Turning the Shed Into Lucques

Goin’ to the Shed: Suzanne Goin, the chef whose departure from Campanile in late April brought Mark Peel back into the kitchen after his six-month break to be with his kids, has found a place to call her own. She has taken possession of silent film star Harold Lloyd’s old carriage house at 8474 Melrose Ave. Most recently it has been the Shed; now it’s going to be called Lucques, after a speckled green olive grown in Provence.

The short menu, changing every six weeks, is basically country French with Mediterranean and Californian influences. The emphasis is on clean but strong flavors. There’s a devil’s chicken cooked in a clay pot with mustard and bread crumbs, and escolar (that’s a fish) with preserved lemons, green olives and saffron rice.

Goin’s partner, Caroline Styne, who used to manage Jones Hollywood, will run the front of the house. They’re shooting for an early September opening date.

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Five Chefs in the Ring: To celebrate its third anniversary, Boxer restaurant on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles has invited every one of its past chefs to come back for one night of cooking togetherness. Neal Fraser (now chef of Rix), Ramundo Martinez (sous chef of the Chez Restaurant), Edwin Figueroa (sous chef at Fenix) and Angela Hunter (pastry chef at L’Ermitage, Beverly Hills) will join current Boxer chef Philip DuBose on Monday. Dinner starts at 6 p.m.; the tab is $75.

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New Moves at Limbo: Having had Derek Harrison of Mobay in the kitchen at Limbo for about one week (Harrison left the Caribbean restaurant on 3rd Street in Los Angeles that fast), owner Errol Lawrence has decided to bring in the sous chef from Vida, Juan Cruz, to fill the void. Cruz’s focus is on Cal-French cuisine, so Limbo will be dancing to a slightly new tune. How will Cruz tastefully marry Caribbean flavors with Cal-French technique? Only he knows. No fears about Cruz running off in a hurry; he’s been made a partner.

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Sushi Don: Enrico Glaudo, chef of L’Angolo on Melrose Avenue, let his sushi knives do some wandering lately. Who knew? Apparently Glaudo worked at a Japanese restaurant in his spare time when he lived in Italy. Because he’s a nice guy, he helped develop the opening menu for the Japanese restaurant named Sanbon-Tsuki, which recently opened next door to L’Angolo.

“I helped them put together a menu, since it’s our neighbor and since we’re sharing partners,” Glaudo says. Any plans to open a sushi bar of his own? No. “Running an Italian restaurant is enough to keep my hands full.”

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Ontario Rainforest: Ontario Mills Shopping Center, the shopping mall located off I-10 near I-15, just got a Rainforest Cafe--”a wild place to shop and eat,” say the upbeat people answering the phones. It’s located in the southeast corner of the mall near Entrance 6. You may recognize the American food with a tropical flair from the Rainforest Cafe in South Coast Plaza. At the retail shop, you can purchase a bit of the rain forest to save, and all the change you chuck into the restaurant’s ponds go to save the rain forest as well.

* Rainforest Cafe, 4810 Mills Circle, Ontario; (909) 941-7979.

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News Lite: Apparently a new place will soon open at 9667 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills under the name Naked Lunch, but the owner doesn’t want this paper to know anything about it. The number listed in the directory for the eatery is disconnected. And (after 14 calls to the owner’s cell phone, only one of them returned) that number no longer accepts incoming calls. Maybe he doesn’t want to be caught with his pants down?

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Is That a Prize in My Soup?: Roll ‘n’ Rye Deli turns 35 this year, so owner Rita Zide is spending August giving stuff away. Everyone over 18 who eats in the deli between Aug. 1 and 31 will be handed an entry form to fill out. You’ll get a form for every meal you eat, and you can enter as often as you like. At the end of the month, 26 winners will be given prizes such as tickets to Disneyland or Universal Studios or a 27-inch color TV, the grand prize being two nights at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. Aug. 26, 27 and 28 are bonus days. In addition to entering the drawing, diners who get a check with a star printed on the back win gift bags to take home. But those bags aren’t for Fido. He’ll have to make do with the corned beef.

* Roll ‘n’ Rye Restaurant and Delicatessen, 10990 W. Jefferson Blvd., Culver City; (310) 390-3497.

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Table-Hopping Chefs: Want to chat with some French guys who know how to cook? You’re in luck. Roland Gibert is hosting “Les Chefs a Table” at 72 Market Street in Venice. On Aug. 17, Gibert is cooking up a six-course French menu while seven of his chef buddies sit at the tables and regale you with their knowledge. The chefs are Jean Francois Meteigner (La Cachette, Century City), Alain Giraud (Lavande, Santa Monica), Andrew DeGroot (Pastis, Los Angeles), Steve Norin (Lunaria, Century City), Pascal and Mimi Olhats (Pascal, Newport Beach) and Jacques Duc (Cafe Francais, Orange). With every course, the chefs change seats and conversations begin anew. The price for this kind of food and access is $80 per person. Hors d’oeuvres begin at 6:30 p.m.

* 72 Market Street Oyster Bar & Grill, 72 Market Street, Venice; (310) 392-8720.

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