When I think of Coast, the chichi oceanfront restaurant at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, BBQ is not the first thing that comes to mind. But Thursday is Blues & BBQ night, and for $25, you can gorge on an appetizer of spicy chilled “peel ‘n eat” shrimp with cocktail sauce and an entree of ribs, chicken leg and thigh, brisket and sausage, with a side of coleslaw and cornbread — all accompanied by live music (albeit a rather sedate form of background blues).

This is hardly your typical down-home BBQ. When I was there on a recent Thursday, Cindy Crawford sat at a table nearby with her husband and kids. We had a view of the ocean. It was lovely. And messy, too. Initially, I felt uncomfortable peeling the shrimp with my hands and tried doing it with a knife and fork. After several minutes of struggling with a single shrimp, I grew resigned to the fact that I’d have to get over myself and get my hands dirty to enjoy this little meat fest. And, I actually did enjoy it. The ribs were moist and tender, the brisket nice and smoky. I definitely like my sauce to crank up the heat more, but overall, it wasn’t half bad, especially for the price. You’ll probably drop more dough at the hipster dive Baby Blues BBQ in Venice, which just opened its second outpost in WeHo.

Call it recession chic. Even at upscale joints, bargains are in. Extravagance is out. At least, expensive extravagance is out. Shutters is still pouring champagne, but you won’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy. The hotel is offering Champagne Wednesdays in the lobby lounge every week from 5 p.m. until midnight. You can sample a selection of luxury champagnes — a flight of five, in fact — and hors d’oeuvres for $30. It’s $25 for just champagne without the hors d’oeurves, but for that price, why would you skip the food part of these sample pairings: Canard-Duchene Brut paired with Duck Prosciutto and Fig Marmalade topped with Black Pepper; Henroit Blanc Souvrain paired with Charentais Melon, Blue Vein Cheese and Pickled Cherry; or Villa Sandi DOC Valdobbiandene Cuvee complimented by White Anchovies with basil and cured lemons? Now that sounds more like Shutters. Typically pricey spots are obviously doing whatever it takes to lure customers back. It seems to be working, and I suspect these deals won’t last long. So take advantage while you can. – Jenny

I’m not positive this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke, but it falls into the category of too weird not to share. The Patina Spotlight Café will be serving a lunch of spam tacos and mead tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1 at the “SPAMapalooza” event in downtown L.A. at Music Center Plaza.  The Center Theatre Group is hosting the canned, salty meat event from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in honor of the first day of ticket sales for the musical Spamalot. There will also be killer rabbit throwing, cow tossing and can o’ Spam scavenger hunt. You can get two tacos for $3, or three tacos for $5. Confession: I loved SPAM sandwiches as a kid. My best friend who was half Filipino used to make them for me all the time. Hey, if it’s good enough for Obama, why not?

Patina Spotlight Café, 125 N. Grand Ave. Click here for more details.

Tender Greens West Hollywood, 8759 Santa Monica Blvd., 310-385-1919.

Photo of China Beach from Yelp

I must have walked past China Beach Vietnamese Bistro dozens of times without going in. It’s an unassuming little spot right next door to a corner liquor store and across the street from the Canal Club in Venice. I have always wondered whether it could be one of those divey, under-the-radar finds. Given that I live only a couple blocks away and have never heard any of my neighbors talk about it or seen any of them in there, I didn’t have high hopes. Still, you never know. Vic and I wanted to try something different, and we didn’t want to have to get in the car. I looked the place up on Yelp, and the reviews were unusually mixed, a five-star review, followed by a one star, averaging three overall. I asked my sister, a fellow Venetian, if she’d been there, and she said the soups were OK. So we decided to check it out.

I honestly wish we hadn’t. We spent only $22 on dinner, and it still feels like we were cheated. One Yelper had raved about the five spiced chicken so I ordered a plate that also included a fried egg, a salad and some rice. Vic ordered chicken pho, which is the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup. I must confess, Vietnamese is probably my least favorite of all the Asian cuisines I’ve tried. I have happily eaten my way through China, Thailand and Cambodia, and I’m a fan of Japanese, Korean, Indian, Singaporean, Malaysian and, occasionally, Filipino cuisine. Vietnamese food has always seemed a bit bland in comparison. There are exceptions, such as the excellent pho (tripe and all) at Pho Hua in Mountain View, Calif., or even the nice bowl of chicken pho I had earlier this year at a place named Absolutely Phobulous (seriously) when I was stuck in Encino after a meeting. But even when I lived just a couple blocks away from a Vietnamese neighborhood in Chicago, I only ate there two or three times, and in more than a decade in So Cal, I have never made the drive to the OC for the best stuff in the LA area.

Regardless of whether you’re a Vietnamese food buff or a novice, though, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could enjoy the chicken I was served. I don’t know what gives chicken that rubbery quality. Overcooking, maybe? Whatever it is, they have mastered the technique at China Beach. The chicken must not have been made to order because it came out in about about 5-10 minutes. The menu described the chicken as falling off the bone, but I had a hard time tearing the tough meat free. The side salad was basically bland iceberg lettuce with some carrot slices. The rice was … well … a pile of plain white rice. Vic wasn’t as unhappy with his pho. He described it as “standard” and “passable.” When I tasted it, the broth seemed too sweet, but he didn’t seem to mind.

