Chefs are taking a torch to it

THERE was a time when a propane torch in a restaurant kitchen meant just one thing: creme brulee. Now, Los Angeles chefs are taking the torch to all sorts of dishes.

Pastry chef Jan Purdy finishes the coconut rice pudding with one at Senor Fred in Sherman Oaks.

“We use the torch to get a little caramelization,” she says. She also uses it toast the meringue on the lemon meringue tart at nearby Max restaurant. “You have a lot of control with the torch and it goes very fast,” she explains. “The broiler would give you the same effect. But you’d have to stand next to it and watch it, and the lemon curd would soften up.”

Toru Takenaka, chef at the nearly 3-month-old Wa, a Japanese spot on La Cienega, created the T.T. roll of crab meat, smelt eggs, asparagus, red onion and avocado surrounded by rice and wrapped in raw salmon. “We add a little sake and soy sauce for flavor,” he says, “then we torch it. This way, the outside is warm and the inside is cold. It’s a very interesting texture and taste.”

Takenaka took to the torch at Matsuhisa, where he used to work. “They have a very small sushi bar, and sometimes we’d like something a little seared,” he says. Rob Lucas, the head sushi chef at Koi, a trendy Asian place on La Cienega, uses a torch on three items: the toro with garlic soy, the jumbo sea scallops with lemon and the Kobe beef sushi.

“You’re not doing it for showmanship but for flavor,” Lucas says. Still, he admits, “When you bring out the torch, people stop and watch and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ ”

At Musha, a Japanese pub-style place with locations in Santa Monica and Torrance, executive chef Tora Fukui goes to the table to torch mackerel, which has been marinated whole in salt and then rice vinegar. A foot-long jet of flame turns the fish’s skin charcoal black but barely cooks the delicate flesh. “Nowadays,” Koi’s Lucas says, “you can use a torch for whatever.”

-- Leslee Komaiko

Small bites

* Stephan Samson, who has cooked at several of Piero Selvaggio’s restaurants, most recently Posto in Sherman Oaks, is taking over executive chef duties at Valentino in Santa Monica. Former executive chef Angelo Auriana is heading north to open his own place in Sacramento, tentatively called Masque. Don’t expect drastic changes. Samson will be introducing his own daily specials as well as a tasting menu. But otherwise, it’s Valentino as usual.

Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 829-4313.

* Brooke Williamson, who left Zax in Brentwood to open a catering business, is back in the restaurant game. She and Nick Roberts, her partner and former sous-chef at Zax, are opening Amuse Cafe on July 2, in the old railroad bunkhouse that used to be Table in Venice. Amuse will serve breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Monday and dinner Thursday to Sunday. “Little plates” such as sweet pork ribs with crispy leek and scallion salad will be offered through the afternoon.

Amuse Cafe, 769 Main St., Venice, (310) 450-1956.

* There’s a new Real Food Daily. The popular vegan eatery, with locations in West Hollywood and Santa Monica, has opened an outpost in Beverly Hills, in the former A Votre Sante space. The menus at all three RFDs are the same and now feature nachos as well as mac and cheese -- dairy-free, of course.

Real Food Daily, 242 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 858-0880.