The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 18

CALENDAR WEEKENDLOS ANGELES E56 Serrano ham, fennel salami, speck and chorizo. What would a trendy new res- taurant be without a beet salad on the this case, golden beets paired with the ever-reliable and delicious Hum- boldt Fog goat cheese from Cow- girls Creamery garnished with walnuts and an emulsion of beet juice and balsamic vinegar. So far so good. Too bad the spare- ribs touted on the menu as crispy pork spareribs followed by three exclamation points crispy. also sweet enough to stand in as dessert.

Chef Eric menu for Royale mixes updated chop- house fare with modern Ameri- can cooking. He worked at both Boa Steakhouse and the now- shuttered Citrine in West Holly- wood. got your sumptu- ous Royale burger topped with truffled cheese, your slow- braised short ribs with butter- milk mashed potatoes, your bone-in New York steak with blue cheese butter. But what is Jidori chicken? It is, explains the By S. Irene Virbila Times Staff Writer I been peeking in the windows of the Royale at the corner of Rampart and Wilshire boulevards for months, but as the weeks wore on and the heavily touted wine bar failed to materi- alize, I gave up on the restaurant ever opening.

Come December, though, just before Christmas, I got word that Royale had opened not as a wine bar but as a full-fledged restaurant. Curious, I gathered up some friends for dinner last week. I have to say, quite glam pull- ing up in front of the former Wil- shire Royale Hotel a few blocks from MacArthur Park. a valet to park your car. To the right is the entrance to the hotel- turned-apartment building.

To the left, the entrance to the new Royale beckons. ADJ is setting up in the cor- ner as we enter, and though the place is sparsely populated at that hour, it takes the bartender afew minutes before she realizes expecting to be seated. The restaurant is through there, she says, pointing toward the back door. Gotcha. We head thataway, opening the door onto a stylish patio strung with lights like an Italian piazza.

Behind a partial wall, I discover a diminutive swimming pool for (smallish) Es- ther Williams types. Just when I going to be doing some outdoor dining on this chilly night, we realize we yet reached the restaurant. Its entrance is on the far side of the patio, and really, at this point, we never expected to find anything this glamorous. Royale is an airy, high-ceil- inged room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Enamel-white subway tiles cover the pillars and make the darker paint pop.

A stunning nest of branches, twined with gold fairy lights, floats above the bar. Bare bulbs encrusted with garlands of cut silver and brass flowers and foli- age add their mysterious and dreamy light to the room. We order wine. We look over the menu, which has incorpo- rated all the latest trends. a short list of crudo, i.e., raw fish in the Italian style.

The scallop with smoked trout roe and grapefruit has us puzzled, though. Would that be roe of smoked trout or trout roe that has been smoked? In the end, amoot point. The raw scallop is sweet, the roe barely detectable as smoked, and the pink grape- fruit odd man out. also a charcuterie plate, one trend happy to see. Here it includes waiter, not cooked on a rotisserie at all but on a griddle (i.e., a la plancha and when it comes out, like chicken browned and seared on a griddle and not any- thing like rotisserie-roasted chicken.

Are we missing some- thing here? Desserts include a bowl of cotton candy along with warm cookies and French toast to ap- peal to the kid in us all. After, you can retire to the bar in front or opt for a game of bil- liards in the upstairs lounge. If too many people have the same idea, you may have to wait. Oh, well, bring on the martinis. When we finally emerge much, much later in the evening, surprised to hear a pound- ing beat from across the street, where a velvet rope has been hastily set out to keep, one would presume, the hordes out.

Yikes, I know, but it looks as if the scene is waking up enough that you could actually do some bar- hopping along the Wilshire Cor- ridor. What an idea! RESTAURANTS You can whet your appetite with a game of pool at these spots. James Beach Well before comfort food became faddish, been the specialty at this 10-year-old neighborhood dining room. Consider the nightly specials such as Tuesday chicken potpie and Thursday fried chicken. In the charming, adjacent Craftsman, a.k.a.

the Clubhouse, always a civilized party scene on Friday and Saturday nights, a single pool table. 8 Potpie special, $13. 60 N. Venice Venice, (310) 823-5396. Beanery In addition to a full-size double-decker bus and a foosball table, this Old Town outpost, the newest of the three Beanery locations, has three pool tables in the main dining room and 10 more upstairs.

