Food Court

Gone are the Baccarat crystal chandeliers, the stained-glass ceilings and the twinkling lights. No longer will a giant King Kong topiary lord over diners and waiters in coats and bow ties. With the ceremonial clip of a ribbon, the once-iconic New York restaurant Tavern on the Green has been replaced by something that Tavern devotees might shun, but that city officials say is the perfect fit for rough economic times: a food court. "Things change, trends change, things people like to eat change," the city's parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, said earlier this month as he presided over a grand opening that ended a bitter dispute over the famous restaurant's fate and the prime Central Park plot it once occupied.

After taking in the view from the Sydney Tower Eye, we took the elevator to the fifth floor and Food on Five, the food-court floor of the Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre. There were more than 20 specialty and international cuisine store-front restaurants. Dinner for two was less than $15. We ate there two more times with excellent meals. The only caution is that some weekday nights most close at 5:30. Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre, http://www.westfield.com.au/sydney/store-profiles/cafes-restaurants/level5 Alan Johnson Seal Beach

After taking in the view from the Sydney Tower Eye, we took the elevator to the fifth floor and Food on Five, the food-court floor of the Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre. There were more than 20 specialty and international cuisine store-front restaurants. Dinner for two was less than $15. We ate there two more times with excellent meals. The only caution is that some weekday nights most close at 5:30. Westfield Sydney Shopping Centre, http://www.westfield.com.au/sydney/store-profiles/cafes-restaurants/level5 Alan Johnson Seal Beach

Location : 14006 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks. Just off the 101 Freeway at Woodman Avenue and Riverside Drive. Hours : 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mon.-Fri..; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. What you'll find : Bloomingdale's and Macy's are the anchor stores here, and both are massive with a great selection of apparel and accessories at all price points. The usual mall stores (Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor, Express, J. Crew, Forever 21, Zara, Betsey Johnson, Guess, Clarks, Coach, Fossil, Brighton)

For a gourmet meal, head on over to ... the food court? Battered by the recession and competition from non-mall retailers, shopping centers are trying to attract customers with a decidedly upscale culinary hook. Burger joints and smoothie shops are giving way to sushi bars and churrascarias. Flatware is replacing plastic utensils. And forget grungy cafeteria seating with the sticky table tops and fluorescent lighting. Now customers are chowing down in Wi-Fi-equipped patios with lush landscaping, waterfalls, fireplaces and city and ocean views.

Re "How the potato got hot," Opinion, July 7 The article suggests that we should welcome genetically modified foods -- as we ultimately welcomed the potato. The real history of the potato is a more cautionary tale. It suggests we should be careful when we manipulate the food supply to the profit of a few and the potential peril of many. Peggy Stone Los Angeles :: While inside an Indian market in the Andes, I was amazed at the colors and varieties of locally grown potatoes being sold there.

WHAT DO the movies teach us about shopping malls? Mostly that they're the geographical equivalent of the famous, two-note theme from "Jaws." "Danger ahead!" bellows the celluloid mall. "Be careful of your pocketbook, your charge cards, your very soul!" Like the River Styx, the mall is the threshold between light and darkness. It is the vessel of adolescence, a house of mirrors where children go when they're turning into adults and adults go when they're selling out, cashing in or falling apart.

Things are looking up for vendors at the Westminster Center Food Court. Business has been so bad lately, Food Court merchants said, that many may soon be forced to go out of business. So last week the City Council voted 3 to 2 to overrule the Planning Commission and approve a sign in front of the center on Westminster Boulevard advertising the Food Court. "We want to assure the success of the retailers," said Raymond Floyd, owner of the Floyd Co., which manages the Westminster Center.

An early-morning fire Monday in the food court of the Glendale Galleria caused an estimated $40,000 in damage but was not serious enough to delay the mall's regularly scheduled 10 a.m. opening. Before the fire broke out, a contractor was using a torch to cut an access hole in the ventilation ducts above Hawaiian Barbeque Express, a food court tenant, said Steve Howard, a spokesman for the Glendale Fire Department. "The torch ignited built-up grease in the ducting," he said.