In case you are thinking of checking it out for yourself, be forewarned, the tiny parking lot is a nightmare. There’s almost no way to head south when exiting that little lot. You’re better off parking somewhere else and walking. Better yet, take my advice and skip it altogether. It’s not worth the hassle. — Jenny

Of course, I did complain about the sub-par chow the first week, and the new Hinman chef and his bosses at Sodexo provided a lame excuse. They told me a “rogue chef” had been at the helm in prior years. His crime? “He tried to make the food too good,” they said. Believe me, this so-called rogue chef was no Thomas Keller, but, apparently, people forced to eat at other cafeterias complained. So instead of raising standards elsewhere, they lowered them at Hinman. Bureaucratic brilliance at its best.

The entrees for lunch one day looked like a menu for a C-rated restaurant called Carbotopia: potato burritos, corn dogs, popcorn, cauliflower and Mexican rice. That was it. The only green vegetable was in a bowl on display amidst this carbo-loading wasteland. A week later, I actually had to call the Evanston Health Department after finding bugs crawling on my breakfast berries. (My apologies to those who just lost their appetites.) Northwestern officials weren’t too happy with me for going “outside the system” to complain. So I told them, “Surely you aren’t opposed to any effort to protect the health and safety 88 minors?” Needless to say, that was my last breakfast at Hinman. They reimbursed me for the unused portion of my meal plan and let me eat elsewhere.

I’d like to thank a handful of Evanston restaurants that helped me through this culinary abyss. Evanston, the suburb on Chicago’s northern border, is not exactly a foodie haven — at least not since Grant Achatz left Trio to start Alinea. But there are a few down-home joints that seemed like nirvana compared to what I had been enduring.

Olive Mountain: This unassuming Middle Eastern restaurant is an old favorite. It has some of the tastiest hummus I have tried in a while — loaded with olive oil, sumac, parsley and spicy lemon juice on top. I can also recommend the pureed lentil soup, the couscous salad packed with veggies, and the combo platter of kifta kabobs, beef and shish taouk with vegetables and yellow Middle Eastern rice. Don’t expect much in the way of atmosphere. There’s a cheesy chandelier and pink and aqua tables. But the service is terrific. The staff is friendly and attentive, and the food is delicious, unpretentious and cheap. Lunch specials are $5.95 to $8.25 for an entree, beverage and your choice of hummus, falafel, Lebanese salad or soup.

Joy Yee’s: Having lived in L.A. for more than a decade, I was a little skeptical about trying Asian food in Evanston — especially at a restaurant that featured Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Korean dishes. But Larry Yee (no relation), a Chinese student from San Francisco who attended the program last year, had raved about it, and I was seriously jonesing for some noodles. Plus, Joy Yee’s had just reopened after a long renovation and was filled with Asian diners when I walked by. The walls were painted bright yellow, and the modern, web-like plastic chairs were not exactly inviting, but it turned out to be a perfect lunch spot. The menu read like a novel. I finally settled on some Udon noodle soup with soft shell scrab. The crab batter was a bit thick for my taste, but the soup came in a huge bowl with fresh bok choy, carrots and mushrooms. The noodles were thick and slippery. The broth was delicious.  It really hit the spot. (Later in the month, when I ordered the same soup for delivery late at night, the broth was overly salty. Perhaps it had been sitting too long.) I also tried the lemongrass chicken and noodles, which was served with green peppers. Solid dish, but nothing to write home about. My favorite discovery, however, was the fresh fruit smoothies, served with tapioca balls. The smoothies were amazing. I tried multiple combinations of mango, lychee, strawberries, coconut and bananas. They’re served at a counter with shimmering rainbow tiles. Maybe the name carries the power of suggestion, but Joy Yee’s really did make me happy.

Union Pizzeria: This new place is a bit out of place in Evanston. Or perhaps it’s a sign of the “new” Evanton — home to skyscraper condos and loads of yuppies. Union has a decidedly urban feel with a large warehouse space, exposed brick walls, high ceilings, chic hanging light fixtures over the bar and modern couches in the lounge. If you live in Chicago, Union is probably not worth the drive, but for Evanston, it’s nice to have a place that could be at home in LA or New York, too. There’s a wood-burning oven that serves nine different pizzas. I tried most of them and can recommend the sausage, sweet pepper, onion and Sicilian oregano, as well as the mushroom with bechamel, fontina and sage. The pizzas don’t rival the ones in Rome or at Mozza. But it’s a really nice change from the huge quiche-like, Chicago-style pies from Giordano’s. The Baccala of pureed salt cod, potato, cream and garlic was sinfully rich. And for health nuts, the white wine-braised Tuscan kale is also a winner. Service can be really slow, but there’s a strong beer and wine list, and this is a nice place to chill for a glass at the start or end of an evening. It is open late, at least by Evanston standards. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union was founded there, and Evanston was a “dry” until the 70s. So Union is certainly a sign of progress.

Despite these bright spots, I have probably never been so happy to be home. — Jenny

Here’s a look at the “Recession Concessions” menu choices:

Appetizers
Local baby oak lettuces with feta, roasted beets, sweet onions, black olive oil
Pan-roasted baby broccoli with confit potatoes, flaked salt cod and parsley hollandaise
Kobe beef carpaccio with celery root salad, treviso and truffle aioli

Entrees
Grilled baby chicken on short rib hash and cipollini onion jus
Olive oil poached sea trout with shaved artichoke salad and caramelized onion mash
Estancia grass fed rib eye with pea tendrils, potato puree, roasted baby carrots and pearl onions

Desserts
Vanilla panna cotta with honeyed blueberries
Dulce de leche chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream

Table 8, 7661 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 323-782-8258.