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Best Dining Bets
The Most Unforgettable Dining Experiences
Grace (7360 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; tel. 323/934-4400): The best overall dining experience in Los Angeles. Iron Chef Neal Fraser was trained by America's finest chefs, and it shows (the foie gras served two ways alone is worth the trip). Sophisticated yet unpretentious, Grace is a splurge worth making.
Pizzeria Mozza & Osteria Mozza (641 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; tel. 323/297-0101; and 6602 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles tel. 323/297-0100): I would marry celeb-chef Nancy Silverton in a heartbeat just to have an excuse to never leave her two restaurants: Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza. Every time I eat here I spend the next few days dreamily contemplating how simple yet brilliant my meal was.
Koi (730 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; tel. 310/659-9449): The combination of soothing feng shui ambience and superb Asian fusion cuisine has made Koi one of the hottest restaurants in L.A. Hollywood's biggest celebrities -- George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, Lindsay Lohan, Demi and Ashton -- dine here often to nosh on addictive dishes such as baked crab rolls with edible rice paper and miso-bronzed black cod.
Saddle Peak Lodge (419 Cold Canyon Rd., Calabasas; tel. 818/222-3888): In L.A., a romantic restaurant is one without cellphone service (that would be in the hills above Malibu). This converted hunting lodge is quite the quixotic setting for a meaty meal for two. Candlelit tables, a crackling fireplace, and a Wine Spectator-award-winning wine list are sure bets for creating la mood d'amour.
The Little Door (8164 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles; tel. 323/951-1210): Consistently voted one of L.A.'s most romantic restaurants is this French/Mediterranean charmer hidden behind a little door on 3rd Street. Sit at the shaded patio among the fragrant bougainvillea while sipping champagne and you'd swear you're in Provence.
Beacon (3280 Helms Ave., Culver City; tel. 310/838-7500): Chef Kazuto Matsusaka serves Spago-quality Asian fusion at a fraction of the price at this humble Culver City hot spot. The warm crispy oysters in lettuce cups, stir-fried mushroom salad, and miso-marinated black cod are fantastic.
Mastro's Steakhouse (246 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills; tel. 310/888-8782): You'll find Fred Flintstone-size slabs of hand-cut USDA beef, oysters the size of your palm, and a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes mixed with sour cream, chives, bacon, and butter. God bless America.
La Cachette (10506 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City; tel. 310/470-4992): Jean François Meteigner, owner and executive chef of this tres romantique restaurant, is one of America's most influential French chefs, and his cuisine naturelle menu is full of flavor while 90% free of cream and butter.
The Hump (3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd., Santa Monica; tel. 310/313-0977): Claim a sushi bar as L.A.'s best -- and I think this is the best -- and you're sure to start an argument. The chefs at the Hump are deadly serious about their sushi: Flown in daily from Tokyo's Tsukiji and Fukuoka fish markets in oxygen-filled containers, it's so fresh that there's a sign at the entrance warning the faint-of-heart that the meat's still moving.
Restaurant Hama (213 Windward Ave., Venice; tel. 310/396-8783): It's the always-festive atmosphere that makes everyone feel welcome at this lively Japanese restaurant. Party along with the six cheery sushi chefs as they slice, dice, and drink many rounds of beers and sake. By closing time, everyone's singing along to "Hotel California."
Frida (236 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; tel. 310/278-7666): This Mexican restaurant's cuisine is so authentic the executive chef's ancestors are responsible for the recipes (the mole dishes alone are worth the drive over here). Bite into a handmade soft taco brimming with sautéed shrimp bathed in a dark, tangy pasilla-orange sauce, and you'll see what I mean.
Providence (5855 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; tel. 323/460-4170): Chef Michael Cimarusti serves the city's best seafood at this sleek, modern newcomer. I didn't even know I liked sea urchin until I tasted Michael's masterpieces.
House of Blues Gospel Brunch (8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; tel. 323/848-5100): For more than a decade the HOB has hosted a raucous Sunday brunch that's simmering with high-energy gospel music and all-you-can-eat Southern home cookin'. It's a booty-shaking brunch.
Best Dining Bets
Best Places for a Power Lunch: Between 12:30 and 2pm, industry honchos swarm like locusts to a handful of watering holes du jour. Actors, agents, lawyers, and producers flock to perennial favorites the Ivy, 113 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/274-8303), and to the L.A. branch of New York's venerable the Palm, 9001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/550-8811), a steakhouse where the food is impeccable and the conversations read like dialogue from Entourage.
Best Old-School Diner: Stand in line for one of the city's best hamburgers at the Apple Pan, 10801 Pico Blvd., West L.A. (tel. 310/475-3585). Choose from the "steakburger" or the saucy "hickory burger" -- though regulars know to get extra hickory sauce on the side (for french-fry dipping). The wallpaper at this beloved family-run cottage on the busy Westside looks like it dates from the opening day in 1947.
Best View: The Restaurant at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., West L.A. (tel. 310/440-6810), has an in-the-clouds locale that makes for postcard views when the L.A. sky is smog-free. Reservations are a must, even for lunch (served Tues-Sun); dinner is served only on Friday and Saturday, when the museum is open late. Make reservations online at www.getty.edu.