To eat? is best known for its chili, which you can order with or without beans. But because they offer breakfast all day, you can follow up your game with an omelet or an order of French toast. 8 Chili, $5.75. 99 E. Colorado Pasadena, (626) 405-9777.

The Rack Talk about a leisurely lunch. Enjoy a midday repast at this sleek year-old spot in Westfield Promenade and for dessert, you get a complimentary half-hour of pool on one of the 17 tables. The eclectic menu features the usual pool hall fare wings, nachos as well as more ambitious offerings such as Asian skirt steak marinated in ginger and lemon grass and grilled over an open flame. 8 Asian beef, $17.95. 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

No. 2150, Woodland Hills, (818) 716-0123. Red Pearl Kitchen At this sexy 4-month-old Asian spot, you can shoot pool in the lounge under a canopy of Chinese paper umbrellas. just one table, but often free. When you work up sufficient appetite, share some black pepper-caramel shrimp and curried cauliflower.

Come on a Sunday night and take advantage of the discount on all bottles of wines. 8 Shrimp, $16. 6703 Melrose L.A., (323) 525-1415. The Shack Rumor is the lone pool table at this low-key hang exactly even. But Philly expats are willing to forgive this.

After all, the kitchen does a respectable cheese steak. Not a cheese steak person? The signature burger, an over-the-top creation starring a Louisiana hot link atop a charbroiled patty, is also popular. 8 Shack burger, $7.25. 2518 Wilshire Santa Monica, (310) 449-1171. Komaiko Cue it up Where: 2619 Wilshire L.A.

When: 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. nightly; lounge open until 2 a.m. Full bar. Valet parking. Cost: Dinner appetizers, $6 to $15; main courses, $17 to $35; sides, desserts, $6 to bar menu, $6 to $10.

Info: (213) 388-8488 Royale NOTEBOOK The Royale treatment Lori Shepler Los Angeles Times GLISTENING GLITZ: Royale, in the Wilshire Corridor, is an airy, high-ceilinged room with tall windows. A nest of branches with gold lights floats above the bar. The restaurant serves the latest trends with an elegance fit for your majesty. CALENDAR WEEKENDLOS ANGELES E5 cause dancers know how the body THER life draw- ing classes in the area, such as the long-running Drawing Club, also use models from under- ground scenes such as bur- lesque and roller derby. In ad- dition, Crabapple has also plied her New York classes with drinking games and con- tests that award prizes for best use of a woodland animal in a sketch, so Bardot hopes to shake up the admittedly rote procedure of her current classes with similarly themed contests and models from the fetish and punk-circus side- show communities.

But becauseanti-art can- not be taught, Bardot pledges never to provide instruction or to moderate for her class. more about the experi- ence and practice, she says. take the ideas they get at Dr. Sketchy and go home, do a painting inspired by that session. more really of an open forum and not a formalized Regardless, it is an evolv- ing brand, with support from art journal Juxtapoz connect- ing the class with its target market and Coloring smartly snarky hagiography of the art genesis, selling out its first printing.

However, the goal, at least locally for Bardot, is quite simple. just want people to catch on to an alternative type of figure drawing to she says. had figure draw- ing classes through art school and had some unfortunate- looking models in some ter- rible poses. I wanna break free of all that and have peo- ple see burlesque in a differ- ent Viewership increases for MSNBC in 2006 2006 marked a decline in the cable news audience except on MSNBC. Powered by personalities such as Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, the perennially third-place cable news network was the only one of its ilk to ex- pand its audience last year, aver- aging 262,000 viewers through- out the day, up over 2005.

MSNBC grew even more in the key 25- to 54-year-old demo- graphic, rising by to an aver- age of 110,000. Industry leader Fox News held onto its crown, but saw its ratings for the year drop by to an average of 821,000 viewers throughout the day. CNN fell drawing an average of 476,000 viewers, andits sister network Headline News dropped to 217,000 viewers. Gold NPR is planning a new news show Encouraged by the growth of its weekday news program National Public Radio said Wednesday that it was developing a new news and information program to compete with The new morning show, as yet untitled, will be aimed at people in the 25-to-44 age bracket. NPR already is test- ing ideas and plans to roll out the program on some stations in September.

