On a reports later visit, acc tournament mci center fells in the cooking time and flavor are right (though it still looks like something for Barney Rubble). Pasta for house-made agnolotti quattro formaggio was too thick, tough and undercooked, but the black pepper tagliatelle has been just right both times I tasted it, sauced with a lusty boar ragu. On my most recent visit, it seems Bocchino has hit his stride; everything's good. There are two cuts of steak: a New York strip and a flat-iron. Both come out perfectly cooked, though the 30-day dry-aged New York strip isn't as flavorful as one would hope. It comes with a rather liquid mac and cheese and some grilled asparagus, which seem out of place this season. The flat-iron is more fun for the price, accompanied by thick, hand-cut fries drizzled with what the menu says is Parmesan and garlic, but tastes like gremolata (chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest). Perhaps the biggest surprise is the chicken, something I rarely order because it's often so dull. Here the sage-marinated pan-roasted airline cut (the breast with part of the wing attached) is terrifically flavorful, with a crisp skin and a nice little tarragon-tinged jus, served with tiny halved roasted Brussels sprouts and a thick, lemon-scented potato puree.

This is a dinner you'd be happy to serve at home, not at all restaurant-fussy . How wonderful to find honest cooking like that. Could the cooking be more ambitious? Sure alex ovechkin address . But maybe Bocchino has decided to keep it simple and master each preparation. --Social yet intimateThe neighborhood has definitely taken notice alex ovechkin capitals Washington Capitals Verizon Center - verizoncenter . The bar is quite the meeting place, and there's an attractive patio that should be a draw when the weather's warm Meanwhile, the dining room has a pleasant buzz It's intimate, with a fire crackling in the fireplace alexander capitals . You might even find yourself in whispering distance of a celebrity. (One night, Courteney Cox Arquette was there, talking on her cellphone through most of her dinner, with her dining companion trying not to look bored. ) Whispering distance? Ah, yes! The place is refreshingly quiet! There's music playing, but it's soft, so you can actually have a conversation. As for wine, there's something wonderful about a short, well-chosen list, but alas, you don't find one here This one's short but lacks interesting choices.

A restaurant with cooking this good deserves a better selection, and better wineglasses too. Every time the dessert menu's placed in front of me, I've frozen up -- it all sounds uninspired . And the carrot cake, topped with tons of sweet, gooey cream cheese frosting and coated with a thick layer of chopped pecans, is enough to make a person skip dessert forevermore. But there are a couple of nice surprises A late-summer strawberry trifle is splendid alexander ovechkin . Kristine managed to find big, ripe, luscious strawberries; they're macerated in aged balsamic vinegar and layered with almond cake and mascarpone. And even better is a caramel "cheesecake" with fleur de sel and a luxuriously creamy texture -- there's no crust; it comes in a ramekin, topped with caramel sauce and just the right touch of sea salt. Happily, Terra's not too expensive -- most of the main courses are in the $20-$28 range (steaks are more) alexander ovechkin address . So you don't need to pull up in the Enzo to feel right at home; you can leave it in the garage and take the Nissan alexander ovechkin capitals . You don't even have to live in 90265 -- sometimes a drive up PCH can just make you feel like a million bucks. And at long last, you don't have to head back south for a decent dinner. --brennerS Washington Capitals Verizon Center . Irene Virbila is on vacation. --(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)TerraRating: * 1/2Location: 21337 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; (310) 456-1221. Ambience: Graceful, warm, homey dining room, quiet enough for conversation. Service: Gracious, welcoming and extremely professional. Price: First courses, $10 to $16; main courses, $20 to $37; desserts, $9 to $10. Capitals Verizon Center Best dishes: Warm Gorgonzola tart, antipasto plate, sage-marinated free-range chicken, grilled flat-iron steak, black pepper tagliatelle. Wine list: Small and not very adventurous, mostly from California.

Corkage fee, $12; if you buy a bottle and bring a bottle, the corkage fee is waived. Best table: A table for four next to the fireplace. Details: Open for dinner 6 to 10 p. m Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays, till 11 p. m Fridays and Saturdays The bar opens at 5 p. m . Free self-parking in lot adjacent to restaurant. To see a photo gallery, go to latimes /food. Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality ****: Outstanding on every level ***: Excellent **: Very good *: Good No star: Poor to satisfactory. at the mci center . A former White House advisor pleaded guilty to theft, briefly breaking into tears as he tried to explain to a judge why he made thousands of dollars' worth of phony returns at discount department stores while working as a top aide to President Bush. "Something did go very wrong," Claude A capitals . Allen said. Allen, 45, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville to one misdemeanor count of theft capitals apparel . He was sentenced to two years of supervised probation and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. . IN contrast to the boisterous spots where sake drinkers gather around a communal table, there's a quiet, elegant new izakaya, or Japanese pub-style cafe, in Studio City. Yuta is a delightful oasis, a great place to bring people together -- you can really talk, and the food's adventurous, a welcome alternative to the offerings of Ventura Boulevard's sushi row. In a space east of Tujunga Avenue that's seen a few restaurants come and go, chef-owner Kazutoyo "Yuta" Moribe has created a handsome, cozy cafe.

The floor is polished cement; the wainscoting is rustic flagstone; the tables, chairs and open-beam ceiling are wood . Colors are in the gray-taupe-brown spectrum, and the lighting is low capitals autograph . Stepping inside from the parking challenges of the boulevard is like taking a deep breath Washington Capitals Verizon Center - verizoncenter . Recent evenings spent here with friends have had a similar arc -- a hesitant beginning (Shall we first order a few starters? Drink wine or sake? What could the ricotta salad possibly be like?) that gives way to an almost-immediate sense of gratification (This house-made tofu is the real thing -- so fresh and tender!) and then a relaxed, easy awareness that as the evening unwinds and we try a plate of this or that, we're in good, confident hands. --In good handsCALL it small-plates ceremony capitals blanket . Whether you order in waves, a few dishes at a time, or in a flurry all at once, the staff seems to effortlessly and gracefully organize your selections and present your meal in a logical, pleasurable sequence capitals cap . And you can linger for hours, spinning out the most involved of tales, sipping your drink and nibbling on wonderful things -- and yet not leave with that stunned, leaden feeling of having eaten too much . One time, two of us order starters, a little sushi and a bottle of wine. We don't know where we're going with the meal, but the kitchen seems to, and we later add a salad and a hot dish to the list.