can you feel the heat? no we're not talking about the warm LA winter. we're clocking in, having some joe and wrapping it up with this month's resto picks:

clocking in.
longing for your favorite left bank brasserie? watch for ex-bastide chef alain giraud to open his highly anticipated clock tower brasserie soon. expect traditional dishes like poulet de la roitisserie and seasonal ingreds straight from the nearby santa monica farmers' market. don't want to wait? take one of alain's cooking classes. 255 santa monica boulevard. between second and third street. no phone yet. www.alaingiraud.com


it's a wrap.
leave it to chef joachim splichal to do it again. at paperfish, he's using the french technique of baking fish in paper with veggies and herbs. want to skip the fancy prep? try steamed turbot with dried fruit couscous or an eggplant and oxtail tangine. It's already open for lunch this month, but you'll have to wait 'til january for din-din. 345 north maple drive. between west third and alden. 310.858.6030. www.patinagroup.com


leave it to june.
missing mom's old-fashioned desserts made from scratch? celebrated brentwood confectionery, susiecakes, is opening a new branch in calabasas this month. have your southern red velvet cake and eat it, too. 23653 calabasas road. near park granada. 818.591.2223. www.susiecakesla.com


choc full.
fill your antiox script at chocolatebox café. think of it as a sweet marriage of imported handmade chocs, a dessert café and a gelateria featuring handmade gelato flown in from verona, italy. take home ganache sweets infused with raspberry or pear, and get munching. 714 foothill boulevard. between hobbs and oakwood. 818.790.7918. www.chocolateboxcafe.com


cuppa joe.
get sliced, new york style. joe's pizza, a NYC institution, just rolled out in santa monica. crispy crusts and a good cheese-to-sauce ratio make you wonder if you're back in manhattan. 111 broadway. at ocean avenue. 310.395.9222. www.joespizza.com