is a tre- mendous success and a daily priority for millions of Ameri- cans, but one size fit all when it comes to news and infor- NPR Chief Executive Ken Stern said. 25-to-44 age group is underserved by the media and seeking smart, thoughtful content relevant to their The program is intended not only for public radio stations that presently carry but also at those that do: They will be able to run it on digital channels and their websites. It will also be available on satellite radio. Margulies Broadway has big holiday take The holidays have been very good to Broadway, according to final figures released Wednesday by the League of American Theatres and Producers. The week between Christmas and New resulted in a to- tal gross of $29.1 million for 30 shows.

up from $25.2 mil- lion for the last week of 2005. At- tendance climbed to 314,310, jumping from 283,923 the previ- ous year. But then ticket prices have been inching up steadilytoo, with the regular top ticket price of $111.25 for most musicals dur- ing 2006 now being breached. In a class by itself last week was which set a Broadway record, taking in more than $1.8 million at the Gershwin Theatre. From the Associated Press Jamie White to end host job Jamie nearly nine- year run as a morning host at KYSR-FM (98.7) came to an end Wednesday with the announce- ment that the Jack and would not be re- turning.

In a news release, the station said that 98.7 manage- ment decided that the show is not a long-term fit with the mu- sic-intensive, artist-driven direc- tion that began last White had been teamed with Jack Hine and Mike Roberts on the talk and interview show since mid-2005. She previously partnered with Danny Bona- duce for six years and before that with Frosty Stillwell and Frank Kramer. The station said it would an- nounce plans for the morning show the coming White was involved in an on- air argument with KFI-AM (640) host Bill Handel last month that resulted in Handel being sus- pended for using obscene, threatening language. Manage- ment said that incident played no part in its decision. Margulies FINALLY Hosting gig: Mario Lopez, the actor who was a runner-up on With the will host the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas on Jan.

29. More Hannity: Sean Hanni- ty, already a regular presence on Fox News Channel as co-host of is adding a solo gig as host of the which will air Sundays at 6 p.m. beginning this weekend. Farewell: The teen drama O.C.” will end its run Feb. 22, Fox said Wednesday.

QUICK TAKES By Susan King Times Staff Writer HE feature films Miss Sun- and were nominated Wednesday by the Producers Guild of America for the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award. The organiza- tion has been one of the most reliable bellwethers for the best picture Oscar. Over the last 14 years only four films that win the Produc- ers Guild award Dollar and went on to receive the best picture Oscar. nomina- tions are likely to set the stage for a series of The guild, for exam- ple, has determined that all five of Miss Sun- credited producers do indeed deserve their cred- its.

Butbecause an Oscar rule stipulates only three producers can be nominated for best picture, the Acad- emy of Motion PictureArts and Sciences must overlook some of those namesif the film is nominated. The Producers Guild also nominated Age: The and for the pro- ducer of the year award in animated theatrical motion pictures. The five contenders for the David L. Wolper awardin long-form television are School and Nominees for the award in nonfiction television are Amazing Race With the and The Danny Thomas awardin episodic television comedy contenders are rested Your Name Is and Sopra- and are nominated for the Norman Felton award in episodic televisiondrama. Nominees for the pro- ducer of the year award in va- riety television are El- len DeGeneres Night With Conan Late Show With David Time With Bill and XX OlympicWinter Games: Opening Also scheduled to be hon- ored at the 18th annual Pro- ducers Guild of America Awards on Jan.

20 at the Hyatt Regency will be Ron Meyer (Milestone Award), Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (David O. Selznick Achieve- ment Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), Jerry Bruckheimer (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Tele- vision), Ken Ehrlich (Vision- ary Award) and Will Wright (Vanguard Award). The documentary In- convenient will be presented with the Stanley Kramer Award. susan.king@latimes.com MOVIES AND TELEVISION Producers list their nominees A guild whose best picture choice often wins the Oscar will award honors Jan. 20.

Steve Granitz WireImage.com TO BE HONORED: Ron Meyer will receive the Milestone Award from the Producers Guild. Where: The Bungalow Club, 7174 Melrose Ave. L.A. (323) 964-9494 When: 4 to 7 p.m. every other Sunday; upcoming classes Sunday, with model Zoetica Ebb, and Jan.

21, with Ruby White. Price: $10; $15 at reserved tables Info: www.myspace.com Dr. Anti-Art School.