Artichokes
Eat the hearts or scrape the leaves; if they’re young, artichokes can even be eaten whole.
* La Cachette: Chef Jean-Francois Meteigner sautes baby artichokes (in walnut oil that his mother brings him from France) with shallots, thyme and white wine and bakes them in vegetable stock. They garnish a warm Maine lobster salad with roasted beets. (Maine lobster salad, $18.) La Cachette, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (310) 470-4992.
* Alto Palato: In season, you can find the classic Roman dish carciofi alla Giudea: sweet baby artichokes smashed so that the leaves open like a flower, fried at two temperatures to make the leaves crisp while and heart remains soft. They’re sprinkled with sea salt, garnished with lemon and served. (Carciofi alla Giudea, $8.95.) Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 657-9271.
* Zax: Here’s a subtle dish: grilled halibut set on a mixture of leek and fingerling potato ragout and baby artichokes stewed with lemon zest and garlic, surrounded by a lemon coriander broth. (Grilled Alaskan halibut, $24.) Zax, 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (310) 571-3800.
* Lucques: Here grilled halibut is set on baby artichokes braised in olive oil and vermouth, sauteed morels and celery root puree and everything’s sprinkled with parsley and celery leaves. (Halibut wrapped in pancetta, $24.) Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (323) 655-6277.
* Josie: Artichoke lover Josie LeBalch offers julienne artichoke and arugula salad, a house salad garnished with fried artichokes, dorade on a hash of artichokes and fingerling potatoes in tomato-infused broth, and often an artichoke special such as grilled salmon on sauteed baby artichokes and radicchio chiffonnade in vinaigrette. (Artichoke and arugula salad, $10.50; herbs and greens, $9; dorade on Castroville artichoke hash, $24; artichoke specials, $22-$26.) Josie, 2424 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 581-9888.
* Trattoria Tre Venezie: For an appetizer, try baby artichokes poached in white wine and served with a crouton spread with fresh ricotta. Follow it with an artichoke special such as artichoke risotto with sea bass or bigoli (a large spaghetti) tossed with sauteed artichokes and seasonal herbs. (Carciofi alla Guidecca, $10; artichoke risotto, $28; bigoli with artichokes, $22.) Trattoria Tre Venezie, 119 W. Green St., Pasadena, (626) 795-4455.
