Omelet

Old notions of advertising are being scrambled on the Westside, inside boutique agencies with names like Blitz, Ignited and Omelet. The hot shops are pushing big-brand clients beyond the familiar confines of radio, television, magazines and newspapers and onto the Internet, smartphones, game consoles and tablets. With more than 42% of the country's TV homes equipped with digital video recorders, which allow users to fast-forward through commercials, and some younger viewers leaving TV altogether, advertisers are rushing to build Internet infrastructures, create Web videos and funnel content to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

If you need some sustenance before making that drive back to L.A., Sunday brunch along the Las Vegas Strip can provide plenty of choices to sustain you. At the always-packed Sterling Brunch at Bally's Steakhouse, a tuxedo-clad host greets guests for this perennial favorite. Bally's may not be known as one of the area's more luxurious resorts, but its Sunday brunch is one of the finest. At $90 a person, it's also one of the priciest. But the Champagne is free-flowing (don't drive after indulging, of course)

If you need some sustenance before making that drive back to L.A., Sunday brunch along the Las Vegas Strip can provide plenty of choices to sustain you. At the always-packed Sterling Brunch at Bally's Steakhouse, a tuxedo-clad host greets guests for this perennial favorite. Bally's may not be known as one of the area's more luxurious resorts, but its Sunday brunch is one of the finest. At $90 a person, it's also one of the priciest. But the Champagne is free-flowing (don't drive after indulging, of course)

There's no easy American analog for okonomiyaki , the Japanese dish that at turns seems equal parts omelet and pancake. It's a meal destined to be chased by a couple cold beers: a thick, savory batter of grated mountain yam, shredded cabbage, onion, eggs and a bit of flour that's fortified with the fillings of your choice, griddled to a crisp and lacquered with sweet okonomi sauce. At Doya Doya in Torrance, you can take pleasure in the stomach-stretching comfort of more than a dozen different varieties.

Omelet Total time: About 15 minutes Servings: 1 2 to 3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 1/2 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon crème fraîche Kosher salt, to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh herbs (optional) 1. Put the eggs in a blender and blend just until completely smooth. 2. Heat a high-quality 10-inch nonstick pan over low heat. Add the oil and butter. When the oil and butter have warmed, add the eggs.

Whenever my mother was gone for the evening and my father was left to his own devices in the kitchen, he'd make creamed hamburger on toast. I never understood it. It didn't look good, it certainly didn't taste good, and all that starch and grease wasn't good for anybody. Nevertheless, he prepared it with authority, ate it with relish and, when I was around, expected me to partake with enthusiasm. Throughout the years, I have discovered that while not all men share his fondness for " . . . on a shingle," many of the men I know, when "batching it," create food they alone can stomach.

What is that on Bill Plaschke's face? From here, it looks like an entire omelet. AL MEYERHOFF Studio City

What do you get when you drop a bunch of D-list celebrities on a farm? Farm animals and a little you-know-what on your shoe. On Sunday night's episode of "Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off," the remaining seven contestants were tasked with preparing a farm-to-table meal. The celebrities picked their own vegetables and used a grill to prepare a main dish and side dish for 25 farm workers. Apparently, gardening is scary for some people, but if you're a celebrity, it's really scary.

There's no easy American analog for okonomiyaki , the Japanese dish that at turns seems equal parts omelet and pancake. It's a meal destined to be chased by a couple cold beers: a thick, savory batter of grated mountain yam, shredded cabbage, onion, eggs and a bit of flour that's fortified with the fillings of your choice, griddled to a crisp and lacquered with sweet okonomi sauce. At Doya Doya in Torrance, you can take pleasure in the stomach-stretching comfort of more than a dozen different varieties.

Brunch at the Biltmore sounds like the title of a dusty British mystery, one that takes place on a perfect early summer weekend in Santa Barbara. It's a Sunday morning. The birds are chirping. The sun is shining, and the breeze has a crisp, cool edge to it. It could be paradise. Or the closest thing to it. But even in paradise, you get hungry. Fortunately, on Sundays, there's brunch at the Four Seasons Biltmore.

What do you get when you drop a bunch of D-list celebrities on a farm? Farm animals and a little you-know-what on your shoe. On Sunday night's episode of "Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off," the remaining seven contestants were tasked with preparing a farm-to-table meal. The celebrities picked their own vegetables and used a grill to prepare a main dish and side dish for 25 farm workers. Apparently, gardening is scary for some people, but if you're a celebrity, it's really scary.

