Chefs’ Sunday dinners

Some L.A. restaurants have taken to serving a casual, reasonably priced prix-fixe menu on Sundays.

“It was always a fantasy of mine,” says chef Suzanne Goin, “that one night a week I would prepare a set menu, as if people were coming over to my house for dinner.” And indeed, every Sunday she serves a set three-course meal for $30 at Lucques on Melrose Avenue.

When Chef Scooter Kanfer is asked about her Sunday dinners at the House, also on Melrose, she gleefully responds, “It’s my favorite day of the week. If things are crazy on Saturday night, we all just turn to each other and say, ‘At least there’s Sunday.’ ”

Both Goin and Kanfer use Sunday as a night to try out new items that may eventually make their way onto the regular menu. Sometimes there’s even a serendipitous discovery in the kitchen that turns into a regular item. “With Sunday night dinners, I don’t need to force myself to experiment, it’s built into my routine,” says Goin.

Creating an interesting prix-fixe menu is one thing, establishing a following for Sunday dinners is another. In fact, it took awhile to happen. But Sunday has become a time for the chefs to have a more direct, intimate experience with the diners who now come back Sunday after Sunday.

One Sunday a month, chef/owner Joanna Moore even turns over the kitchen of Axe in Venice to a serious home cook. “I was looking to keep things interesting and fresh,” she says. “At first, I thought of bringing in a different professional chef once a month, but they’re too busy. So instead I asked fabulous home cooks.” The guest chef night is always booked.

To Kanfer, it just felt appropriate to serve dinner on Sunday. “Sunday dinner at home, Sunday dinner at the House,” she says. “It’s become a real neighborhood thing. People come with their children early in the evening and sometimes friends help in the kitchen.” At the end of the night, the staff has a meal together during which they relax, chat and gear up for the next week.

-- Jessica Strand

Small bites

Kate Mantilini has decided to open a branch in Woodland Hills. Owners Marilyn and Harry Lewis recently purchased the former home of Houston’s and have hired the young San Francisco-based architect/designer Tu-Fung Cheng. He’s got big shoes to fill; the original on Wilshire Boulevard has become one of L.A.’s architectural landmarks. Look for a menu that contains all the Mantilini classics. It’s scheduled to open in March.