Lobster

The Democratic National Convention is now a year away . It opens Sept. 3,  at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. . . . . The Republicans meet the week of Aug. 27 , in Tampa, Fla.   . . . . Pacific swordfish, Maine lobster  or spice-rubbed pork ribs are your choices at the Peninsula Beverly Hills weekend barbecue, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 5-9 p.m. Three-course meals run $59, (310) 975-2855 . . . . Not that we'd ever advocate such behavior but an Amsterdam escort agency is promoting Mile High Sex Flights . Insert your own "fasten seat belt" joke here _______________ . . . . Tickets are now on sale for the sixth annual Sierra Oro Farm Trail Passport Weekend, a self-guided tour that includes tastings at 11 wineries and farm-fresh food sampling at 17 farms in Butte County, north of Sacramento.

You know, folks once came to this country on small wooden sailing ships. Think the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock.  Those souls were, I venture, a tad bit more, uh, hardy than most of us today. As evidence, I give you the epic tale of the crippled Carnival cruise ship Triumph, whose passengers -- like Gilligan, the Skipper, the professor and, oh, you know the rest -- went out for a four-day tour and barely got back. First, let's start with a little history of the Mayflower, courtesy of that font of lazy wisdom, Wikipedia: There were about 150 passengers and crew on the 110-foot-long ship.

You know, folks once came to this country on small wooden sailing ships. Think the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock.  Those souls were, I venture, a tad bit more, uh, hardy than most of us today. As evidence, I give you the epic tale of the crippled Carnival cruise ship Triumph, whose passengers -- like Gilligan, the Skipper, the professor and, oh, you know the rest -- went out for a four-day tour and barely got back. First, let's start with a little history of the Mayflower, courtesy of that font of lazy wisdom, Wikipedia: There were about 150 passengers and crew on the 110-foot-long ship.

Sunday night's "Next Iron Chef" treated viewers to an all-out brodown. The bromance between Spike Mendelsohn and Marcel Vigneron was forced to come to a head when the two were pitted against each other in the secret-ingredient showdown. For the chairman's challenge, the chefs were asked to redeem the reputation of canned food through transformation. Highlights included Elizabeth Falkner's winning canned roast beef with Bordelaise sauce and mini cheesy Yorkshire puddings and Nate Appleman's tuna three ways with ricotta gnocchi with tuna pesto, tuna puttanesca and shaved frozen tuna.  Mendelsohn underwhelmed the judges yet again, this time by making a Vietnamese crepe with Vienna sausage.

State fish and game wardens have arrested four scuba divers on suspicion of stealing lobsters from commercial traps off the coast of Laguna Beach. Department of Fish and Game Warden Patrick Foy said a patrol boat led two all-night surveillance operations over the weekend. Foy said one of the four men took 11 3/4 pounds of lobster from commercial traps, worth more than $120 on the market. He said the man could be charged with a felony. During the nighttime surveillance operation, the boat's crew also rescued a man from drowning and arrested his friend on suspicion of having illegally harvested scallops.

A man suspected of breaking into a Maine restaurant may have to get used to jailhouse food after workers at the eatery discovered lobsters and wine missing -- and the suspect asleep on a bench. Police say Paul Bruneau broke into the Portland Lobster Co. through a rear window and stuffed his pockets with cash before chowing down on the better part of 11 prepared lobsters worth about $300. Bruneau chose a white wine to wash it all down, police say.

El Mocambo, 8338 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles. (213) 651-2113. Open for lunch and dinner daily (Sunday brunch). Full bar. Valet parking. All major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $35-$80. The waiters gather around the table behind us. One of us groans. The waiters hitch up their ruffled sleeves and begin to sing: "Hap . . . py . . . Birth . . ." they croon as the kitchen door opens and the cake, held high above our heads, soars toward the table in a blaze of flames.

It was an hour after sunset on the Ocean Beach pier, and Bill Forrey, like dozens of other hoopnetters around him, was poking around the ocean floor, hoping to come up with a lobster. With the powerful grace of a discus thrower, he tossed his baited, circular net over the pier railing, watched it splash into the surface and slowly sink to the rocky bottom. Then he waited.

Guests at the White House state dinner honoring China's president Wednesday night will be served a "quintessentially American" meal, capped with none other than apple pie. The first course features a D'Anjou pear salad with farmstead goat cheese, fennel, black walnuts and white balsamic dressing, according to the White House. It will be followed by a course of poached Maine lobster ? accompanied by a canapé of fresh seafood including shrimp from Ipswich Bay, Mass., and smoked rainbow trout from Idaho ?

Third Street is on its way to becoming the latest restaurant row with a slew of openings slated for the next few months. Already open, a second restaurant from Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal in the old Cynthia's space just east of Orlando Avenue. It's called Son of a Gun and like Animal, their meat-centric first restaurant, you're not going to forget the name or wonder how to spell it. Right now it has a stealth presence on the street, the facade painted gray and no sign.

