2 New Cafe-Bakeries Offer Distinctive Touches

Calling All Sweet Tooths: Two cafe-bakeries have opened recently. In Atwater Village, LA Bread has come to life under the hands of owner Armine Badmagharian. She uses unbleached flour in her loaves of multi-grain, olive, sourdough, pumpkin (a non-sweet bread) and Asiago cheese breads. She also makes brioche rolls and thin baguettes. Loaves run between $2 and $6. Helping her is Knuth Kahler, formerly the baker at Rockenwagner in Santa Monica. Kahler bakes up yogurt tarts, almond horns, cheesecake tarts, and chocolate rum balls. LA Bread also does specialty cakes, fruit Danishes and oversized biscotti. On the cafe side of the menu are soups, salads and sandwiches ($3.95-$5.95). This bakery-cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. (Soups, salads, sandwiches are ready by about 10:30 a.m.) LA Bread, 3119 Los Feliz Blvd., L.A.; (323) 662-8600 .

Richard Salvatore, who still owns the Magnolia Bakery in New York, has moved to sunshine-soaked L.A. and opened the Sweet Life Cafe & Bakery. (He also produces films here.) The Sweet Life makes old-fashioned cakes such as red velvet cake--an icebox cake with chocolate wafers--bundt cakes and a “hummingbird” cake with bananas, pineapple and pecans. It also serves brownies, cupcakes, fruit pies and banana pudding. The cafe side serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entrees such as omelets, pancakes and bagels with lox run $6.50 to $9.95. Sandwiches and salads ($4.95-$8.50) are served from 10:30 a.m. until closing Monday through Friday. Dinner, served from 5 p.m. until midnight Monday through Friday, includes macaroni and cheese ($8), grilled rib-eye steak($15) and grilled ahi tuna ($15). The Sweet Life Cafe & Bakery, 8223 W. Third St., L.A.; (323) 653-6315.

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Guest Chef Dinners: The Beverly Hills Country Club is opening its exclusive doors to the public for a few upcoming dinners. The Guest Chef Series brings restaurant chefs into the Country Club’s kitchens to cook dinner. Freddy Escobar from Alto Palato drops by for the next dinner, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23. He’s making antipasti, fusilli with marinated halibut, filet of pork in a vegetable and white-wine reduction and a peach tart. The price is $55, plus tax and tip; $75 for food and wine pairings, plus tax and tip.

Chefs who will follow Escobar are Benjamin Ford of Chadwick, Sept. 6; Michael Wilson of 5 Dudley, Sept. 20; Tony Hodges of Checkers, Oct. 4; Seth Meo of the Beach House, Oct. 18; and Albert Melera of Michael’s, Oct. 25. All dinners begin at 7:30 p.m. and cost between $45 and $55 for food, plus tax and tip, and $60 and $75 for food and wine, plus tax and tip. Reservations must be secured with a credit card and 72 hours’ cancellation notice is required. The club requires reservations for nonmembers. Call (310) 558-6461.

* The Beverly Hills Country Club, 3084 Motor Ave., L.A.; (310) 836-4400.

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Lobster Mania: Cafe Pacific at Ocean Trails Golf Club gets its claws on a whole mess of lobsters this time of year. On Monday, the restaurant prepares lobster three ways: boiled with Old Bay seasoning, stuffed and roasted, or made into a New England lobster stew. Side dishes include double-baked potato, broccoli with Hollandaise, asparagus vinaigrette and ginger-glazed baby carrots. One lobster entree, two sides and a basket of bread costs $22.95. Appetizers, soups, salads, desserts and land-lubber entrees are a la carte .

* Cafe Pacific, Ocean Trails Golf Club, 1 Ocean Trails Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes;(310) 265-5525.

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Clarification: In July we reported that Adolpho Suaya, the owner of the Gaucho Grill restaurant chain, was reopening Bar Deluxe. In fact, he has only taken over the space on Hollywood Boulevard and is not affiliated with Bar Deluxe in any way. He will open a restaurant and bar there but it does not have a name yet.

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Contact Angela Pettera at (310) 358-7647 or pettera@prodigy.net.