Two days of frivolity are still on the board

“I’M from Canada,” comedian Howie Mandel says, “so Thanksgiving to me is just Thursday with more food. And I’m thankful for that.”

For that and for his game-show hit “Deal or No Deal,” which stretches to two hours tonight with an extra helping of prize money. The NBC show, which airs Mondays and Thursdays, has kept the comedy-club regular Mandel even busier, but he still manages to spend family time in the Valley with his wife, Terry, and their three kids, ages 21 to 14.

Late night, early start

When I’m not doing the show, I do more than 200 live dates a year across the country, so my weekends are very precious. I usually come home very late on a Friday, which means dinner out is driving through Taco Bell for a chicken burrito. I eat it in the car as I head home, and I love it.

On Saturday, I’ll wake up at 5:30 and I go to Starbucks for two reasons: One, I love to watch the sunrise over a $4.50 cup of coffee, and two, I’m fascinated by watching this amazingly eclectic group of people walk in and out. Then at 10, I’ll wander over to my wife’s boutique, Magnolia, and hang out and help her. I’m really hindering more than helping, but it’s quality time outside the house with my wife.

After an hour or two she’ll tell me that she’s really busy, so I’ll go grab a bite at Brent’s Deli in Northridge, one of the finest delis in L.A. I’ll order pastrami with no bread, and cole slaw. Because I’m so out of whack after so many years on the road, I think that’s a good breakfast. Then my wife will join me and we’ll drive to Cross Creek in Malibu, and we’ll wander through the shops and then hang out at Tra di Noi. It’s got great Italian food and you can sit outside and people-watch.

Short attention span

We’ll go to Point Dume, where they have a nature preserve and trails. I love to hike, but I have ADD, so we’ll only hike for eight or nine minutes. Eleven minutes is my record. After that, I like going to the movies, but I’ll only go if the back row is available, because I’m a bit of a germaphobe. Even if I’m ensconced in the most wonderful movie, if somebody behind me should sneeze or cough, I’m out of there. I’ve seen just the first half of a lot of films, so if I want to see the whole thing, I have to sit in the back of the theater.

After the movie I’ll drop in Brent’s Deli, but for variety I’ll go to the new location in Westlake. I’ll have the pastrami, but since it’s dinner, I’ll have soup too, the chicken noodle. I’m a crazy creature of habit.

Counting to 1

On Sunday, obviously I have to take it easy from the hike on Saturday. One Sunday I went to a yoga class, but the guy in front of me’s feet stunk, so I’m not going back to yoga. So I’ll do a sit-up. One.

For lunch, I’ll go to Marmalade Cafe in the West Valley, I’ll have a scramble thing, and I can sit outside and watch people. I don’t like quiet, intimate places. I like football, so I’ll sit and watch the games on Sunday at the bar at Marmalade too.

Then I’ll go to Brent’s Deli for dinner. I know, now you sound like my wife, with the “Oh, my Gods.” Actually, I might go to Shibuya, an amazing sushi place in the West Valley. I spend my whole weekend in the West Valley. I feel like I’m back in my nest.