Grill

A La Carte has finally bitten the dust. The gourmet takeout restaurant and catering company that we lovingly created in 1986 from a fortune teller's apartment and sold seven years ago, passing through two subsequent owners, is now undergoing a complete transformation in the competent and experienced hands of the Molteni family. We watched with mixed emotions and curiosity because of our special attachment to this space and wanted to talk to them about their plans. Our concerns melted away when we met the engaging and enthusiastic Moltenis.

For decades, Michael Ubaldini has been among the most mobile of Orange County rock ?n? rollers, driving himself from gig to gig, and building an international following without a major label. Lately, though, Ubaldini hasn?t been getting around much. The Fountain Valley resident was hospitalized in November with a heart valve infection and spent more than a month in the hospital. Now, as he recuperates at home, his longtime friends on the music scene are rushing to his aid. Tumbleweeds Bar & Grill, one of Ubaldini?

One of my constant complaints is the lack of quality food available after 10 or 11 p.m. in not only Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley, but all of Orange County. While most of the county is apparently fast asleep at 9 p.m., some of us are creatures of the night and like to stay up past the evening news. We are a minority, this I realize, but try and find a decent meal at that hour. You are pretty much left to food that comes in a Styrofoam box or cheap diners. During the week, I will concede the limited dining choices.

Judging by all the displays of backyard furniture at local home improvement centers, we assume people are preparing to vacation at home this summer. With gasoline prices skyrocketing to the moon, that sounded like a good plan to us. Back in the day, outdoor furniture meant stackable plastic or folding chairs with aluminum frames and multicolored webbing. Now outdoor furniture is beautiful. People are decorating their yards with shade canopies, furniture with big cushions, and glass-topped tables.

The only problem with eating fish every day is the price and that is what prohibits me from doing so. It has always been one of my favorite foods, though when I select it when dining out it is thought of as a treat. That may not have to happen with my discovery of Malibu Fish Grill. The eatery has managed to make fish tasty and affordable. Usually, any fish that is under $10 comes fried and served with chips, defeating the purpose of eating the healthy food. Fish is a tricky dish, a culinary gamble in many ways.

After 18 years of working 12-hour shifts six days a week, the owner of Sammy's Hamburgers and Sandwiches in Huntington Beach will be able to take a break. Unable to reach an agreement with his landlord about his lease, owner Assad Abousaleh is closing Sammy's Saturday. Sitting in his restaurant in the center of the Beach Talbert Village on Beach Boulevard Monday, Abousaleh reflected on the many years he spent feeding the hungry hordes of locals who considered Sammy's their neighborhood burger joint.

The smell of a good old, down-home barbecue wafted through the air as people danced to the sounds of rhythm and blues that jolted the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa Saturday at the kickoff of the Blues & BBQ Saturday night concert series. Each summer, Pete's Sunset Grille, located in the resort, hosts a concert series for Surf City locals and guests alike. "We're not trying to create a hotel event, we're trying to create a community event," said David Coonan, executive assistant manager of food and beverages at the resort.

My boys and I traditionally go out to lunch every Wednesday during the school year. Where we go usually depends on what toy comes with the kid's meal, what restaurant playground they wish to terrorize, or what fast food commercial has most infiltrated their little minds. After a couple of years, their burger/pizza/ground-beef taco rotation has totally beaten me down. I've resigned myself to eating at home before venturing out with them. That being said, I knew I was taking a calculated risk and might have to quell a revolt when I took the boys, along with my buddy Eric and his son Connor, to the newly opened Malibu Fish Grill (gasp!