Restaurants

The restaurants listed below are classified first by area and then by price, using the following categories: Very Expensive, dinner from $75 per person; Expensive, dinner from $50 per person; Moderate, dinner from $35 per person; and Inexpensive, dinner from $20 per person. These categories reflect prices for an appetizer, main course, dessert, and glass of wine.

L.A.'s Best Sushi & Stir-Fried Crickets

If you want to start a heated argument with L.A.'s foodies, just claim that you know where the best sushi in the city is served. Well, let the tongue-fu begin, because I'm claiming that The Hump (tel. 310/313-0977; www.typhoon-restaurant.com) serves L.A.'s best. If I'm ever on death row, I want my last meal to be a giant plate of sushi prepared by these master chefs. Much of the seafood here is flown in daily from Tokyo's Tsukijii and Fukuoka fish markets in oxygen-filled containers and is so fresh that the management had to put a sign at the entrance to warn the faint-of-heart from sitting at the sushi bar. Why? Because much of what they slice is still moving. (When they cut the tails off the feisty giant sweet shrimp, they line up the flailing torsos conga-line style -- it's like a macabre death dance.) The specialties here are the dengaku (stuffed eggplant and avocado with seafood and miso sauce), live baby squid, live whitefish served in martini glass with a vinegary broth, hairy crab, live red snapper, and the most tender, flavorful baby hamachi I've ever had (and I live for hamachi). If you want to dine Ozzie-style, order the $220 snapping turtle (the blood goes well with a rich cabernet or port), the snake sake (yes, there's a snake in the bottle), and the blowfish (it's to die for). If the menu's all Greek to you, say "omakase" and get ready for a chef's choice seven-course seafood adventure.

Directly below The Hump is the much larger Typhoon (tel. 310/390-6565; www.typhoon-restaurant.com), a very popular and high-energy Pan-Asian restaurant where stir-fried Taiwanese spicy crickets, dried Manchurian ants, and Thai-style crispy white sea worms punctuate a family-style menu filled with less exotic fare from throughout Southeast Asia, most in the $7 to $12 range.

Both restaurants are located on the second and third floors of the airport's administration building at 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd. in Santa Monica. Call or visit the websites for direction and hours.

The Sturgeon King, Take 2

New Yorkers suffering L.A. culture shock can seek comfort food on the fifth floor of the Barneys New York department store in Beverly Hills. The elevator doors open and voilà -- a Barney Greengrass on the Left Coast. This authentic -- and expensive -- New York deli not only air-delivers their renowned smoked sturgeon and Nova Scotia salmon direct from the Big Apple, but it has even bejeweled the swanky lunch spot with subway-style tiles. You'll have to move quickly to get a coveted table on the outdoor terrace -- all those power lunchers from the entertainment industry won't hesitate. The raison d'être dishes here are the Nova Scotia salmon (or sturgeon) scrambled with eggs and onion, cheese blintzes, and chopped chicken liver sandwiches -- all washed down with New York-style seltzer water on tap. It's open Sunday to Wednesday from 9am to 6pm, and Thursday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm. 9570 Wilshire Blvd. (at Camden Dr.), Beverly Hills. tel. 310/777-5877.

Dining in the Dark

Imagine dining at a restaurant where your entire meal -- bread, salad, entree, desert, wine -- is served in complete darkness. The pitch kind, where you can't see the person you're talking to you or your hand in front of your face. It's called Dining in the Dark, a nouveau European dining trend where specially trained blind or sight-impaired waitstaff serve three-course meals in a pitch-black dining room. Brought to the U.S. for the first time by German entrepreneur Ben Uphues, this highly entertaining event starts in a lighted lobby at the Hyatt West Hollywood, where you select your dinner and drinks from a set menu, then you're introduced and escorted by your waiter to the darkened dining room. It's a bit eerie and awkward at first (I buttered my hand more than once), but we were surprised at how quickly our other senses kicked into overdrive to make up for our loss of vision. Granted, the first few attempts at getting my Moroccan-barbecued salmon from fork to mouth were comical, but once I got my bearings I was pouring wine and sharing bites with aplomb. From the laughter emanating throughout the darkened dining room it appeared everyone else was enjoying their sightless experience as well. The evening isn't cheap -- $99 per person, not including gratuity and drinks -- but I guarantee this will be a dining experience that you'll never forget. It takes places most Friday and Saturday nights; for more information, log onto www.darkdining.com, or call tel. 800/710-1270.

Hallelujah!: A Brunch Worth Singing About

Have mercy and say "Hallelujah!" for the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues (8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; www.hob.com). For more than a decade, it's been a Sunday tradition at the HOB to feed both the body and soul with inspiring gospel performances and heaping plates of all-you-can-eat Southern home cookin'. Every week different gospel groups from around the region perform uplifting and energetic music that invariably gets the crowd on its feet and raising the roof. Seatings are every Sunday at 10am and 1pm. Tickets are $40, including tax and gratuity, and are available only through the HOB Sunset Strip box office; call tel. 323/848-5100.

Star Search: The Ivy League

If you're searching for incognito celebrities dining among us common folk, casually stroll past the elevated sidewalk patio at The Ivy, 113 N. Robertson Blvd. (between 3rd St. and Beverly Blvd.), West Hollywood, around 1pm. On a sunny day the odds are good (though the goods may be odd). If that doesn't pan out, walk over to The Palm, 9001 Santa Monica Blvd. (between Doheny Dr. and Robertson Blvd.), West Hollywood, and order a Coca-Cola at the bar followed by a long, leisurely trip to the risqué bathroom.

Universal City

There are more than three dozen dining choices at Universal Studios, including those in Universal CityWalk. But just in case you need respite from the frenzied theme park atmosphere, we've also included some of our favorite San Fernando Valley restaurants that are within easy driving distance of Universal Studios.

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Maps

• Where to Dine in Santa Monica & the Beaches
• Where to Dine in Santa Monica & the Beaches
• Where to Dine in L.A.'s Westside & Beverly Hills
• Where to Dine in L.A.'s Westside & Beverly Hills
• Where to Dine in the Hollywood Area
• Where to Dine in the Hollywood Area
• Where to Dine in the Downtown Area
• Where to Dine in the Downtown Area
• Where ot Dine in the Pasadena Area
• Where to Dine in the Pasadena Area

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Los Angeles 2008 Author: Matthew Richard Poole Pub Date: October 01, 2007 Price: $16.99				Related Titles: A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country California For Dummies, 4th Edition Frommer's California 2008