An actor schooled in the classics -- of chow

Nicholas Gonzalez, the 29-year-old actor who recently joined the cast of the popular Fox series “The O.C.,” developed a taste for fine food in San Francisco while a Stanford undergraduate and actor in the local theater scene.

He moved to Los Angeles after graduating and quickly found work on TV, most notably as the med student turned boxer Alex on “Resurrection Blvd.” On “The O.C.” he plays D.J., a love interest for Marissa (Mischa Barton).

Sexy shrimp

For outdoor eating, I love Pane e Vino on Beverly Boulevard at Sweetzer. I know the owner, Rod Dyer, so it’s a home away from home. It’s got a beautiful outdoor patio with a little wall and a big tree growing in the middle -- a really romantic place to have a bottle of wine. There’s a shrimp dish there -- a recipe that Rod got in Italy -- it’s shrimp with a honey Cognac curry sauce. It’s like a sexy date aphrodisiac.

Outdoorsman

I’ve been running all my life and I still enjoy a long run on the weekend. More often than not I find myself on the trails in Will Rogers State Park, or in Runyon Canyon, for a good 12-mile run.

One of the reasons I decided to go to Stanford was for the California weather, and I love to take advantage of it. Sometimes I’ll go out early with friends to surf at Third Point in Malibu or down in Hermosa Beach. That’s a great way to get invigorated: Get out in the water. You wake up so early you feel like you just have the whole day ahead of you.

I also like to get out to the Studio City Golf Course on Whitsett Avenue to hit a bucket of balls. They have a driving range attached to their nine-hole course, and I sometimes take lessons with a pro there.

Sushi to Tex-Mex

I’m crazy about sushi. Katsu-ya, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, has become pretty popular. You’re beginning to see celebrity faces. But it’s not a scene; it’s in this strip mall. It’s always fresh. They always have great specials. The blue crab hand roll is one of my favorites. The place I’m excited to try is the Central. That place is incredible. I’ve been there for private parties, but not the main menu. The whole back of the restaurant is the skyline, all windows.

In downtown West Covina, there is the perfect Sunday morning breakfast joint: Taste of Texas. I’m from San Antonio, and this is the only place where you get true Tex-Mex. They smoke their own meats and have barbacoa -- which means barbecue in Spanish. It traditionally was cow head that Mexicans would buy from a butcher and cook it underground. Now it’s just meat from the regular part of the cow, but it’s cooked for a long time. They’ve also got homemade flour tortillas and Texas beers and Big Red, this soda that you can only get in Texas. They also get live music, Tex-Mex bands.

Down the road

I’ll even go on a day trip to Puerto Nuevo, between Rosarito and Ensenada. You can get four grilled lobsters, dripping with butter, a big pot of rice and beans and some Tecates all for about $30. It’s worth the drive.

I’ll even stay in San Diego at the W hotel. That’s a great scene. I also love the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. There’s something about going to sleep to the sound of the waves, or watching them in the morning, all bundled up out on the balcony with a cup of coffee.

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-- Robin Rauzi