The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 98

B6 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1999 LOS ANGELES TIMES all know that it's Cupid who mends broken hearts, but what about a broken doll? Or that vintage wedding dress or fridge you picked up at a garage sale? That vintage doll, for example: Your mother just fished it out from the basement and what a mess! We have some places where you can take Dolly, plus your other vintage objects, for beautification and repair jaunts restaurant review Mideast's Spicy Treats Whether the dishes are hot or cold, the menu sizzles at the Carousel in Glendale. 3 i'V Photos by BORIS YARO Los Angeles Times The museum boasts a reproduction of the X-l rocket plane in which Chuck Yeager first broke the speed of sound. Some cats have moved into the mock-up. By MAX JACOBSON SPECIAL TO THE TIMES From its neutral name and modest facade, you'd never expect Carousel to be an exuberant (and very good) Middle Eastern restaurant. But so it is, with tassel -covered chandeliers and walls full of brass plates, ceremonial swords and ornately painted bottles.

Oh, and there's the music. Lebanese pop songs pulsate throughout the restaurant most evenings, though occasionally interrupted by a synthesizer version of "Happy Birthday" accompanied by the inevitable singing waiters. But the menu sizzles in a different way. It lists loads of the hot and cold appetizers known as mezzeh, plus a choice selection of meaty kebabs. Carousel has almost four dozen mezzeh, so I can't describe more than a few here.

The distinctive mutabbal is a smoky eggplant puree with a tiny pool of olive oil in the center. The grape leaves waraq inab) are stuffed with a delicate mixture of rice, sumac and clove. Shanklish is basically a spicy salad of chopped cheese, tomatoes and onions. Perhaps the most exotic cold mezzeh is kibbeh nayya, an extremely flavorful puree of raw lamb and bulgur wheat, enlivened with spices and olive oil. The hot mezzeh are equally delicious.

Fatayir is a triangle of flaky pastry with a light cheese filling, rather like a Greek tiropita. Ful mudammas is a classic Arab dish of boiled fava beans doused with lemon juice, parsley and garlic. It's the perfect thing to have with a piece of hot pita bread. I never come here without ordering kibbeh maqliyeh. It's four fragrant deep-fried meatballs of lamb and wheat puree, each with a juicy filling of ground meat, onions and pine nuts.

Another terrific hot mezzeh is maqaniq (spelled ma-anek here), a dozen or so broiled lamb sausages, elegantly flavored with cloves, each the size of your finger. Almost everyone who comes here orders the kebabs, which are served with either a fluffy rice pilaf or a heartier one of bulgur wheat. The best choice is the trim, tender lamb shish kebab big, meaty chunks served with nicely charred tomatoes and onion slices. The chicken kebab is a beaut as well. The chunks of chicken breast are marinated in olive oil, garlic and lemon and grilled until Please see MIDEAST, B7 ft- jw Clir If Plane Dealings Memorabilia at Edwards Air Force Base museum chronicle milestones in military aviation.

(where 1 inch of model represents 6 feet of fighting machine) cover an entire wall of the museum. They represent the first flights of 100 different jet-propelled warplanes from 1942 to the current decade. On view at one end of this "First Flights Wall" is a breadbox-sized chunk of shiny twisted metal a reminder of the harsh reality of airplane flight-testing. "This is serious stuff," explains curator Doug Nelson. "There are an awful lot of crash fragments like this out there in the desert." Capt.

Glen Edwards, for whom the Air Force base is named, perished "out there" in a wreck of a giant experimental "flying wing" airplane in 1948. Equipment designed to save pilots was also tested at Edwards, including ejection seats to get them out of planes before a crash. Museum visitors may be amazed to see evidence that one such device was tested using a California brown bear named Yogi. He survived. To reach the museum, take the Antelope Valley Freeway to the Rosamond Boulevard offramp, drive east for about 15 minutes to the base guardhouse and identify yourself (it's military base protocol).

A short distance inside the base to the left is the Jimmy Doolittle Air Park with its outdoor display of jets, including a Vietnam-era B-52. The X-l rocket plane is visible through the glass doors of a new museum that is under construction. A park kiosk dispenses free maps to guide you to the current museum location several streets away in Building 7211 on Kincheloe Avenue. By RICHARD KAHLENBERG SPECIAL TO THE TIMES Doug Nelson, the museum's curator, displays the United States' first jet engine, the XLR-99. UT-ii Is Ihe Keepers of the Right Stuff" is the motto of the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum, located north of Lancaster on the foot grounds of Edwards Air Force Base.

If you've seen the movie that motto refers to, you probably remember the scene in which Sam Shepard, portraying Capt. Chuck Yeager, escapes from the fiery crash of an experimental plane and strides toward the camera bloody but unbowed. The museum is adjacent to the area that became world famous when the real -life Yeager, during another more successful flight, became the first human to travel at supersonic speed. "U.S. Mystery Plane Tops Speed of Sound," was the headline in The Times on Dec.

22, 1947. A copy of that historic front page is among the fascinating Air Force memorabilia on display. The museum also has a full-scale reproduction of the bright orange X-l rocket plane that Yeager flew that day. Other experimental airplane reproductions BE THERE 4 Admission is free. Hours 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Information: (805) 277-8050. Calling ahead is recommended to get exact driving instructions and to find out if the base is on a heightened alert status due to international events, which impose restrictions on visitors. A museum wall is covered with models of warplanes that made their first flights at Edwards. sights page rnt'iiei Sensuous by Nature Artist's garden-inspired works in wax have a feel you can see.

