california

New books out for camping and hiking

BERKELEY Growing up, Heather Menicucci's idea of a great vacation was a bed-and-breakfast with her mom or an oceanfront condo rental with her dad. When she was old enough to plan her own trips, she picked happening cities like L.A. and London.

But her new book, "Let's Get Primitive: Urban Girl's Guide to Camping" (Ten Speed Press, $14.95) describes her transformation from a lipstick-wearing, bug-fearing diva to an expert on backcountry camping. The book includes entertaining anecdotes and lots of advice, including suggestions for gear that will make your camp-outs more pleasant like sleeping pads, headlamps, and a water purifier, along with more common items ranging from tin foil and paper towels to a roll of duct tape for emergency repairs, DEET bug repellant and a lighter.

Other books out this season on camping and hiking include "The Great American Camping Cookbook" by Scott Cookman (Broadway Books, $17.95), which offers "grub lists" (hint: don't forget the bacon); recipes for johnnycake (originally known as "journey cake" because it was a travelers' staple), great "camp coffee"; bannock, a pancake-type bread made in a greased skillet; panfried fish; baked beans; and soups.

For families, "Monsters In The Woods: Backpacking with Children" by Tim Hauserman (University of Nevada Press, $15.95) tells you what you do and don't need to bring (again, duct tape is recommended as a must-have, and dehydrated or freeze-dried food will be lighter to carry than canned). It also offers advice for backpacking with infants and toddlers (such as dealing with diapers on the trail, and staying home if the weather is bad). A section on avoiding bears suggests sleeping in a different place from where you cooked dinner.

new york

Magazine lists its top spots to eat

NEW YORK Lazy weekends, outdoor cafes and daylight past 8 p.m.

The kids are away at camp and it's too hot to cook at home anyway.

Something about summer makes the thought of eating out especially inviting.

The June issue of Bon Appetit magazine lists 10 restaurants as "summer's hot spots," new foodie destinations around the country. Prices range from $10 pizzas at Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles to the $54 and $67 prix fixe menus at Bijoux in Dallas.

Here's a sampling:

n Momofuku Ssam Bar, 207 Second Ave., New York City, http://www.momofuku.com, a "shoebox-size noodle joint" in Manhattan's East Village with an adventuresome menu that includes artisanal hams, grilled mackerel, pork steamed buns and tripe soup.

n Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, 641 N. Highland Ave., and 6602 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; http://www.mozza-la.com. The magazine calls Pizzeria Mozza "the buzziest and busiest restaurant to hit Los Angeles in the past decade." A bigger Italian restaurant, Osteria Mozza, will eventually open next door.

n Tavolata, 2323 Second Ave., Seattle, a casual Italian eatery with updated versions of hearty dishes like cannelloni, baked semolina gnocchi and veal carpaccio.

n Bijoux, 5450 West Lovers Lane, Suite 225, Dallas, http://www.bijouxrestaurant.com, where Bon Appetit recommends the pan-seared prawns with tempura-battered squid and chorizo, plus pumpkin sweets for dessert.

n Osteria, 640 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, http://osteriaphilly.com, which Bon Appetit describes as having "soulful Italian cooking" including pizzas, pastas, porchetta, spaghetti lobster and house-made gelato.

n Ad Hoc, 6476 Washington St., Yountville, Calif. (Napa Valley), originated as a temporary space where chef Thomas Keller could serve "comfort food family-style with a rustic-four course prix fixe menu, priced at $45." Bon Appetit says he only planned to keep the place open six months, but it's been too big of a success to close. Try the buttermilk and rosemary fried chicken with green beans and sweet potatoes.

HAWAII

Hulihee Palace restoration to start

KAILUA-KONA The funding is lined up, the restoration plan is complete and Hulihee Palace officials are hopeful work to repair damage from the Oct. 15 earthquakes can begin within months.

It likely will take a year, and $1.5 million, to restore the state and national historic landmark, which sits on Kailua Bay on the Big Island and houses a collection of Hawaiian artifacts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has committed to picking up 75 percent of the cost, and the state, which owns the land and building, will cover the remainder, but there have been some private donations to the effort as well.

Glenn Mason, a historic architect and president of Honolulu-based Mason Architects Inc., said the building "was one of the very earliest in Hawaii." The six-room building was built in 1838 of lava rock, coral mortar, stucco and plaster.

When the walls were last replastered, sometime in the past century, the mixture contained cement, which was less forgiving than the original materials.

Almost every corner of the palace has extensive cracks, and other plaster and molding damage. Huge cracks extend up the exterior of the south wall and along the interior walls from the ground up to the second-floor ceiling.

Mason said work will include reinforcement and preventive measures.

The Associated Press