WOMEN WHO WEAR TOQUES

“Being a chef is simply not compatible with being a woman.” It’s been about 10 years since Louis Outhier, one of France’s greatest chefs, said that. How things have changed! Women got into the kitchen and proved that they could stand the heat. Today some of the best chefs in town are women. Here are a few of the places where you’ll find women wearing toques.

ANGELI (7274 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 936-9086.) Chef/owner Evan Kleiman and executive chef Victoria Granoff have created a menu of simple, attractive and delicious Italian dishes. There are salads like panzanella, a concoction of chunks of bread, tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers and a wonderful antipasto plate. There are also arancini, balls of saffron-colored rice stuffed with cheese and deep-fried. Pasta dishes change daily, and at lunch there are delightful panini (sandwiches) served on home-baked bread. In the evening there are also more substantial main courses like roast chicken and veal chops. The pizzas (made by a man), are wonderful; the Margherita, topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil, may be the finest in town. Lunch, Mon.-Sat.; dinner nightly. MC, AE, V. Beer and wine. Street parking. Dinner for two, $15-$30.

CAMELIONS (246 26th St., Santa Monica (213) 395-0746.) Chef Elka Gilmore is a remarkable young woman who likes her flavors clean and unmuddled. Lovely veal scallops are soft and yielding as butter. The marinade for grilled, rare baby lamb is not another added flavor, but an intensification of the taste of lamb. The menu makes no attempt to astonish, but refuses to bore: Its highlights are grilled New York steak and boursin sauce, angel-hair pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, basil and Parmesan and a beautifully grilled chicken bathed in a deep-toned, creamy sauce. The restaurant itself has the feel of an Italian country villa, with two trellis-lined, tree-shaded patio areas. Lunch and dinner, Tue.-Sun. All major credit cards. Reservations essential. Full bar. Street parking. Dinner for two, $35-$80.

CITY RESTAURANT (180 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 938-2155.) City’s chefs, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, have been recognized as among the foremost talents in the country. Both were classically trained, but in addition to stints in France they have studied the food of India, Thailand and Mexico, making their menu extremely eclectic. The food from their tandoor has the true flavors of India, and Thai melon salad is a perfect balance of flavors. Nobody can improve on their homely bourgeois French food such as lamb tongue vinaigrette or confit of duck. The Mediterranean dishes such as lamb shanks are great. The restaurant itself emphasizes size over intimacy: This former carpet warehouse remains undivided, and the high ceiling seems to make the walls stretch up forever. Lunch, Mon.-Sat.; dinner nightly. MC, AE, V. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $40-60.

GHIFFARI’S CALIFORNIA AND CAJUN CUISINE (24921 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point (714) 661-0188.) Whitney Williams, one of Ghiffari’s two chefs, has an attractive, ingratiating style. The emphasis here is on Californian rather than Cajun food. The most appealing entree, duck with a snappy plum sauce, is made from fresh plums. The roast rabbit is served in a complex sauce that has an aroma like old wine. The barbecued shrimp are actually barbecued. Lots of things get blackened, of course: Blackened red snapper is fine, served with an ultra-Californian pineapple saffron sauce. Desserts are quite wonderful. Altogether, a delightful place, with a nice balcony view of the rest of the Dana Point Harbor Pavilion. Lunch, Tue.-Sat.; brunch, Sun.; dinner, Tue.-Sun. MC, AE, V. Full bar. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $35-$70.

PIRET’S (998 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 657-2545.) Chef Cindy Black moved to Los Angeles from San Diego where she made a big splash at Sheppard’s. Here she takes on a patisserie/charcuterie / bistro/boulangerie , take-out, eat-in, espresso/wine bar, lunch and dinner place. The restaurant proper is to the back of the store; its vast menu offers everything in the deli case plus pastas, fish, chicken, veal, lamb, calzone, pizza and a computerized list of daily specials. While some plates (like the Mediterranean fish stew and calzone stuffed with Portuguese sausage) are all form and no content, the pasta is often exceptional. Lunch and dinner daily. MC, AE, V. Beer and wine. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $25-$50.