresh wild game into California was illegal. Oh well. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s all in the game.

THE CLOSE OF TRADING: If you get a hankering for some crab Rangoon, pake noodles or Javanese sate in the next dozen weeks or so, or suddenly work up a fierce thirst for a Tortuga or a Missionary’s Downfall, you’ll just have to make a journey up to Oakland or San Francisco or down to San Diego (at the very least)--because our own Trader Vic’s, in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where such items may usually be found, has closed down, as of last Monday, for three months’ worth of face-lifting. When the place reopens in mid-June, a whole new look is promised--keeping elements of the old decor (they’d darned well better!) but adding a new bar, a “Captain’s Table” dining room, and a new private dining salon for luaus ‘n’ such. New menu items will also be offered--presumably not including blackened Pu-Pus or cheese bings made with California chevre.

SILLIEST RESTAURANT PRICE OF THE WEEK (AND PROBABLY OF THE YEAR): $10 for a one-liter glass bottle of Evian water at Michael’s in Santa Monica. Wholesale price for such a bottle: $1.34.

EVENTS: 72 Market Street in Venice has inaugurated a series of unusual monthly “conversation meetings,” featuring wine and hors d’oeuvres and a chance to meet and jaw with a variety of notable figures from the worlds of science, business and the arts. Robert Townsend, author of “Up the Organization,” kicked off the series in late January, followed by fashion designer Zandra Rhodes. Next up, on Saturday, March 29, from 3 to 5 p.m., is Paul McCarthy, “father of human-powered flight.” Sleight-of-hand whirligig Ricky Jay and author/editor George Plimpton are among future guests. A hundred reservations per session are accepted, at $25 per. Call Tommie Smith at (213) 455-3662 or Helen Barlett at (213) 396-5937 for particulars. . . . Supporters of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra are invited to attend a benefit feast on behalf of the Music Center Unified Fund, tomorrow night at Dar Maghreb, to the tune of $50 per person. Call (213) 876-7651 for more information. . . . Michael’s Waterside Inn in Santa Barbara will be transformed into a West Coast copy of London’s three-star Le Gavroche from March 15--22. Gavroche owner/chef Albert Roux (also a partner in the Waterside Inn, as it happens) and maitre d’hotel Silvano Giraldin will be among the London crew in attendance, and a number of the restaurant’s signature dishes will be featured. Roux will also give cooking classes on March 16, 17 and 18. Call (805) 969-0307 if this sounds good to you. . . . And, for restaurant owners only, the California and National Restaurant Assns. will present a two-day seminar in “Restaurant Design and Facility Planning,” March 24 and 25, at the Sheraton Harbor Island East Hotel in San Diego. Bobbi Vego at (800) 252-0444 has the low-down.

QUE SERRA?: The name of one of Barcelona’s top restaurants, in an article two weeks ago, was incorrectly printed as Florian Serra. It is, in fact, simply Florian.