For this Mini, the French job

First there was the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Now, there’s the Bastide Mini Cooper.

We’ve seen chef Alain Giraud tooling around town in the cream-colored cutie. Giraud, with his shoulder-length white-gray locks, and his company car, with its “B” logo and Bastide license plate, are a memorable sight.

Joe Pytka, Bastide’s owner, got the idea from his kids. “I had to send lunch over to my daughters, to the school,” he recalls. “One of the [employees] from the restaurant took lunch over in an old beater car. My daughters made a joke about it. They suggested getting a Mini. We would have really liked a Deux Cheveux, a Renault ubiquitous in the South of France. All the farmers there drive them. But they don’t make them anymore. They’re illegal. And they’re dangerous. The closest thing is a Mini.”

Pytka chose the Mini’s color to mirror the facade of the restaurant. “It’s almost like a traveling business card,” he says. “Everyone thinks it’s as cute as can be. The best part is, it’s unpretentious.”

The Bastide logo doesn’t have the recognition of say, the golden arches, but “I see a lot of people waving and watching because [the car] looks cool,” says Giraud, who’s the primary driver. He hasn’t had to field appeals yet for foie gras or prime-time Friday night reservations from drivers who spot the gourmet go-cart. Then again, he admits he’s usually in the zone as he zips around the city, running errands or visiting farmers markets. “When I’m driving, I don’t, like, cruise,” he says. “I’m all the time in a rush.” Still, he takes time to enjoy his mode of transport.

“It’s nice, elegant, cute and not too flashy,” he says. “I’m sure it can bring business.”

-- Leslee Komaiko

Small bites

* Christophe Eme, who assumed top toque at L’Orangerie in July 2002, is no longer with the restaurant. His last day was Sept. 26. “Christophe is a very hard worker and a talented chef,” owner Gerard Ferry says. “But we have some differences on some issues.” For now, former sous-chef Jean-Claude Mons is heading up the kitchen. A new menu will debut any day now. Mons, who used to work at La Tante Claire in London and before that at Restaurant Laurent in Paris, might end up as L’Orangerie’s new executive chef.

* The buzz has already begun about Ludo, the restaurant set to replace Mojo in Westwood’s W Hotel, although it isn’t expected to open until March. That’s because former L’Orangerie chef Ludovic (hence the restaurant name) Lefebvre is heading up the project, along with the team behind Sushi Roku, Balboa at the Grafton and Katana. Michael Cardenas of Sushi Concepts Inc. says the food won’t be “French French,” but rather “contemporary French with a lot of emphasis on Asian ingredients.” The interior will have a “tropical, Southeast Asian feel.”

* A few restaurants have opened in recent weeks. For starters, there is O-Bar in the former Felt space. The chef, Joseph Antonishek, has done stints at L’Ermitage Hotel and Fenix at the Argyle. At O-Bar, he’s making American comfort food with a twist. Think lobster macaroni and cheese and veal meatloaf en croute. Thomas Schoos Design, the team responsible for Koi’s look, did the sexy interior.

O-Bar, 8279 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 822-3300.

* Malo, the latest entry from restaurateur Steven Arroyo (Cobras & Matadors, Hillmont, Cobra Lily), is drawing a hip Silverlake and Echo Park crowd. On the menu: chile verde (Anaheim chiles cooked with pork shoulder), shredded fried beef tacos and the runaway favorite, ground beef and pickle tacos.

Malo, 4326 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (323) 664-1011.

* Celestino Italian Steak House on Beverly Boulevard has closed, but fans of the Piedmontese beef served there need not despair. The steaks will be featured at Enoteca Drago, Celestino Drago’s newest restaurant-wine bar, which is scheduled to open next month in Beverly Hills next to Il Pastaio, another of his restaurants.

* Through November, Breeze at the Century Plaza Hotel is offering a four-course, prix fixe dinner priced at $85 per person that showcases the white Umbria truffle. Choices include warm grilled white and green asparagus in a tomato fondue with a truffle shallot vinaigrette, and creamy Mascarpone risotto with shaved truffle.

Breeze, 2025 Ave. of the Stars, Los Angeles, (310) 551-3334.