Bowl Eats: Don’t Forget the Tablecloth

Brahms and Gershwin are great, but some of us are more inclined to use Hollywood Bowl as an excuse to have a picnic. A musical feast with good friends is a wonderful way to spend a summer evening. For some reason, a baguette and some good cheese or even a bag of corn curls tastes fabulous under the stars.

But you don’t have to settle for anything that ordinary. It seems that almost every chef in town has added takeout to his or her menu. Unless you are unusually ambitious, though, it’s best to limit your picnic fare to dishes that can be picked up on the way to the Bowl.

Here are some suggestions, ranging from some good buys to splurges. Keep in mind that most places require 24 hours’ notice:

* You’ll have plenty of daily fat grams to spare if your picnic fare hails from Gratis, a 12-week-old Brentwood restaurant and takeout place. Everything on the menu is fat free, even the triple-layered chocolate cake. Deli cases are filled with an array of salads. Entrees include soft tacos with vegetarian chili ($6.75); fusilli with ratatouille sauce ($5.95) and a marinated grilled vegetable sandwich ($5.95). Gratis, 11658 San Vicente Blvd., (310) 571-2345.

* Feel like something spicy? The India’s Tandoori mini-chain offers a picnic basket filled with such entrees as samosa and chicken from the tandoor oven ($8.50); shrimp tandoori ($9.50), lamb boti and shish kebabs ($10.50), chicken tikka ($9.50) and a vegetarian basket ($7.50). Baskets come with linen and utensils, returnable with a $25 deposit. India’s Tandoori, five locations, (800) INDIA - LA .

* The Tuscan take-away Rosti, an offshoot of nearby Toscana, offers several homey Italian baskets to choose from: grilled veggies on focaccia ($9.95), grilled chicken breast on greens ($9.95), half-chicken with roasted potatoes ($14.50), breaded chicken breast with spinach ($12.75) and chef’s salad ($8.95). Rosti, 908 S. Barrington Ave., Brentwood, (310) 447-8695.

* Even the gold-leaf bento boxes are beautiful at Duet in Glendale. Give at least 24 hours’ notice and the staff will put together such things as a Malaysian chicken satay, shrimp and vegetable spring rolls, crab coleslaw, charred sashimi salad or a Thai cucumber, oyster and mushroom salad. The boxes can be custom-filled too, and range from $10 to $15. Duet Restaurant and Bar, 900 N. Central Ave., Glendale, (818) 240-0808.

* From the friendliest restaurant group in town (Chez Melange, Fino, Depot, Descanso, Misto) comes the Bubba box--a choice of a roast beef, turkey or vegetarian sandwich, potato salad, fruit salad, brownie and Diet Coke--at the Bubba price of $10.95. Also available are the Misto, choice of quiche or chicken salad ($14.95); the Melange, chicken breast or smoked salmon on a bagel ($19.95), and Chef Peter’s Picnic, poached salmon or grilled tri-tip ($25.95). Picnic boxes from any in the group are available through Misto. Misto Caffe, 24558 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance , (310) 375-3608.

* “Our tuna salad ($15.50) is perfect for smuggling small recording devices into the Hollywood Bowl,” explains the Daily Grill in its take-away brochure. For medium recording devices you might consider the poached salmon ($23). Other entrees to take away include Caesar salad with charbroiled chicken ($14.50), top sirloin in Jamaican sauce ($21.50), barbecued chicken breast ($23.50), pan-fried chicken breast ($17.50), ahi tuna with fresh salsa ($22.50) or charbroiled swordfish with Szechwan sauce ($25.50). Daily Grill, 100 N. La Cienega Blvd., (310) 659-3100, and five other locations.

* Impress your friends and pick up an elegant picnic basket from Xiomara. The French bistro has put together four menus and named them after major Pasadena streets. Choose from the Raymond, chicken sandwich ($16.50); the Fair Oaks, slices of country duck with foie gras , and wild mushroom terrines ($23); the Orange Grove, curried seafood pasta ($26), or the Huntington, poached salmon with angel hair pasta ($29). Xiomara, 69 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, (818) 796-2520.

* At Pinot Bistro, chef-owner Joachim Splichal’s picnic fare includes salmon with cold grilled fennel and cuke salad ($26.50), peppered beef sandwich ($24) and roasted chicken with potato salad ($21). Pinot Bistro, 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City , (818) 990-0500.

* Some of the best--and most expensive--picnic menus are offered at Splichal’s other restaurant, Patina, where he has named the selections after composers. Choose from the Chopin, broiled medallion of beef with barley and lentil salad ($39.50); the Wagner, Chinese shrimp salad with spicy noodles ($29.50); the Mozart, seared salmon with asparagus and red bell pepper coulis ($28); the Beethoven, roasted chicken with red bliss potatoes ($25); the Bach, chicken sandwich with red bliss potatoes ($18.50), and the Vivaldi, lobster salad ($24.50). Patina, 5955 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles (213) 467-1108.

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And that’s not all: On a more casual level, the crusty whole rotisserie chicken from Zankou in Hollywood is terrific--it comes with a couple of pita rounds and a pungent garlic sauce. . . . A vegetarian sandwich from Tarzana Armenian Deli or one of those great sub sandwiches from Pietro’s in Pasadena would do just fine too. . . . Or how about Asian takeout? Maybe cartons of spicy chile noodles from Mandarin Deli in Chinatown or cold soba noodles from Daisuke in Little Tokyo. . . . Or consider the Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls from Hoa’s House of Noodles in Reseda. . . . Or why not bring along a goat cheese torta from Say Cheese in Silver Lake or one of the chicken tamales or overstuffed tortas from El Gallo Giro in Huntington Park?

The choices really are limitless. Or you could pack that bag of corn curls.*

* NEXT WEEK . . .

Restaurant News and First Impressions return next Sunday.