More toasts to tequila

AS a deeply committed tequila collector and drinker, I was happy to see you did your research before writing “Tequila in Flight” [by Betty Hallock, Jan. 23]. Tequila has been misunderstood until recently and is becoming more complex and competitive. To date, tequila knowledge from bartenders has been poor so I’m glad to see the restaurant world take tequila seriously. I shop at Ramirez Liquors, own 38 rare tequilas and am working on my membership to Julio Bermejo’s Blue Agave Club.

-- Barklie Griggs, Venice Beach

GOOD tequila does not require lime and salt! Good tequila is like a fine brandy that is to be sipped. I’m glad you got to taste some quality tequila [“Stop -- Don’t Shoot!” by Charles Perry, Jan. 23]. If you want to be daring with a midrange tequila, try using an orange wedge and cinnamon-sugar in place of the salt and lime.

-- Caroline Lynch, Seal Beach

That’s how it goes: Comme Ça

REGARDING the Jan. 16 review of Comme Ça by S. Irene Virbila [“Just ‘Like That’ -- This Place Is a Hit”]: Precisely what we need in Los Angeles -- another trendy, boisterous and fleeting restaurant, patronized by trendy, self-centered, rowdy patrons and operated by celebrity chefs who are de facto business entrepreneurs. The longevity of these kinds of restaurants is usually determined by the tenure of the chef-owner, which is usually short-termed, due to his/her entrepreneurial ventures. Consequently, a decline in cuisine followed by a decline in patronage and finally closure. Regardless of how good the food is, I prefer to dine in a relatively quiet atmosphere where I can actually comprehend what my dinner companion is saying. Therefore, I immensely enjoy my trips to Europe, where I can patronize my favorite restaurants year after year, greeted by the same owner with the same staff and the same good food.

-- Giuseppe Mirelli, Los Angeles