BEST BOOTHS

If sinking into a booth, eating dinner and topping it off with a tall glass of ice cream, beer, or something stronger is your idea of pure heaven, try these booth-ful places:

COLUMBIA BAR AND GRILL, 1448 N. Gower St., Hollywood, (213) 461-8800. The new kid on the block (opened in April) is a large and handsome place clearly designed for people to see and be seen. Along with a patio and two dining rooms, there’s an entire room filled with cozy booths, allowing you to gorge on salads, pastas, grilled meats and fish and free-range chicken in the utmost comfort. Open Monday-Friday for lunch, Mon.-Sat. for dinner. Reservations recommended. Full bar. MC,AE, Visa excepted. Dinner for two (food only): $30-$50.

DOMINICK’S, 8715 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 652-5228. The most charmingly eccentric restaurant in town, this is not a restaurant for the hip or harried. The food is very simple: there are soups and salads to start with (not to mention blue-corn chips with salsa) followed by down-home dinners like pork chops with mashed potatoes or a plate of pasta. Dominick’s looks like the set for some ‘40s movie, complete with wooden booths made of lumpy red vinyl. Open for dinner, Tue.-Sat. Parking in lot. Beer and wine. MC, V. Dinner for two (food only): $30-$55.

THE GRILL ON THE ALLEY, 9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills (213) 276-0615. “A modern Musso and Frank’s--a very traditional American gril” is how general manager Bob Spivak describes this restaurant. Indeed, the menu resembles Musso’s, but with fewer items. Feast your eyes on the dark woods, high ceilings and polished brass chandeliers while sitting in the green leather booths. Open Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m. to midnight. AE, MC and Visa accepted. Valet parking from 6 p.m. Reservations essential. Dinner for two (food only): $40-$75.

JW’s, in the lobby of the Anaheim Marriot, 700 W. Convention Way, Anaheim, (714) 750-8000. Despite its 16-foot ceilings, this is a very intimate place, with 15 tiny rooms. “Innovative classic” cuisine is what they serve, basically French but with a few surprises. When you ask for a booth, you’ll be seated at a table, surrounded on one side by a couch, the other by chairs. Open Mon.-Sat. for dinner 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Jackets required for men. All major credit cards accepted. Validated valet parking. Reservations recommended. Dinner for two (food only): $75.

KICK’S, 20825 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 712-9061. This restaurant serving California contemporary cuisine (read: fresh, seasonal food) sports a boudoir-in-Frontierland decor: beveled glass, brocade and oak booths, stained glass and randomly placed antiques. Portions are large, prices are small, the service friendly, but the food isn’t always up to par. Open for lunch, Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat. Complimentary valet parking. Full bar. All major credit cards. Dinner for two (food only): $15-$35.

STRATTON’S GRILL, 1037 Broxton Ave., Westwood, (213) 208-0488. All the usual bar and grill stuff is present at this new-style American restaurant: mesquite grill, tile floors, gray marble tables, patterned tin ceilings and unupholstered straight-backed booths (ice-cream parlor style.) The menu, distinctly American (steaks, fish, chicken), is the same for lunch and dinner, and is modest in size and price. Open for lunch and dinner daily. All major credit cards. Street parking and public parking lots. Full bar. Reservations accepted for groups only. Dinner for two (food only): $20-$40.