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A whole new look for a faded starlet

“Hell’s Kitchen” is coming to West Hollywood. Gordon Ramsay, the British chef who terrorizes wannabe cooks on his Fox TV reality show, is opening a restaurant at the Bel Age at 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd. But first, the 1980s-era hotel, known for big rooms and faded decor, will close May 15 for a yearlong makeover that will include a David Collins redesign and a Golden Door Spa. It will reemerge as London West Hollywood, overseen by the same company that opened London NYC last year. The Bel Age will host a sale May 18 to 20 of more than 1,100 artworks by Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Erte and others that decorated its walls. (310) 854-1111; for sale information, visit www.belagehotel.com/artsale.

-- Jane Engle

Jailhouse news

Plan on doing time at Alcatraz? The former island penitentiary off San Francisco has undergone a $3-million redo that includes a new audio tour, in which former inmates and guards tell their stories -- with sound effects. (Listen for “grenades” from a bloody 1946 escape attempt that are actually July 4 fireworks recorded last year in San Francisco.) You’ll also find original uniforms, furnished jail cells and new gift items such as a Regulation 29 sticker, ideal for a family bathroom wall: “You are expected to bathe in a reasonable length of time.” Adult tours from $21.75. (415) 981-7625, www.alcatrazcruises.com.

-- J.E.

Recharge it!

Here’s a cool portable device that uses the sun’s energy to recharge almost any hand-held electronic gadget. The cellphone-sized Solio looks like a three-petal flower when unfolded. Those petals are really solar panels that fuel an internal lithium battery. (You can also charge it from a wall socket.) The Solio comes with attachments so you can hook it to your iPod, cellphone, PDA and/or hand-held computer games -- and operates with only one button. The drawback: It takes eight to 10 hours of direct sunlight to charge fully. But an hour of sunlight supplies enough power for a 10-minute cellphone call. $99.95, Better Energy Systems, (510) 868-8714; www.solio.com.

-- Hugo Martin

Rating Disney

Mickey Mouse gets his ears tweaked in the “Zagat Walt Disney World Insider’s Guide,” which offers sassy insights into the world’s most popular amusement park. The survey slams bland food “from Planet Blech” at a Tomorrowland eatery and “obscenely long lines” for Dumbo the Flying Elephant. But its 4,841 reviewers find class too, such as the “dazzling” Wishes Nighttime Spectacular and “awesome” sushi at the California Grill. $15.95, www.zagat.com.

-- J.E.

Fresh import

Tokyo’s Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market, billed as the world’s biggest fish market, jumps the Pacific to inspire a market-eatery at Hawaii’s Ala Moana shopping center in Waikiki. The Tsukiji Fish Market and Restaurant is to open Monday and will sell fresh fish as well as offer a Japanese-style buffet and hot and cold sakes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. A sushi bar and yakitori bar (chicken appetizers) opens after 9 p.m. (808) 237-5444, www.alamoanacenter.com.

-- Mary E. Forgione