The green that’s in: black kale

SPINACH is so passe. Black Tuscan kale is the must-have vegetable of the moment. Also known as Cavolo nero, Lacinato kale, dino kale and dragon’s tongue, this singular variety of dark green kale with super-bumpy leaves has been grown for centuries throughout the Mediterranean and is now appearing on at least a dozen Los Angeles restaurant menus, including Grace, De Mori and Cheebo. Farmer Bill Coleman, who sells his goods at the Wednesday Santa Monica market and works with many local chefs, deserves at least some of the credit for the trend. He first started growing the stuff about 10 years ago.

“I had to work to sell it then,” he says. Now chefs such as Scooter Kanfer of the House, Jennifer Naylor of Granita, Mark Peel of Campanile and Suzanne Goin of A.O.C. and Lucques are happy to take it off his hands.

“We buy at least 48 to 50 bunches a week,” says Kanfer. “We use it in everything. We chiffonade it very fine and use it in risotto. We’ll use it in soup. We do a chicken that’s stuffed with artisan feta and almond meal. Cavolo [nero] is the base. I also use it in a lot of fish dishes. Sometimes I’ll even wrap fish in it.”

Warren Schwartz, the chef at Saddle Peak Lodge, started experimenting with the kale a few months ago. “When it’s fried it has tons of crunch because it has so many nooks and crannies.” And, he says, “Black Tuscan kale is such a cool name.”

The kale of the moment is available at farmers markets and at groceries, including Wild Oats on Wilshire in Santa Monica and Whole Foods Market in Beverly Hills.

-- Leslee Komaiko

Menemsha goes beyond the mint

You wonder why no one thought of it before.

After a meal of lobster rolls, clam chowder and oysters at Menemsha, a seafood restaurant on Washington Boulevard in Venice, diners retrieving their cars from the valet parking attendants discover a complimentary bag of salt water taffy on the dashboard.

“It’s easy to say thank you as you’re walking out the door,” says owner Brad Johnson. “But this is one more added gesture.” With a sweet reminder of seaside New England melting in your mouth as you drive away, it’s probably easy to remember Menemsha too.

Imagine the possibilities if the idea spreads to other eateries. That last stage of the evening as we drive from one end of the city to another won’t be a letdown anymore.

-- Valli Herman-Cohen

Small bites

* The recent closing of Drake’s, the Venice hot spot created by Will Karges (of Blueberry, El Dorado and Rix) gave Christian Shaffer, the former Drake’s chef, a reason to start a venture. It’s an intimate, upscale restaurant in Playa del Rey called Chloe. Shaffer, 30, has partnered with a fellow Pinot Bistro veteran, Jeff Osaka, 38, who earned kudos for Terroir in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Chloe features American cuisine with European influences. The 40-seat restaurant opened a few weeks ago, and by the winter holidays, they’ll add 55 more seats when a back lot guest house is redone.

Chloe, 333 Culver Blvd., Playa del Rey, (310) 305-4505.

* At the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, the small-plates phenomenon has appeared in the hotel’s retooled and renamed restaurant, the Motif. Rather than specify courses, executive chef Azmin Ghahreman divides the menu into categories according to where the food comes from: gardens, pastures and countryside; rivers, oceans and lakes; and farms, orchards and ranches.

Motif, 1 Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, (949)234-3320.