Serious Food Lands Chef in Miami

“I was cooking serious food,” says chef Margaret Fischlein, “but it wasn’t well received.”

So Fischlein--who left the now-defunct Stringfellow’s in Beverly Hills to take over the stove at the Brentwood Bar & Grill before moving on to Ava’s, the 2-month-old restaurant/nightclub in the basement of the Beverly Center--is gone again.

In fact, Fischlein has left Los Angeles altogether. She’s now in Miami, cooking at Bruzzi’s, an Italian restaurant owned by Bruze Zabar, the original owner of Louise’s Trattoria. “They just opened for lunch,” Fischlein says, “and my friend is the executive chef. I am just working like a normal person, helping him out. Hopefully, next season I am going to do my own restaurant here.”

OPENING?: “It seems like Pasadena people and Westside people do not get along,” says Yujean Kang. “Pasadena people tell me, ‘Yujean, stay in Pasadena.’ Westsiders say, ‘Come to the more civilized part of the world.’ What should I tell them?”

While he ponders his response, the owner of Yujean Kang’s Chinese Restaurant in Pasadena is also considering his Westside options. “Everybody says we should go to the Westside too,” he says, “so maybe we should. There are so many restaurants closing over there,” he adds, “this may be the only time we can afford to make the move.” Kang’s had his eye on the former Trumps in West Hollywood, but was told others were there ahead of him.

Kang feels the time is right to take his innovative Chinese food across town, but he has no plans to close the Pasadena restaurant. This way, everybody can be happy.

CLOSING: Pavarotti and Stein, the classic Italian and Jewish restaurant in Long Beach, after four months. Owners Enrique and Cora Borensztein could not be reached for comment, but the message on the restaurant’s answering machine says the restaurant is temporarily closed for remodeling. “Watch for our exciting new con-cept and grand reopening to be announced in the future.”

THE CLAUDES: In the beginning there was Claude Segal, currentchef/owner of Picnic, and first chef at Tapenade, the independently run restaurant at the Rancho Santa Fe tennis resort Rancho Valencia. In October of 1991, Segal was replaced by Salvatore Petrolino. Six months later Petrolino was replaced by Claude Koeberle (who had previously consulted on the menu). “The management wants to show some commitment,” Koeberle said when he took over.

So much for commitment. Koeberle has been replaced by Claude Poissoniez, former executive chef at the historic pink La Valencia in La Jolla.

FEED YOUR HEAD: Where can you find mushrooms masquerading as fried chicken? Only in West Hollywood, and only on La Toque’s special mycological menu. “Last week I had 18 varieties of wild mushrooms,” boasts Ken Frank, who promises a minimum of 10 different mushrooms in his $48 pre fixe dinner (available through the end of the month). “I had four kinds of chanterelle, purple mousseron, and I’ve even got a little brown mushroom that’s supposed to taste like fried chicken.” And this is not to mention the king of mushrooms: For an extra $20, you can upgrade to white truffles, which Frank says are selling for $1,050 a pound (wholesale).

BARGAINS: From one of L.A.’s most expensive restaurants comes this deal: on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings Michael McCarty offers a three-course, prix-fixe dinner for $26.50 at Mon Kee’s Seafood in Los Angeles is celebrating its 12th anniversary with a bargain: Two Dungeness crabs in garlic sauce for the price of one.