Chicken Pot Pie

Here are some reliable sources for this quintessential comfort food:

* Beadles Cafeteria: Here is the lunchroom chicken pot pie of our childhoods: flaky pie crust, creamy gravy, chunks of chicken and just enough peas and carrots to add a little color. ($3.10.) Beadles Cafeteria, 825 E. Green St., Pasadena, (626) 796-3618.

* The Grill: A generous bowl is filled with a rich, creamy gravy, chicken breast, peas, carrots and onions, sealed under golden puff pastry. ($15.50.) The Grill on the Alley, 9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills, (310) 276-0615.

* The Buffalo Club: Chef Patrick Healy makes positively mythic chicken pot pies: Chicken, poached in triple-strength chicken broth, combined with vegetables, mushrooms and “supreme sauce,” all tucked under a biscuit crust. ($23.) The Buffalo Club, 1520 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 450-8600.

* Daily Grill: This classic chicken pot pie comes with chicken, carrots, peas and mushrooms in a rich gravy under a flaky pastry crust. ($10.95.) Daily Grills: 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 442-0044; 100 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 659-3100; 12050 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 769-6336; 16101 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 986-4111.

* Du-Par’s: This classic contains chicken, green peas, onions, “coin-cut” carrots, celery and a tasty homemade gravy. It’s served with soup or salad, dinner roll or nut bread. ($6.95.) Du-Par’s, Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 933-8446; 12036 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 766-4437; 75 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, (805) 373-8785.

* Marmalade: Chicken pot pies can be eaten at these casual restaurants, but a lot of them are purchased to go. The individual pies, with light and dark meat, peas and carrots and an often-praised cream sauce, freeze beautifully. ($4.95.) Marmalade, 710 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 395-9196; 3894 Malibu Creek Plaza, Malibu, (310) 317-4242; 14910 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 905-8872.

* Musso and Frank: Everything about these pies is big: chunks of white meat, carrots, whole boiling onions, a continent of crust. Served Thursdays only, and they always sell out. ($17.50.) Musso and Frank, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (231) 467-5123.

* The Farm: Chef Benjamin Ford makes a postmodern “open-faced” chicken pot pie: grilled vegetables, chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted garlic capped with a puff pastry disk. ($14.) The Farm of Beverly Hills, 439 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 273-5578.