Haircuts and ham sandwiches go hand in hand at La Bella Day Spa (899-5557). John Young, who is in charge of the kitchen at La Bella, says, “I'm not a high-falutin' kinda guy,” although he does make a mean tuna salad in a puff pastry swan. This former electrical contractor returned to his first love, cooking, after “smashing the heck out of” his right hand. The spa, on Coors just south of Alameda, has a small café in the interior courtyard. Young describes it as a little bit of Nob Hill on the Westside. The new menu includes dishes like a Mediterranean orange chicken salad and a roast beef sandwich with Brie cheese in addition to a full espresso bar. The café uses herbs from their courtyard herb garden and buys fruit exclusively from nearby Sunflower Market. They're serving food from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. but may extend the hours this summer.
La Cueva Town Center, at the corner of Paseo del Norte and Wyoming, is now home to the city's newest Greek restaurant, Athena's Market Café. Owner Athena Christodoulou says she was motivated to open her own place after receiving repeated requests from people who were impressed by her deli at last year's St. George's Church Greek Festival. Christodoulou does the cooking while her business partner, Karen Hayat, is the “people person.” They serve gyros, souvlaki, tabbouleh, Greek salads, baked chicken and other Greek favorites. The shop is stocked with cheeses, olives, candies, olive oil and ready-to-bake desserts. They serve lunch, early dinner and take-out Monday through Saturday. Call 822-9000 for more information.
More cooking classes for kids! Wish your five-year-old could join in on some summer food camp fun? Now he or she can. Educator Robin Martinez designed her “Camp Cuisine” program to encourage food awareness in kids of all ages. These hands-on classes are broken up into groups of four-to-six-year-olds, seven-to-nine-year-olds and ten-to-twelve-year-olds. Lessons are then tailored to each group's attention span and skill level. Two sessions will run June 7-11 and July 19-23. The first, called Summer Sensations, focuses on the food, flavors and experiences that kids associate with summer. After that, A World of Tastes will explore cultures and countries through food. Robin says that an ongoing Saturday class is in the works for August, too. If you're interested, give her a call at 321-5372 or e-mail her at robin@kidsinthekitchen.net. (LM)
Got news for "The Dish?" Tell me all of your secrets! E-mail food@alibi.com, call 346-0660 ext. 245 or fax 256-9651. The juiciest tidbits will be rewarded with gift certificates good at NYPD, Maximito's or O'Niell's Pub.