To keep a lobster tail straight while cooking, run a skewer through the center of the fan and up the length of the tail. If the lobster is whole, run the skewer all the way through. (To kill the lobster painlessly first, freeze it for a couple hours before preparing). As a lobster is cooked, the tail meat naturally wants to contract and curl; the skewer will keep it straight. This technique also works for large shrimp and prawns. If you're boiling lobsters and are working with even numbers, you can also keep their tails straight by tying each pair together before boiling.

As California's spiny lobster season gets underway, authorities have cited more than 20 anglers for illegal activities, including exceeding the catch limit, taking undersized crustaceans and stealing from others' traps, officials said. In the latest incident, officials with the state Department of Fish and Game are investigating reports that two fishermen poached lobsters from a state marine conservation area at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. Officials plan to question the men, who allegedly set a commercial trap and netted at least three lobsters in Abalone Cove.

Just as surely as the calendar pages flipping over in one of those old movies (and a lot more quickly, it seems), spiny lobster season has returned to the Southland. And, of course, that meant the first of what I hope will be several trips to Pearson's Port in Newport Beach. The commercial season for our native lobster began Wednesday (recreational fishermen had a head start of several days) and the holding tanks at Pearson's Port were already packed with feisty specimens. Pearson's, for those who haven't been yet, is a little seafood shack located at the end of a short gangway just under the PCH bridge in Newport's Back Bay. It's the home of one of the few remaining local spots where you can find fishermen selling what they catch.

Ahoy, matey: Get a taste of the sea this weekend (9/21-9/23) at the annual Redondo Beach Surf 'n Turf Lobster Festival . The waterfront event, a rock- and food-fest, offers three days of entertainment, plus a chance to eat Maine lobster and New York strip steak. The festival is hosted by the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau. "Our venue at the big, sandy Seaside Lagoon makes our festival distinctive from others," said Pete Moffett, producer of the festival. "We offer the best Maine lobster, Angus steaks and a choice collection of a dozen favorite fair foods.

ZOCALO AND SANG YOON: On Friday, Sept. 21, Zócalo Public Square presents "An Evening With Sang Yoon" at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles. Yoon, in discussion with moderator Evan Kleiman of KCRW's "Good Food," will talk about beer, burgers, what he has against ketchup and what it takes to make it in the Los Angeles restaurant world. 6 p.m. Make reservations online. Grand Park, 200 N. Grand, Los Angeles. LOBSTER FEST: The Original Long Beach Lobster Festival will take place Friday, Sept.

BELFAST, Maine - The first sign says, "Slow. " Then, about 50 feet down this back road in mid-coast Maine, there's a second sign. It says, "Slower. " I ease up on the pedal. That about sums up the rhythm of life in this part of Maine, which is about as far as you can get from L.A. and still be in the same country (and sometimes it feels like another one). On this trip, I'm looking to go slower. Or maybe even go in reverse, to a bit of America that's like a half-remembered dream - to a time when books cost a dollar, dinner at the drive-in was as fast as food got and an overnight suitcase was called a "possibilities bag. " Sure, Maine has lots of fancy antiques stores and gourmet restaurants.

Sunday night's "Next Iron Chef" treated viewers to an all-out brodown. The bromance between Spike Mendelsohn and Marcel Vigneron was forced to come to a head when the two were pitted against each other in the secret-ingredient showdown. For the chairman's challenge, the chefs were asked to redeem the reputation of canned food through transformation. Highlights included Elizabeth Falkner's winning canned roast beef with Bordelaise sauce and mini cheesy Yorkshire puddings and Nate Appleman's tuna three ways with ricotta gnocchi with tuna pesto, tuna puttanesca and shaved frozen tuna.  Mendelsohn underwhelmed the judges yet again, this time by making a Vietnamese crepe with Vienna sausage.

Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Chardonnay is consistently one of the finest from California. But this one from the winery's Saratoga line — designed to showcase the Santa Cruz Mountain terroir — is a real find at this price. The fruit is right there in the first sip. Light on the oak, the 2007 Saratoga Chardonnay carries a gentle lilt of citrus and a touch of anise. Like its big brother, it is Burgundian in style, grace in a glass. Bring it to a dinner party as a ringer: It could be mistaken for a very expensive bottle.

LOBSTER BURGER Wendy's rolls out the Lobster Surf & Turf Burger and the Premium Caviar & Lobster Sandwich for a limited time at Tokyo locations -- one in the shopping district Omotesando and a second opening Aug. 17 in the Roppongi Hills mall. Each costs ¥1,280, or about $16.28. [ Los Angeles Times ] DRY PLANET A map shows how fast the world's largest aquifers -- areas which hold deposits of groundwater -- are beign depleted, some at a stunning rate. "What's truly alarming is how many people depend on that over-exploitation for their food.

So much for being a square. Fast food chain Wendy's, known for its angular burger patties and slightly musty reputation, is going glamorous. The classic Baconator and Hot 'N Juicy sandwiches are now joined by burgers piled high with extravagant ingredients such as lobster and caviar. They're priced at just above $16, according to the Burger Business blog . Here's the catch: They're available for only a limited time. And only in Japan. Since returning to the Japanese market late last year after exiting in 2009, Wendy's has rolled out a series of indulgent menu offerings.