By JOSEF WOODARD SPECIAL TO TIMES A In this week's Footnotes: When it comes to special objects you really love, you don't want to trust just anyone with their repair. Whether it's that ragged doll in need of a make-over or your great-grandmother's faded dress that you've inherited, here are a few folks who can help make collectibles bright and shiny again. Dolls of all shapes and nationalities will find fix-it help at Sherman Oaks' The Doll Shoppe, at 13300 Riverside Drive. The 7-year-old business specializes in bringing broken dolls from all corners of the country back to life. Recent success stories include the Eloise doll who needed her frayed yarn hairdo restored and the poor plaything that came in headless.

Owner Harold Feldman also has for sale about 15,000 dolls ranging from brand-new $20 Barbies to rare 19th century Jumeau models from France that will cost you $3,000. "It's a lot of fun," says Feldman of his occupation. "There's a lot of history behind these dolls. It's almost like a museum." Dollhouses and dollhouse repair are also available, or get your old dolls appraised for free. Repairs start at $12.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10a.m. to 6 p.m. (818) 784-3655. If you're in the market for a vintage stove or refrigerator or need one repaired, Burbank's Sav-On Appliances is true to its name, says owner Emmett Julian. "An old stove or refrigerator seldom breaks, unlike newer models.

It costs more, but you'll save money in the end, because an old stove lasts forever." Indeed, Sav-On has a two-month waiting list for those who wish to purchase vintage kitchen appliances, and its owner receives hundreds of calls each week from locals looking to sell or repair their grandmother's or mother's appliances. New versions of all major appliances are also available. Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2925 Burbank Blvd. (818) 843-4840. Got a textile treasure that needs retooling? Forever Treasured in Granada Hills cleans, repairs and preserves wedding dresses, no matter how old or how ragged.

Owner Lynda Valenti's success in refurbishing bridal finery she'll only say it's a secret and involves hand-washing with wet ingredients rather than dry cleaning has gained her a reputation with bridal shops from here to Alaska. She will also pack away dresses in her special, acid-free boxes and tissues to prevent them from yellowing with age. Cleaning is $250 per dress and is guaranteed "no matter how dirty the dress is, and I've never had to turn away one yet," boasted Valenti. Antique veils and linens also repaired. Open Monday through Saturday, by appointment only.

Call (818) 360-9943or (888) 389-8787. -RACHEL FISCHER 10" Authors John D. Crisafulli, Sean Fisher and Teresa Villa will sign copies of their book, "Backstage Pass: Catering to Music's Biggest Stars," 7:30 p.m. today at Borders Books Music, 9301 Tampa Northridge. The book offers favorite recipes of favorite musical stars.

Meet the authors and taste some samples of their culinary wares. (818 886-5443. Writer, director, producer Ron Austin and Joe Morgan will lead a philosophical discourse on the relationship between our religious beliefs and the movies we watch, 7:30 p.m. today at Barnes Noble, 8800 Tampa Northridge. (818) 773-0821.

Brian Pulido, Steven Hughes and Bernie Wrightson will sign copies of "Lady Death," "Evil Ernie" and "Nightmare Theater," 2 p.m. Saturday at Dark Delicacies, 3725 W. Magnolia Burbank. (818) 556-6660. Author Naomi Levy and Los Angeles Times columnist Sandy Banks join Marlene Adler Marks for a conversation about survival and community, 11 a.m.

Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. (310) 440-4500 Author Lionel Rolfe will sign and discuss his book of essays, "Fat Man on the Left," 2 p.m. Sunday at Borders Books Music, 100 S. Brand Glendale.

(818) 241-8099. Exile Books Music, 14925 Magnolia Sherman Oaks, has a full musical menu this weekend with singer-songwriters Ritt Henn and Teresa Tudury this evening and Tom Winslowon Saturday. (818) 986-6409. $5 cover each night. The Steed Woodwind Quintet will perform works by Bach, Mozart, Barber, Joplin and others, 7 p.m.

Tuesday at the Sunland-Tujunga Library, 7771 Foothill Tujunga. (818) 352-4481. Free. -JAMES E. FOWLER CAROL BISHOP Carol Bishop's series takes a contemplative approach to the more secret nature of gardens.

Carol Bishop calls her current exhibition at Woodbury University "les jardins particulars," inspired by visits to parks and gardens in Europe and the United States, from the Tuileries to Gramercy Park. Naturally, our appetite of expectations is whetted for landscape pieces of no uncertain nature-loving beauty maybe even out-and-out prettiness. What we find, instead, is an evocative series of artworks, in thick waxy buildups of encaustic, along with a set of drawings, that are anything but particular. Abstract at the core, suggestive on the surface, Bishop's art here amounts to a meditation on the secret, contemplative life of gardens rather than the literal representation thereof. Like the controlled, manicured appearance of a well-tended garden, Bishop's show is laid out in a deliberately measured, evenly paced manner.

Thirty-two square, encaustic paintings of the same size and structural language are placed on the walls around the gallery. In each, a milky, murky whitish "frame" surrounds a darker central image, which we instinctively view as the main event within the composition. A similar structure, of an enclosed, framed square, returns in a bank of 72 smaller drawings on one wall. But, within this program of apparent sameness, on close scrutiny, is endless variation. Visual activity is bubbling below the surface, with veins and undercoats preventing anything like flatness of color.

Nature herself isn't as far away as first impressions suggest. Hints and glimmers of plant life, of leaves and bark and the surreal color skeins of flower petals, can be detected. The very sensuous texture of the encaustic, laid generously on wood supports, could be viewed as a corollary to the tactile sensuality of gardens. With this work, Bishop effectively, and discreetly, explores the paradoxical nature of gardens, those human-ordered celebrations of nature. BE THERE Carol Bishop, "les jardins particulars," through Feb.

28 at Woodbury University Art Gallery, 7500 Glenoaks Blvd. in Burbank. Gallery hours: p.m., or by appointment (818) 767-0888, Ext. 320..