A LITTLE ROMANCE

With all the clatter that accompanies most modern restaurants, it’s nice to know that there are still some places where you can get a quiet table in the corner. When you’re in the mood for hearts and flowers (and when price is no object), you might want to consider these recently reviewed, extremely romantic restaurants (prices are for two, without wine, tax or tip). BEL-AIR HOTEL, 701 Stone Canyon Road, Bel-Air (213) 472-1211. It’s hard not to be charmed by the Bel-Air’s beauty: walking across the little stone bridge, one can see picturesque ducks and swans floating regally on the water. The dining room is soft and pretty--all tones of peach, the walls lined with tasteful prints--but the menu is a shock: salmon comes grilled with garlic cream, buckwheat linguine and caviar; duck is roasted Peking-style to perfection; even the vegetable side dishes are interesting. Equally enticing are the cracked crab and caviar, the rack of lamb, the filet of beef and the very good grilled chicken. The service is so smooth it makes you feel well-dressed, even if you aren’t. Open from 7 a.m.--10:30 p.m., Mon.--Sun. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $60-110.

LE BEL AGE RESTAURANT, Le Bel Age Hotel, 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., W. Hollywood (213) 854-1111. Le Bel Age is so luxurious it makes you feel wicked. In this rosy little world, people look more gracious, move more slowly and eat with serious sensuality. Soft music envelops you as you sink into the overstuffed pink banquettes; the “Franco-Russian” food is rich, the service obsequious. Feel guilty if you must, but order the five-course dinner (if you insist, you can order a la carte). The $45 prix-fixe meal contains an assortment of caviars, a piece of very pink foie gras , the restaurant’s pride, the coulibiac (a sort of voluptuous fish Wellington), and medallions of veal topped with duxelles (minced mushrooms). This is a restaurant for unbridled hedonism. Dinner, 6--10:30, Tue.--Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $64--135.

LE CHARDONNAY, 8284 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles (213) 655-8880. Another step back in time-- this time to the 19th Century, with a reproduction of a Belle Epoque bistro so faithful it’s startling to see people dressed in modern clothes. With its rosewood paneling, its mirrors, its brass fittings and leaping lights, Le Chardonnay looks like the setting of an operetta, but the waiters bustle with the understated brusqueness of any good garcon . The menu is more California than France--salads come with arugula, mache, limestone lettuce and local goat cheese; tortelloni are filled with snails, and a spit-roasted duck is basted with soy and ginger. Lunch, noon--2 p.m., Mon.--Fri.; dinner, 6--10:30 p.m., Mon.--Thur., and 6--11 p.m., Fri.--Sat. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Service bar. Dinner, $50-75.

LA COURONNE, 142 S. Lake St., Pasadena (818) 793-3151. The quiet luxury of the dining room would be austere if it were not for the subtly warming colors, the tall windows, the good proportions. Tables are large, nicely spaced. Walls are hung with good modern art. But the menu isn’t intimidating: the asparagus is perfectly cooked and sauced with pureed asparagus added to a simple sabayon ; whitefish with red bell peppers and carved cucumbers in wine and fumet is excellent; and sauteed fillets of trout have been tastily sauced with tomatoes and Port. Lunch, 11:30 a.m.--2 p.m., Tue.--Fri.; dinner, 6--9 p.m., Tue.--Thur.; 6--10 p.m., Fri.--Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $55--96.

MONACO’S, 3333 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach (714) 646-5225. The name suggests wealth, romance, glamour, casinos and Princess Caroline; the decor is in black, white and rose, with Art Deco chairs that give the impression of a Mayan stepped pyramid. The ceilings are lit a seductive violet shade, and there’s a slick bar marked off with a glass-brick wall. Although Monaco’s is on the water’s edge, its fare is “Continental/California,” not seafood. Appetizers, like Lobster Rockefeller, served on a bed of spinach, are first-rate. Topping the entrees are the pastas; their linguine topped with Italian anise sausage is hard to resist. There’s a Cajun blackened steak and a New York pepper steak with green peppercorn sauce, but the kitchen fares best on more delicate dishes like chicken breast and rabbit. Lunch, 11 a.m.--3 p.m., Mon.--Fri.; brunch, 10 a.m.--3 p.m., Sun.; dinner, 5--11 p.m., Mon.--Sun. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $40--80.

L’ORANGERIE, 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles (213) 652-9770. One of the most beautiful restaurants anywhere--crossing the threshold is like walking right into the 18th Century. The light is so golden you can barely believe it’s electric. Music, flowers, perfume--it’s easy to imagine the waiters doing a minuet. Equally disorienting is the French menu: appetizers include French classics like eggs scrambled with caviar, put back into their shells and served in egg cups. The poulet a la vapeur is like fabulous French nursery food-- simple steam-cooked chicken in shallot butter. The fish dishes are exceptional, and don’t miss the warm apple tart. Dinner, 6:30--11 p.m., Mon.--Sun. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $80-110.

LE RESTAURANT, 8475 Melrose Place (213) 651-5553. Intimate, luxurious, romantic--a jeweled bibelot , hung with silk, paisley, crystal and plants. There are white doves in a white cage in the garden outside the tiny bar. Service is well nigh impeccable. The menu is conservative: lamb with pesto is well-done, not rare, and heavily masked in basil-tinted sauce; grenadins de veau au Calvados is tender veal, the sauce subtle and mildly peppery. Seafood is generally excellent. There’s a conscious emphasis on quality over imagination, but for those who equate luxury with the elaborate, it’s a nice place to be. Dinner, 6--11:30 p.m., Mon.--Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $60--100.

LA SERRE, 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818) 990-0500. Cool and inviting with its white lattices and groomed greenery, La Serre looks like an opulent garden in too small a space. There are potted flowers, cut flowers, ferns and lots of barely restrained ivy crouched in pots on the wall. The space is divided into several small rooms. Although service is unpredictable, the food is consistently satisfying: the portion of chicken is large, the lamb medallions come with a pretty sweep of thin-sliced eggplant and tomatoes, and the lotte is served in a sauce that is pure essence of mushrooms. La Serre has found a comfortable middle ground, offering comfort to the conservative palate without offending the adventurous. Lunch, noon--2:30 p.m. Mon.--Fri.; dinner, 6--10:30 p.m. Mon.--Sat. Reservations. American Express, MasterCard, Visa. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner, $65--115.