In addition to how pretty they are, the other thing I like about this method of cooking eggs is how close to foolproof it is. Here's how: 1. If you don't have a 9- or 10-inch non-stick skillet, go out and get one. You wouldn't attempt to make cupcakes without a cupcake tin, would you? Exactly. 2. Get good eggs. As good as the toppings are, eggs are undoubtedly the star of this dish, and your frittata will only be as good as your eggs are. So buy the best, freshest eggs you can find, ideally at a farmers market.

Old notions of advertising are being scrambled on the Westside, inside boutique agencies with names like Blitz, Ignited and Omelet. The hot shops are pushing big-brand clients beyond the familiar confines of radio, television, magazines and newspapers and onto the Internet, smartphones, game consoles and tablets. With more than 42% of the country's TV homes equipped with digital video recorders, which allow users to fast-forward through commercials, and some younger viewers leaving TV altogether, advertisers are rushing to build Internet infrastructures, create Web videos and funnel content to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Omelet Total time: About 15 minutes Servings: 1 2 to 3 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil 1/2 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon crème fraîche Kosher salt, to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh herbs (optional) 1. Put the eggs in a blender and blend just until completely smooth. 2. Heat a high-quality 10-inch nonstick pan over low heat. Add the oil and butter. When the oil and butter have warmed, add the eggs.

Long before "Twilight" and "True Blood" and the Modern Age of Vampires, garlic was used as a talisman: a panacea against bad spirits in the Middle Ages and against illness during the Crusades. Even those of us who happily load our soups and stews with dozens of the pale cloves can tell why it was hung across doorways to prevent entrance. Mature garlic can be overwhelming, even relentless; a single raw clove minced on a board is capable of determining the course of an entire meal, whether you want it to or not. But imagine garlic without its bite, the autocracy of its properties calmed, even made subtle.

Iknow -- I really do -- that fine acting is not mimicry. But because films, especially biopics, shape reality -- often become reality -- I feel compelled to share my Julia Child story before Oscar night, when we will all once again watch clips of Meryl Streep's effusive portrayal of her in "Julie & Julia." It so happens that I interviewed the real Julia in her prime and saw a side of her that the moviegoing public would barely recognize. It was 1973, during a nationwide meat boycott that was triggered not -- as it might be today -- by indignation about crowded feedlots or inhumane cattle slaughtering but by matters of the pocketbook.

In addition to how pretty they are, the other thing I like about this method of cooking eggs is how close to foolproof it is. Here's how: 1. If you don't have a 9- or 10-inch non-stick skillet, go out and get one. You wouldn't attempt to make cupcakes without a cupcake tin, would you? Exactly. 2. Get good eggs. As good as the toppings are, eggs are undoubtedly the star of this dish, and your frittata will only be as good as your eggs are. So buy the best, freshest eggs you can find, ideally at a farmers market.

Funny that Cheo Hodari Coker should point out similarities between Coolio and Hammer ("Rap Gets Soft (Really)," Feb. 25). Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" does more than "borrow liberally" from Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise," as Hammer's "Can't Touch This" does from Rick James' "Superfreak," so much so that they had to share royalties. Both just changed the lyrics. Coolio would do well to avoid Hammer's egotistical error: investing in an extravagant road show. Without original material, these so-called rappers will be relegated to the pile of one-hit wonders scattered throughout American pop history.

Dashi-maki tamago (home-style Japanese omelet) Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Servings: 4 Note: Konbu (dried seaweed), dried bonito flakes and light soy sauce can be found at Japanese markets. Tamago frying pans are available at Japanese markets, but you can use a round 10-inch nonstick frying pan. This recipe calls for a bamboo sushi mat, available at Japanese stores. Dashi 1 piece konbu (6 to 8 inches long) 4 cups water 2 cups dried bonito flakes (katsuo-bushi)

  Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 2 Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. Mexican panela cheese is available at Latino markets and well-stocked supermarkets. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter, divided 3 tablespoons diced pancetta 2 tablespoons minced onion 1 small clove garlic, minced 1 cup peeled and diced tomatillos (about 2 large or 3 medium) Salt, pepper 3 eggs 1/4 cup shredded panela cheese 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter.