Noelle Carter: Test Kitchen Director

Dear SOS: There is a neighborhood restaurant on Beverly Boulevard, just west of La Brea, called Cayenne Cafe.

Dear SOS: I was at Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock today for the first time.

A rich, hearty chili comes from Coast at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica.

Dear SOS: If you could obtain the recipe for chicken Gorgonzola with spinach from La Finestra restaurant, we would be forever grateful.

Dear SOS: I love the chicken salad from Lunch in Culver City.

Recipe for Koreatown Cuban restaurant El Colmao’s special chicken dish.

Dear SOS: We recently had the most delicious Mac and Cheese at the Bistro in the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Bakersfield.

Dear SOS: Old Venice in Manhattan Beach makes excellent Greek and Italian food, but its lemon chicken, from the Greek side of the menu, is especially wonderful.

Dear SOS: An all-time favorite of my entire family is Massaman curry (with chicken) from Cholada Thai in Thousand Oaks.

Dear SOS: I am from North Carolina and recently visited Los Angeles.

Dear SOS: On a recent trip to Silicon Valley, we went to breakfast one morning at a restaurant called the Country Gourmet in Sunnyvale.

Dear SOS: I recently visited the beautiful little town of Capitola, next to Santa Cruz on the California coast.

In the wake of the recent Consumer Reports investigation finding a high percentage of contamination in ground turkey sold at retail outlets, there are some things to remember about food safety.

Dear SOS: We spent the weekend in Los Cabos and had an incredible scallop ceviche dish at the Tequila & Ceviche Bar at Las Ventanas.

Dear SOS: There is a wonderful little bakery in St. Helena, Calif., called the Model Bakery.

After tasting the fluffy dessert from this recipe, you may never look at rice pudding in the same way again.

They’re generously sized, but you may want more than one.

Pierre Lafond’s pistachio and banana variation is a fun take on a classic.

Dear SOS: The coffee cake at South Pasadena’s Heirloom Bakery and Cafe, near the train station, is fabulous.

Dear SOS: The Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix serves the most delicious stuffed French toast I have ever eaten.

Dear SOS: I have enjoyed the lamb ragu at Pizzeria Ortica in Costa Mesa on several occasions and would love to have the recipe.

Dear SOS: Every summer, we vacation at Twin Lakes near Bridgeport, Calif., in the Eastern Sierra.

From beer cocktails to classic Irish soda bread to corned beef and cabbage, we cover all the recipes you could want to ring in the green on this St.