Chile

Any discussion of Tar & Roses must begin, as your dinner probably will, with what is probably its simplest appetizer, a concoction of popcorn tossed with brown sugar, lardons and chile, like a bowl of Cracker Jack with chewy cubes of bacon instead of peanuts. (Why can't there be chewy cubes of bacon and peanuts? That is an excellent question.) The popcorn falls solidly into a genre new in Los Angeles cooking, something we may call an elevated bar snack, a staple of the many, many gastropubs that have come to dominate casual dining here over the last couple of years.

Total time: 25 minutes, plus cooling time Servings: This makes about 1½ cups chile oil Note: Adapted from "China Moon Cookbook" by Barbara Tropp. 1/3 cup dried red chile flakes 3 tablespoons fermented black beans, unrinsed and coarsely chopped 2 large cloves garlic, slightly crushed 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 1/4 cups canola oil 3 tablespoons sesame oil 1. In a small saucepan, combine the chile flakes, fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, canola and sesame oils.

  Total time: 10 minutes Servings: This makes 1/4 to 1/3 cup. 1 jalapeño, serrano or red Fresno chile, cut in a few pieces, with seeds left in 3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 1/2 cup (packed) cilantro sprigs, chopped a few times 1 to 2 teaspoons water, more if needed Salt In a mini food processor, chop chile and garlic until fine. Add cilantro and finely chop. Add 1 teaspoon water. Process to form a paste, adding a little more water if needed.

Pastry obsessives might have an affinity for layer cakes, fruit tarts or croissants, and may even know where to score kouign amann (the caramelized Breton pastry). Filipino silvanas and Danishes by way of Taiwan are probably a taller order. How about warm Persian sangak slathered with cultured cream and honey? Or the Chilean cake brazo de reina filled with dulce de leche ? Here are some bakeries from recent Find columns at which to get your beyond-chocolate-chip-cookies fix. - Linda Burum, Miles Clements, Betty Hallock and C. Thi Nguyen Chilenazo Baker Ruben Villaruel is baking more than Chilenazo's sturdy buns - the foundation of the Chilean cafe's hefty sandwiches.

Spain's most famous judge, heralded abroad for seeking to put dictators behind bars, was found guilty Thursday of overstepping his authority in a corruption investigation here. Baltasar Garzon won global fame for indicting former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1998. He's been dubbed a "dictator hunter" abroad for championing the principle of universal jurisdiction, the idea that some crimes are so heinous that they deserve to be investigated, no matter where or when. But his crusade hit a snag Thursday in Spain.

Lollapalooza on the flip side of the world? The 2012 mega-concert is slated for August in Chicago's Grant Park , but here's a way to get a jump on the music. Lollapalooza Chile 2012 comes to Santiago for the second time for a two-day festival March 31 and April 1 with headliners Foo Fighters , Bjork and Arctic Monkeys as well as Latin American acts such as Los Jaivas and Illya Kuryaki & the Valderramas. In all, more than 50 performers and bands will take the stages (six in all)

If you're a fiend for the spicy, then you may have attempted to down an entire bowl of the Special 2 ramen at Orochon in Little Tokyo, which earns you a photo on "the wall of bravery. " Or you've sought the experience of Jitlada's southern Thai specialties, including Chef Tui's Dynamite Special Challenge, covered in a chile sludge that packs so much heat your ears start to ring. (Thais say southern food is the ultimate of phet , or spiciness.) Where to find more of the burn? Here, from recent Find columns, are several ways to satisfy the capsaicin cravings.

The wild gastronomic mix along Ventura Boulevard is a magnet for culinary dreamers. They envision thriving among the crush of sushi bars, the newest gastro pubs, the endless parade of strip mall franchisees and countless mom-and-pops convinced that their traditional specialties are sure to win fans. The savviest of these hopefuls realize they'll need more than an address to survive. Restaurateurs like Christopher Wong of Curry Up Cafe know they'll have to pique customers' fickle appetites -- the boulevard has little want of yet another mediocre pizza purveyor or shawarma slinger.

Bistro Orient, 21799 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 456-4564. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Credit cards accepted. Beer and wine. Lot parking. Curry Up Café, 21912 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 347-4116. Open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday. Credit cards accepted. No alcohol. Street parking. El Chile Grande 19321 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, (818)

Most chef cookbooks fall into one of two categories. They're either faithful replications of what is served at their restaurants or they're what chefs imagine people at home might serve their families (they're not really sure because they rarely cook at home since they're, well, at work). Jean-Georges Vongerichten's "Home Cooking With Jean-Georges" is a notable exception. This is a terrific book, full of exactly the kinds of recipes I want from a master chef. There's no special equipment, no exotic ingredients, no long, elaborate preparations.