Best "Old Hollywood" Restaurant: Haunted by the ghosts of Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway -- who drank here during their screenwriting days -- Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood (tel. 323/467-7788), is virtually unchanged since 1919. The atmosphere urges you to order a martini and chicken potpie. Listen to the longtime waitstaff wax nostalgic about the days when Hollywood Boulevard was still fashionable and Orson Welles held court at Musso's.
Best Spot for People-Watching: Nowhere in L.A. is better for people-watching than Venice's Ocean Front Walk, and no restaurant offers a better seat for the action than the Sidewalk Cafe, 1401 Ocean Front Walk, Venice (tel. 310/399-5547). Unobstructed views of parading skaters, bikers, skateboarders, musclemen, break dancers, street performers, sword swallowers, and other participants in the daily carnival overshadow the food, which is a whole lot better than it needs to be.
Best Spots for Celebrity Sighting: You'll always find well-known faces frequenting Hollywood hot spots, the most sizzling of which is Katsuya Hollywood, 6300 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles (tel. 323/871-8777), the current fave of Lindsay Lohan, Janet Jackson, Nick Lachey, and so on. The Hump, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/313-0977), is a little-known Santa Monica Airport sushi bar where Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Phil Jackson make regular appearances. Other celebrity hangouts include Pizzeria Mozza, 641 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles (tel. 323/297-0101); Mastro's Steakhouse, 246 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/888-8782); Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian hotel, 8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 323/848-6000); the Ivy, 133 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/274-8303); and, of course, Spago Beverly Hills, 176 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/385-0880).
Best Alfresco Dining: You'll find that more and more Los Angeles restaurants are eager to create appealing outdoor seating, even if it means placing bistro tables along a busy sidewalk. One of my favorites is the garden patio at the Little Door, 8164 W. 3rd St. (tel. 323/951-1210), one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. A more affordable way to enjoy a meal outdoors is to stroll Sunset Boulevard around Sunset Plaza Drive. There are at least a half-dozen sidewalk cafes -- and the people-watching is some of the best in the city.
Best Wine List: Year after year, plenty of other restaurants offer thoughtfully chosen vintages, but no one comes close to toppling Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/829-4313; www.welovewine.com), which still boasts L.A.'s best cellar and is continually honored with Wine Spectator's highest ratings.
Best California Cuisine: At chef/owner Michael McCarty's eponymous Santa Monica restaurant Michael's, 1147 3rd St., Santa Monica (tel. 310/451-0843), the creative dishes with fresh ingredients at this perennial favorite make it clear why McCarty is considered an originator of California cuisine.
Best Italian Cuisine: I'm going to raise some local eyebrows here and go with Locanda del Lago, 231 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica (tel. 310/451-3525), a heavily touristed restaurant at a Santa Monica shopping mall that specializes in cuisine from Northern Italy's Lombardy region. Until someone serves a better house-made whole-wheat pappardelle tossed in a duck ragout, I'm sticking with the boys from Lombardy.
Best Mexican Cuisine: They may not be Mexican, but Too Hot Tamales Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger traveled deep into Mexico to absorb regional tastes and aromas, and returned with secret ingredients and kitchen savvy to pass on to their patrons at the Border Grill, 1445 4th St., Santa Monica (tel. 310/451-1655). I'm also a huge fan of the authentic Mexican cuisine at Frida, 236 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/278-7666).
Best Afternoon Tea: Surrounded by botanical gardens, the tearoom at the Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino (tel. 626/683-8131), is truly an oasis. The Huntington, located in a wealthy residential area near Pasadena, has the added appeal of pre- and post-tea activities, such as strolling the theme gardens, viewing the art gallery or library, and visiting the bookstore/gift shop. The moderately priced tea ($13) is buffet-style, so you can stuff yourself with fresh-baked scones, finger sandwiches, and strawberries with thick Devonshire cream.
Best Value: Former mayor Richard Riordan's the Original Pantry, 877 S. Figueroa St., Downtown (tel. 213/972-9279), stays open 24 hours a day, serving up large plates of traditional American comfort food (meatloaf, coleslaw, ham 'n' eggs) that won't win any culinary awards but offers some of the best values in town (you won't leave hungry, that's for sure). Far more upscale but equally value-oriented is Joe's Restaurant, 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice (tel. 310/399-5811).
Best Noshing (While Standing): Open since 1917, Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Downtown (tel. 213/624-2378), is L.A.'s largest and oldest food hall, selling everything from fresh bread, local and exotic produce, and fresh fruit juice, to smoked meats, Chinese noodles, and chili.
Best for Late-Night Dining: On the theory that later is better, our vote goes to Toi on Sunset, 7505 1/2 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (tel. 323/874-8062), and its sister, Toi on Wilshire, 1120 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/394-7804). You'll never feel like the last patron at these places -- they're open until 4am and 3am respectively -- and the terrific Thai food will give your fading brain a spicy kick.
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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