Vonda Shepard

* The local singer-songwriter’s soulful rock can be heard Mondays on Fox’s “Ally McBeal.” Her sixth album, “Heart and Soul: New Songs From Ally McBeal, Featuring Vonda Shepard,” has just been released.

Time Trouble: I rarely have any time off anymore on weekends, between recording songs for “Ally” during the week and touring on the weekends! But if I have the time, I love to drive up the coast and go to Santa Barbara. Up there is this hole in the wall with incredible Mexican food, La Super-Rica. I get the No. 6 with roasted poblano chiles and corn tortillas.

If Music Be the Food of Love: I like to go to dinner on Friday night with my boyfriend. This restaurant in Eagle Rock, Capri, has good Italian food, a warm, New York-type vibe and music like Billie Holiday being played. Not a lot of people know about it, which is great. It’s funny, but I’m so sensitive to what kind of music is being played in my surroundings, I’ll leave in the middle of the most wonderful meal if the music is bad.

The Write Stuff: I try to write lyrics almost every morning--it helps me to clear out my mind. I’ll take my notebook to a cafe on a Saturday morning; Axe in Venice doesn’t look like much, but it’s got the best coffee in L.A.

Dinner Doings: I really love to do a fancy dinner party on Saturday night, with ingredients bought fresh from a local farmers’ market. Ten people is the ideal number to get a chance to talk to everyone. And I love it if some of the guests aren’t in the entertainment industry--the conversation will have so much more variety! I’ll cook Italian for everybody. I make a pretty amazing Caesar salad.

Sunday Survival: I don’t like Sundays much; I find them sad for some reason. I think it’s a throwback to when I was young and knew I had to go to school the next day. I find it helpful to do projects, such as cleaning out drawers. Reading is also a good--I love the book choices at Il-lit-er-a-ture on La Brea. I also like to go to Tower Records on Sunset. I don’t want to sound like a workaholic, but if I write good music, that’s the best topper to my weekend. I’m house-hunting at the moment, and when I do buy, I’ll build a full recording studio.