HOTEL LUXE

Hotel dining rooms, once considered dreary and dull, are making a comeback. Today they offer more than luxury--they also serve some of the finest food in California. Here is a sampling of recently reviewed hotel restaurants.

ANTOINE (Meridian Hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, (714) 476-2001). A very handsome restaurant consisting of a series of smallish rooms, mostly in rose shades decorated with old paintings. It has a cozy, protected feeling like the dining room of a rather substantial house. The food has a style based on quiet, simple means, using a lot of traditional haute cuisine ingredients like foie gras , sweetbreads and truffles. Sliced rack of lamb is arranged in wine sauce and accompanied by a tiny potato galette and a “gateau” of asparagus. Roast duck breast is sliced and served in a very thick red wine reduction, slightly peppery, accompanied only by a potato galette and some baby turnips poached in port wine. The most instantly appealing dish is a whole roasted veal sweetbread, simmered with diced onion and carrot and a slice of truffle. Dinner. Mon-Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $45-$80.

THE HOTEL BEL-AIR (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 air is fresh and smells like smoke and pine. 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 good it makes you feel well-dressed, even if you aren’t. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mon.-Sun. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner for two, $60-$110.

LA CHAUMIERE (Century Plaza Hotel, Avenue of the Stars and Constellation Boulevard, Century City, (213) 277-2000). La Chaumiere is designed to “reflect the grace and comfort” of 18th-Century an chateau--the room, one of the most dignified dining rooms in town, is all dark wood and old paintings. The front room, with its greenhouse airs, is open and pleasant and has a wonderful view. The menu is appealing but the food can be uneven; among the best dishes are whole lobster in vanilla sauce and lamb with dates in peanut sauce. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; breakfast, lunch and dinner. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $40-$80.

LE BEL AGE RESTAURANT (Le Bel Age Hotel, 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West 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. Tue.-Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Valet parking. Full bar. Dinner for two, $64-$135.

OSCAR’S (Sheraton Premiere Hotel, 555 Universal Terrace Parkway, Universal City, (818) 506-2500). An enormous crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the dining room; tables are covered with armies of expensive silverware and china. One bright, if incongruous, note is the understated artwork--paintings of the Roaring ‘20s that look rather odd amid the French provincial furniture. As for the service, you only have to look slightly wistful before someone comes running to find out what you want. The food is American, with hints of nouvelle cuisine : Smoked scallops with endive and raspberry vinegar is excellent, as are the skillet-fried shrimps in spicy butter. Blackened steak is wonderful, and a tenderly cooked baby chicken is served in a delicious sauce. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner Mon.-Sat. Reservations. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $40-$80.

THE PAVILION (Four Seasons Hotel, 690 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (714) 759-0808). An opulently handsome place in the hotel-restaurant mode--high ceilings and soothing beige color scheme. It’s a high-powered kitchen as well. Dishes are cooked in reasonably classical style, relying on richly reduced meat juice for most sauces. One striking entree is swordfish with fresh thyme accompanied by a delicious potato galette . There’s a terrific lobster ragout, with tiny pea, carrot and potato balls in a sweet cream sauce with smoky morel mushrooms. Most amazing is lamb tenderloin with turnip pancakes (like potato pancakes, but sweeter) on a bed of braised fennel. The meat glaze accompanying it tastes distinctly of lamb. The dessert list is perhaps the most intriguing in Orange County; allow several minutes to choose. Lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner 6-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Sun.; Sunday brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $60-$85.

THE RITZ-CARLTON (33533 Shoreline Drive, Laguna Niguel, (714) 240-2000). This is as close as California comes to an old-fashioned European grande luxe hotel. The entrance is majestically understated but inside, the place is massive, grand and solid as marble (of which there’s a great deal). The view from the bluff is spectacular, with many view windows at lobby level. The Dining Room itself is one of Orange County’s best restaurants; its style hews closely to the Escoffier tradition of French cuisine with lots of meat reduction and cream sauces. Recommended is their huge plate of sweetbreads in an understated port and caper sauce, or the rabbit loin topped with meat glaze sauce. The Ritz-Carlton has two other restaurants--the Cafe and the Grill (with dancing). Neither is in the same gastronomic league. Dining Room dinner daily. Grill: dinner. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking. Dinner for two, $60-$100.

STONES (Marina Beach Hotel, 4100 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, (213) 301-6868). An elegant and quiet new dining room that’s very easy on the eyes--its celadon-and-rose decor might be called Greco-Chinois. The menu is too varied, and the cooking often seems to miss the mark, but enough good food comes from the kitchen to make Stones worth a visit. Their Provencal-influenced dish of sliced lamb loin is excellent; the salmon is served with a superb, slightly spicy tomatillo cream sauce; a “New Orleans style” rib eye steak is served seriously browned (rather than blackened) with a mix of ground spices and sauteed artichoke hearts. Dinner Mon.-Sat. All major credit cards. Full bar. Valet parking and parking lot. Dinner for two, $50-$75.