Los Angeles Restaurants Guide: Where To Eat in Los Angeles California

Spotlight

Los Angeles

Restaurants

Foodies love Los Angeles; after all, this is where Wolfgang Puck and an entire generation of chefs perfected the art of California cuisine, a cooking style marked by an interest in "fusion" (mixing disparate styles and ingredients to create exciting new dishes). But before "California cuisine" there was the humble French Dip Sandwich (yes, also invented here). We picked our favorites at both extremes and in between, from expensive to budget.

Starting on the expensive end of things is Ago (8478 Melrose Ave.; reservations recommended at 323/655-6333), in West Hollywood, an Italian neighborhood trattoria that doesn't rely on its celebrity backers (Robert DeNiro and the Weinstein brothers, of Miramax fame) for its notoriety – the brick-oven baked pizza is by far the best in town. Ago is not to be confused with Wolfgang Puck's famed Spago Beverly Hills (176 N. Canon Dr.; reservations recommended at 310/385-0880), the flagship restaurant in an empire that now spreads to your grocer's frozen food aisle. But Spago remains as fresh as ever thanks to signature menu items like handmade agnolotti with mascarpone, Chino Farms roasted beet layer cake, and Wolfgang's original veal weiner schnitzel. Also in Beverly Hills is the white-picket-fence enclosed The Ivy (113 N. Robertson Blvd.; reservations recommended; 310/274-8303), where Hollywood power players graze amid fresh flowers and rustic country-chic décor. Beyond prime celebrity spotting, the Ivy's comfort-food classics, like Caesar salads, crab cakes, Cajun prime ribs, and burgers, also make it a top spot for grazing on food, too. Another good splurge is the legendary Le Dome (8720 Sunset Blvd.), in West Hollywood, now back on the dining scene with a new menu featuring continental dishes with Italian, French, and Californian flair. The famous Le Dome salad overflows with avocado, shrimp hearts of palm, sweet onion, tomato, bell pepper, and iceberg lettuce topped with a mustard vinaigrette.

In the moderate range, consider getting some of the most authentic Thai food outside of Thailand at The Palms (5900 Hollywood Blvd.), in Hollywood. Don't let their speedy, tag-team service get you out the door before catching the Thai Elvis impersonator, who dresses up in a white jumpsuit and sings an Elvis medley every Wednesday through Sunday night. Also in the neighborhood is Cobras & Matadors (7615 W. Beverly Blvd.), which specializes in Spanish tapas (and hip 20-somethings); bring your own bottle of wine as they don't yet have a liquor license (luckily, a wine shop is located next door). If you have a yen for Jamaican Jerk Chicken, look no further than Cha Cha Cha (7953 Santa Monica Blvd.), which serves up contemporary Caribbean cuisine in a loud and lively tropical, albeit West Hollywood, setting. Adventurous chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken serve up seductive Latin flavors at downtown's Ciudad (445 S. Figueroa St.), which features authentic dishes (and inspired creations) from all over the Latin world, from Spain to Brazil, Puerto Rico to Guatemala, and Argentina to El Salvador. Some of the best traditional Japanese dishes in the city can be found at Ita-Cho (7311 Beverly Blvd.); the crispy Japanese fried chicken served with a tangy lemon mayonnaise is delicious.

This is where fast food was invented. So, needless to say, tasty cheap eats are plentiful. At any given hour of the day and well into the night, a crowded line snakes in front of Pink's (709 N. La Brea Ave.) hot-dog stand in Hollywood; they're probably all waiting for one of the cart's famous chili cheese dogs, which have been served up (almost) since Pink's inception in 1939. Another great place to find cheap eats with character is at the food stands in Hollywood's Farmer's Market (3rd Street and Fairfax Ave.), which sell everything from crepes to Cajun chicken to sushi to baba ghanouj. And finally, located downtown near Union Station, Philippe the Original (1001 N. Alameda St.), established by a French immigrant in 1908, has been serving the legendary French Dip Sandwich since 1918 (and the prices haven't changed all that much since then). And yes, the French Dip was invented here: Legend has it that Philippe was preparing a sandwich for a policeman when he accidentally dropped a sliced French roll into the drippings of a roasting pan. The policeman liked it so much that he came back the next day to order the sandwich "dipped."