‘Restaurant Cop’ Takes Aim at the Bad Guys

“As a lover of good food and dining out,” writes a reader who identifies him or herself only as “The Restaurant Cop,” “I have taken on the task of trying to keep restaurant operations from sinking to new lows. . . . After a (good) meal at a restaurant--no matter how high or low cost--I send a complimentary post card about something in particular I liked. When (I encounter) bad service, poor housekeeping . . . seeds remaining in lemon skins, glasses that smell of chlorine, etc., the restaurant owner receives a ticket (a post card) signed, ‘the Restaurant Cop.’ Having my say makes me feel a lot better, and my aim as a restaurant-goer is to raise the standards of the dining-out experience. . . .”

Ms. or Mr. Cop has certainly staked out a large bit of territory there, but it’s doubtful whether Cop’s little post cards have much effect on restaurants. On the other hand, applause should go to the Cop for having taken on this challenge, however quixotic it might be.

Hmmm . . . maybe some enterprising entrepreneur could make a tidy little pile of dining-out cash by printing up pro and con post cards (the latter especially) for satisfied or disgruntled consumers to fire off to the restaurants of their choice. Cards from one Restaurant Cop might not make much difference--but cards from a whole posse of them quite possibly would.

OPEN AND SHUT CASES: Catherine, a Champagne Bistro on La Brea, will close its doors Thursday. Until then, great food, great jazz and free-flowing champagne are promised. . . . Michel and Lucy Najjar of Cafe de la Paix in Tarzana have bought the Century Bistro in Century City, and are now running it with their own French-bistro-style menu, under its old name. . . . And Fontana di Trevi is new in Woodland Hills, featuring “gourmet Northern Italian cuisine.”

AH, THE CRITICAL LIFE: Writing about food and wine for a living is full of little, unexpected rewards. Like what? Like an invitation to attend a tasting, in Santa Rosa, of something called Mendocino Truffle Mineral Water--”water combined with the essence of that rare and extraordinary food, the truffle.” But this writer had to decline the invitation. He had already agreed to attend a preview tasting, on the very same day, of that new foie gras- flavored breakfast cereal everybody’s talking about. . . .

DINING DATEBOOK: The flurry of wine and food events that inevitably accompanies each holiday season is already clouding the horizon. This Wednesday, for instance, Cafe Jacoulet in Pasadena celebrates its fifth anniversary with a special $100-per-person champagne reception and banquet. Tickets are tax-deductible, and proceeds go to Pasadena Heritage, the local nonprofit historical preservation organization. . . . Also on Wednesday, the Asia Society-Southern California Center sponsors a noontime seminar called “North and South Indian Cuisine: A Comparison,” hosted by India-born public relations specialist Mira Advani, at the Arco Plaza, downtown. Recipes and food samples are included. . . . There’s lots going on Dec. 5, too: Magdalena’s in Bellflower features the champagnes of Veuve Clicquot that night, with a six-course dinner for $85 a head. . . . Cafe Pierre in Manhattan Beach hosts S. Anderson and Silver Oak wineries, and serves five courses for $45 per person. . . . And the L.A. chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food celebrates “A Solstice Feast” at the Four Oaks restaurant in Beverly Glen--six courses plus wines for $100. . . . Then, on Dec. 8, the Century Wine Club (open to the public) meets at Hy’s in Century City for a dinner featuring wines from Vichon and the new Roederer Estate (a California sparkling wine producer associated with one of the most famous champagne names in France). The tariff is $55 per person. . . . And, again on Dec. 8, those Veuve Clicquot champagnes show up again, this time at the Pacific Dining Car, downtown, with wines and dinner at $85 a head. . . .