In what city officials say is a sign of Simi Valley's economic strength, a number of restaurant chains have signed leases to open outlets at the future Civic Center Plaza's food court. According to Deputy City Manager Brian Gabler, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Starbucks Coffee and Quizno's Subs have made commitments to open stores in the plaza, planned for the west side of Tapo Canyon Road between the Ronald Reagan Freeway and Alamo Street.

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, at the intersection of Avenue of the Stars and Santa Monica Boulevard. From the 405 Freeway, take the Santa Monica Boulevard exit and go east. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; noon to 7 p.m. Sun. Known for: The AMC/Imax Century City 15 Movie Theater is a big draw for anyone who wants to see the latest action flick or sci-fi film in 3-D Imax. Located next to the theater is the mall's impressive dining area and food court in a modern, somewhat stark gray-and-white motif.

Location: 928 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. From the 10 Freeway, take the Western Avenue exit and head north. Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun. What you'll find: A quick drive by Koreatown Plaza won't yield a lot of information. It sits like a monolith on Western Boulevard, between 9th and San Marino streets, offering few clues to what's inside. Three floors of shops face inward, with second- and third-floor walkways overlooking a low-key courtyard area on the first floor.

Location: 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica. From the 10 Freeway, take the 4th Street exit north and turn left on Colorado Avenue. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun. Known for: Santa Monica Place, a $265-million remodel of a Frank Gehry-designed structure, reopened in August 2010. Shoppers waited for hours the first day to find parking spaces, browse luxury stores and give thanks that they no longer had to make the grueling drive to Beverly Hills or Century City to shop Coach or Tiffany or Louis Vuitton.

Gone are the Baccarat crystal chandeliers, the stained-glass ceilings and the twinkling lights. No longer will a giant King Kong topiary lord over diners and waiters in coats and bow ties. With the ceremonial clip of a ribbon, the once-iconic New York restaurant Tavern on the Green has been replaced by something that Tavern devotees might shun, but that city officials say is the perfect fit for rough economic times: a food court. "Things change, trends change, things people like to eat change," the city's parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, said earlier this month as he presided over a grand opening that ended a bitter dispute over the famous restaurant's fate and the prime Central Park plot it once occupied.

MOVIES Two by Dario Argento Featuring Music by Goblin Reviled, wildly influential, groundbreaking and genre-defining, the Italian horrormonger's oeuvre continues to make waves and keep his legion of fans poring over every gory detail. Here's a chance to see two of his most legendary films on the big screen: "Suspiria" (1977), which many consider to be Argento's most notorious, and "Deep Red" (1975). Both films feature creeptastic scores by prog rock band Goblin. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 W. Beverly Blvd.

The biannual Fiesta Hermosa arts and crafts fair, held every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend, returns to its sunny seaside home with more than 270 artists on display and a new eco-friendly makeover. The festival also features two stages of live music, a beer-and-wine garden, a food court and a kids' carnival. Pier Avenue at Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Mon. Free. (310) 376-0951. http://www.fiestahermosa.com.

Dieters using the San Fernando Valley's newest weight-control center are in fat city these days: the food court of a Canoga Park shopping center. They must walk past the Donut House, Le Croissant Club, the California Candy Station and 14 other restaurants and fast-food stands at the Fallbrook Mall for their weekly weigh-ins and motivational meetings at Weight Watchers.

There were few of the usual complaints about school food to be heard Friday as Capistrano Valley High School students ordered lunch from the first high school fast-food court in the country. The lunch bell had barely stopped ringing when scores of the school's 2,700 students had queued up to order items such as Taco Bell burritos, Pizza Hut mini-pizzas and Kentucky Fried Chicken sandwiches. "It's a dream come true," Student Body President David Sedgwick said.

For a gourmet meal, head on over to ... the food court? Battered by the recession and competition from non-mall retailers, shopping centers are trying to attract customers with a decidedly upscale culinary hook. Burger joints and smoothie shops are giving way to sushi bars and churrascarias. Flatware is replacing plastic utensils. And forget grungy cafeteria seating with the sticky table tops and fluorescent lighting. Now customers are chowing down in Wi-Fi-equipped patios with lush landscaping, waterfalls, fireplaces and city and ocean views.