Restaurant

We had the most pleasant eating experience at the comfortable and reasonably priced Restaurant der Löwe, the Lion, near the Albertplatz in Dresden, Germany. Der Löwe, 46 Hauptstrasse, Dresden; (011) 49-351-804-11-38, http://www.derloewe.de . Main dishes from about $10 to $28. Henry Orloff By email

Although New Year's Eve is a strictly liquid affair for some partygoers, it's not a bad idea to say goodbye to 2009 with a good meal first. Whether you prefer opulent settings or quirky menus, there's no lack of options across the city's culinary landscape, and here are some restaurant selections to satisfy various palates and budgets. Lift a fork -- and raise a toast -- to 2010. Akasha Akasha is the first restaurant opened by organic celebrity chef Akasha Richmond. Richmond wrote the cookbook "Hollywood Dish" and knows more than a thing or two about cooking fresh.

Cardiff Giant, the hospitality group behind The Hudson and The Churchill, has been very busy of late. The Daily Dish just got word that the group is set to take over the former Voyeur Nightclub  space at 7969 Santa Monica Ave. and will renovate and re-open it as a new nightclub concept in January of 2013. This comes after rumors circulated on the web that NYC's The Box was going to take the space. In addition Cardiff Giant has announced plans to open an as-of-yet un-named restaurant in downtown L.A. in the old Heinz loading dock at 712 S. Santa Fe after the New Year.

A Santa Monica sushi restaurant facing federal charges for serving endangered whale meat appears set to close its doors Saturday, according to a statement posted to The Hump's website Friday which called the decision a "self-imposed punishment." "The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species," read the statement on the restaurant's longstanding website.

McDonald's, that carnivore's haven of beefy Big Macs and chicken McNuggets, is going vegetarian. The fast food giant will open its first non-meat restaurant next year in India, in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The branch, to be located by the much-visited Golden Temple, will serve herbivore options tailored to the country's cultural tastes, according to AFP . Much of the Indian population avoids certain types of meat. Hindus consider cows sacred and don't eat beef, while Muslims avoid pork.

Last year my daughter-in-law and I had a fantastic three-week trip through France. In Orleans, where the restaurant choices are plentiful, we were lucky to be advised by a local to have lunch at L'Eclat des Saveurs. The tab came to 79 Euros, or about $110, for the two of us, which included a St.Emilion for her and a Cointreau for me. L'Eclat des Saveurs, 233 Rue de Bourgogne, Orleans; 011-33-02-38-53-12-21, http://www.viking-resto.com . Entree with appetizer or dessert, from about $29. Sheppa Vanderkleij Indio

Authorities with pickaxes, shovels and cadaver dogs dug through the floor and walls of a popular Lomita restaurant, trying to solve a 16-month-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of the cafe owner's wife. "At this point we believe she is buried beneath the restaurant," said Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. "We are excavating parts of the restaurant. We expect to be there for some time. " The excavation at the Thyme Contemporary Cafe in Lomita is the latest in a series of twists in the case that included a police pursuit last week that ended when the cafe's owner, David Viens, jumped from a cliff in Rancho Palos Verdes.

The slender glass of sherry blushes a reddish brown and tastes of leather and summer cherries. Musky-sweet and light on the palate, the Spanish fortified wine is the unifying force behind the bar program at Bow & Truss, North Hollywood's new Latin restaurant from Morgan Margolis and Knitting Factory Entertainment. On a recent Monday afternoon, Margolis gathered with mixologists Marcos Tello and Aidan Demarest of the bar consulting firm Tello/Demarest Liquid Assets to talk about the drinks and sample a few. The hit of the day is a cocktail called the Horse Thief Old-Fashioned, which is made with Scotch, Pedro Ximenez Sherry and absinthe: a trifecta of clamorous flavors that hit all the right notes when combined over ice and garnished with a twist of fresh orange.

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The county Design Control Board today will consider two proposed alterations at a Marina del Rey restaurant. The Lobster House restaurant, 4211 Admiralty Way, wants to construct an outdoor dining room and a public observation desk. The owners also want to reconstruct the exterior of Captain Bligh's Coffee Shop, which is part of the Lobster House. The board, which is part of the county's Department of Beaches and Harbors, will meet at 2 p.m. at 13837 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey.