GOOD TASTES.

SPINACH RECALL: Local restaurants have removed spinach from their menus dues to the E. coli outbreak and substituted other greens where feasible.

At the Cheesecake Factory, eight menu items were affected out of 200 selections, notes Howard Gordon, the company's senior vice president, business development and marketing, but it's really a non-issue. ``We've stopped making the spinach salad with poached chicken for the moment and are not serving a side of spinach.''

The artichoke spinach dip has been removed from the menu, even though it contained frozen spinach, which wasn't part of the recall, he adds. Bibb lettuce has been substituted for the spinach customarily used in the Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Firecracker Salmon Rolls. Spinach has also been removed from the mixed baby greens mix in salads that used it -- and the amounts of the other greens have been increased to make up for the loss.

``The spinach recall has not affected our sales -- we have so many (menu) items. People know that spinach is not going to be off the menu forever,'' he points out.

At the 3-month-old Dressing Room in Sherman Oaks, fresh spinach, formerly one choice along with five other types of lettuces or greens -- romaine, iceberg, mixed field greens, arugula and shredded cabbage -- has been removed from the lineup and is no longer used in any of the 17 different salads.

``We did have a spinach salad on the menu, but we're making the same salad now with romaine lettuce,'' says owner Don Schaefer. It comes with blue cheese crumbles, candied walnuts, button mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon and garlic Parmesan croutons tossed with classic vinaigrette dressing.

About 90 percent of the people who order the spinach salad (it's still listed on the menu that way) are not aware of the embargo, says Schaefer, but they happily accept the romaine substitute. The recall has not affected sales -- in fact, they are up, adds Schaefer, noting that last week was a record week. Schaefer washes and cuts up all of his greens and buys mostly from growers in Oxnard and Venture. ``We've even had people call and ask us if we have spinach because they are trying to find some.''

At StoneFire Grill (locations in West Hills, Valencia, Irvine and Fountain Valley), salad sales are down a little, says owner Mary Harrigan. She thinks it may because three of 12 salads on the menu contained spinach and, even though other lettuces and spring mixes without it are being used now, people are hesitating a bit. A pizza also contained spinach, but it's now served without it -- and no substitute.

``In our spinach salad, we're substituting other lettuce options -- a choice of all romaine or spring mix.'' < How soon fresh spinach will be back on restaurant menus and grocery shelves remains to be seen. According to the FDA, there is no timetable for lifting the warning. Federal officials are requiring the industry to adopt new food-safety measures for FDA approval before the ban will be lifted.

-- Natalie Haughton

BEST RECIPES

What makes a ``best'' recipe -- and who gets to decide the best? Two recently released books give their takes on the theme:

``The 150 Best American Recipes'' edited by Fran McCullough & Molly Stevens (Houghton Mifflin Co.; $30) is filled with an outstanding collection of recipes culled from more than 1,000 contenders from various sources -- famous chefs, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, newsletters, Web sites and the backs of boxes. This twosome has been chronicling the best recipes in an annual book for almost a decade.

I enjoy perusing the selections each year (and trying some of them), and this volume is no exception. Some recipes are more appealing than others, but that's true of those in any cookbook. You're bound to find winners among creations such as Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Gratin, Skillet Blueberry Cobbler, Sweet and Spicy Pecans, Tex-Mex Macaroni and Cheese With Green Chiles, Cinnamon Buns From Heaven, Sticky Toffee Pudding With Chocolate Chips and Toffee Sauce, Pecan Praline French Toast and Pomegranate-Braised Brisket With Onion Confit.

McCullough and Stevens test all the recipes in ordinary home kitchens with no special restaurant equipment, noting, ``If we can't find the ingredients within 10 miles of home, we don't make the dish (or we figure out a viable substitution and tell you about it).''

Helpful are the introductory and kitchen notes, tips and color photos. Of course, each recipe includes the source and the cook's name.

In the ninth edition of ``Best of the Best: The Best Recipes From the 25 Best Cookbooks of the Year'' (American Express Publishing Corp.; $29.95), the editors of Food and Wine magazine again have compiled what they consider the best recipes from the year's best cookbooks. ``These are reliable, delightful, exciting books you can turn to for a dinner party, weeknight meal or baking session with complete confidence,'' writes Kate Heddings, the book's editor.

Creations were tested from more than 250 cookbooks to arrive at the more than 100-recipe collection found in this volume. Among the recipes are Sri Lankan Beef Curry, Melted Cheese Dip With Tequila, Green Tabasco Chicken, Peanut Noodles With Mango, Amazing Toffee Thins, Buttery and Soft Chocolate Cake for a Crowd and Caramel Apple Tart.

-- N.H.

KITCHEN TOUR: The Pasadena chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) presents its 20th annual Distinctive Homes Tour (formerly Kitchens and Interiors Tour) on Oct. 7 (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and Oct. 8 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). On a self-guided tour of six private homes in San Marino, Pasadena and La Canada (open Saturday only), ticketholders will have a chance to view the design work/remodels by various chapter members.

Homes include a 1920 California Spanish, a 1923 Colonial Revival Home, a 2003 Georgian, a 1907 Victorian Normandy Revival, a 1924 English Cross Timber, and a 1960 midcentury traditional. It's a good place to meet the designers and be inspired with lots of practical ideas for your home or kitchen. Tickets are $30 per person in advance; $35 the day of the tour. Call [phone] or go to www.asidpasadena.org. Or the day of the tour, purchase tickets at Anthony's Arts & Frames, 2466 Huntington Drive, San Marino.

-- N.H.

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