A pleasant find

Los Angeles, December 20, 2016—

WE BROKE THE DRIVE at the halfway point, here in Los Angeles, and booked into yet another cheap but not too cheap motel. Sleep Cheap that you may Eat Dear, I always say. But where to eat? Particularly when we don't really want a very substantial dinner, after last night's feast?

The Contessa did a little research and found a nearby place that looked promising. Big spacious room; nicely upholstered banquette with a corner table allowing us to eat side by side. Pleasant hostess. And look at this, a cocktail I've never heard of called, of all things, the Eastside!

I had to start with that, of course: gin, lime juice, simple syrup, mint, cucumber. A summertime cocktail, no doubt, but a nice mouth-freshener even at the winter solstice, especially here in LaLaLand.

We split an ordinary but nicely dressed green salad; then I went on to coq au vin. This is bistro fare and, to my way of thinking, wintertime bistro fare, and though the red-wine component could have been heartier (and more French) the chicken was tasty and perfectly cooked; the pearl onions and carrots present in just the right proportion, and the tiny mushrooms — I forgot to ask what variety — extremely fresh and flavorful. •Mike & Anne's Restaurant, 1040 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California; +1 (626) 799-7199

☛RESTAURANTS VISITED, with information and rating: 2016
(2015 restaurants)