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New chef in town, 25 years old, and easily passes for a matinee idol. Gabrieli Pizzementi’s been cooking these past six months at Amici Brentwood, that friendly and relaxing dining room that families love and where you may partake of a conversation without shouting. Owned and created by Tancredi Deluca, who we spotted as a restaurant star when he was managing Toscana many moons ago, Amici Brentwood found an immediate following from its inception.

Since Day One, Amici Brentwood’s remained a favorite of Westsiders these eight years. Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Gov. Arnold and Maria Shriver with their family, Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer, Sara and Cuba Gooding Jr., Peter Berg, Peter Gallagher. The Italian Cultural Institute often hosts parties with high praise for Gabrieli’s excellent and affordable Italian cuisine.

A native of Milan, where he attended culinary school for five years, Gabrieli’s cooked in Italy, Spain, Germany, and at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris. Six months ago, after cooking locally at Café Roma and Via Alloro, he took over the kitchen at Amici Brentwood. His requested dishes include linguine with langoustine, black squid and calamari; ravioli with ricotta and mortadella; branzino; Dover sole; T-bone steak. Also, his recent dessert of canoli Siciliano with its filling of cappucino-flavored ricotta and chocolate chips served with pistachio ice cream. We love the signature tomato soup, as well as the dairy-free vegetable soups du jour.

The serving staff is welcoming and comfortably low-key, notably Diego Corte and Giovanni Cappelaro, and on Monday and Tuesday evenings, manager Pietro Smargiassi (of the Roman coin profile) looks after the dining room. Other nights the popular Pietro attends to Tancredi’s Amici Americana in Glendale, the amazing mall created by The Grove’s Rick Caruso, who we wish will run for Mayor of L.A. After its opening last year, Amici Americana became an overnight success, and, of late, Tancredi’s launched the adjacent Deluca’s Deli, another winner.

Open weekdays for lunch and for dinner nightly, Amici Brentwood is at 26th Street and San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood. Valet parking. Telephone: (310) 260-4900.

Azure skies and leisurely warm weather arrive for August’s beloved season at the shore, with weekend parties enlivening the Malibu coastline. “No doubt that August is our ‘It’ month at the ocean,” avers producer Joel Briskin, who shares killer stories about Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.

Joel escorted Wallis Annenberg to Louise Danelian’s Hawaiian-themed soiree at her oceanfront domicile on La Costa Beach – Louise having recently sold her previous seaside residence to Oracle tycoon Larry Ellison. Lady Luck looks over Louise’s shoulder.

Wallis supervises the Walter Annenberg Foundation’s funding for the anticipated addition to our community, the Wallis Annenberg Cultural Center, that’s replacing the Beverly Hills Post Office location. Construction’s scheduled soon. Wallis had returned from a South Pacific holiday with family and friends on the Paul Gauguin luxury ship (of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises) that sails around Tahiti and the French Polynesian islands. The Paris-born artist and friend of Vincent Van Gogh, Gauguin, after attending a seminary, became bored with the bourgeois lifestyle of the Parisians. He found inspiration from the lush landscapes of Tahiti, where he painted his now-priceless canvases and where, legend persists, he sired a number of children.

For her tropical-themed party, Louise flew in fragrant plumeria leis from Honolulu, and The Hawaiian Experience trio strummed ukeleles while softly hamonizing with island favorites. A loyal friend through the decades and a dedicated philanthropist, Louise’s friendship and love are cherished by those who know her.

Louise lost her mom, Sirpuhe (Sirp) Conte, this year at age 99. Like Louise, Sirp’s joy came from giving and helping others, having presided over the family’s Philibosian Foundation, and funding countless charities. Sirp was among the pioneer backers of the Los Angeles Music Center. A brilliant businesswoman, and a savvy landowner, she prospected, years ago, more than 100 valuable acres in Malibu that she added to her real estate portfolio, with local billionaire tycoons (you know the names!) vying for her properties.

Like every experienced hostess, Louise is aware that the best parties need all ages, and her guest list included her musician grandson Andrew Smith with beauty Christine Grubb. Also, nieces Tina and Stephanie with husbands David Segel, the producer-distributor (The Stoning Of Soraya M), and Michael Landis, development director for the Eisenhower Medical Center. Tina and Stephanie are the daughters of Louise’s sister Joyce Stein and husband Joe, who are Louise’s Malibu and Palm Desert neighbors.

Louise’s daughter Leslie, an enthusiastic cook, prepared the delicious buffet of citrus chicken and grilled garlicky skirt steak. Her Sweet Butter Café will open in October on Ventura Boulevard at Matilija Avenue in Sheman Oaks. “Homemade soups and sandwiches and desserts,” says Leslie. “Our onion soup will be prepared the old-fashioned French way, simmering a long time.”

During dinner, Leslie’s husband, the tall and handsome Rick Berge, gave Leslie a helping hand, and met producer Michael Solomon and his beautiful Luciana Paluzzi, who appeared as villainess Fiona Volpe in the James Bond thriller Thunderball.

Guests included Phyllis Diller with Bernie Shine; Lulu Powers, who’s wed to photographer Stevie Danelian; David Worth; Sandra Crosby; Carol Lee Veitch; Rhino Records co-founder Harold Bronson; architect Michael Chasteen; our sexy-as-all-get-out Shera Danese Falk who’s more fun, as Buddy Hackett liked to joke, “than dancing naked on Mars.” Shera, who mothers eight dogs, informs that husband Peter Falk is comfortable.

Not only was Gary Pudney a guest at Louise’s tropical party, he and sister Judith Lawrence joined Louise the previous weekend when she hosted a birthday celebration for their houseguest, Dr. Edward Winthrop Wilson III, known as Trey. His patients call him Dr. Gorgeous. An Olympic swimmer and acclaimed dentist, Trey is recognized as an “American hero” by CNN for his charitable dentistry work in Kenya, Guatemala, Haiti.

On hand were Trey’s pals, the agent-manager Michael Black, always in the best spirits and who we wish we saw more of – Michael has killer Bette Davis stories, having been her apartment neighbor in West Hollywood. Bette was not an easy woman (we’ll share ourtales in another column). Also, Emmy and Oscar-winning writer-producer Steve Pouliot, who’ll be involved in Gary’s international production.

Gung-ho Gary’s produced specials on Princess Diana and for Monaco’s sports and TV Awards, and is in development conversations with Majan Consolidated in Oman about a proposed production of International Cultural Honors from the Sultanate of Oman for late 2011. He’s partnered with Emmy Award-winning producer Don Mischer in this effort to create an annual world-wide broadcast on achievement in the arts – the Nobel of Culture.