RESTAURANT REVIEW : A Classy Brunch Setting in the Midst of ‘Hollyweird’

Brunchy, that’s Cafe des Artistes.

Late lunch on a Tuesday seems like brunch. Even Friday dinner seems like brunch. Whatever the meal, you’re in a bright, airy, tastefully converted old house in Hollywood with a garden-like patio--the classic brunch site. A privacy hedge holds the world away as you listen to traditional brunch-time classical music.

The name, Cafe des Artistes, says it all. This is the sort of charming little cafe that artists open in small towns like Carmel or Mendocino. In the absence of any other restaurants to speak of, they have a sort of captive clientele, and so does Cafe des Artistes. It was opened by the theater next door and at dinner, the clientele is mostly theater-goers.

The specialty is what you might call artist-type cooking rather than chef-type cooking, delicate and unpretentious and a little off-beat (you can order cranberry juice either iced or steamed). Ignore the smog watering your eyes and you could be in Carmel, eating light, snacky, brunchy little things which you praise because they have a kind of flair and basically you’re just glad to be there.

I happen to like Cafe des Artistes, which isn’t affiliated with the New York restaurant of the same name, but all this unpretentious grace and sensitivity gives me a sensation of being buried in an avalanche of marshmallows. At brunch, of course, this might be the sort of effect you want: Cold, perfectly poached vegetables with a hint of anise flavor, barely done slices of potato heavily flecked with parsley, a rather eccentric tabbouleh spotted with wild rice but completely lacking in the strong flavor of mint. Ham, chicken breast, a slightly sticky salmon mousse, a sort of shepherd’s pie with a sweet puree of squash substituting for mashed potatoes.

There are quite a few pleasant little effects at other meals, but still rather in this brunchy mode. A salad dressing that is simply a garlicky puree of eggplant. A bit of homemade mayonnaise in the tuna sandwich at lunch, and crisp French bread. A creamy, rather sweet quiche that is a relief after all the heavy, custardy quiches of the last few quiche-abusing decades. Unpretentious homemade strawberry cheesecake with graham crust, and creme caramel with a dense smooth texture (and also, it must be said, a skin that seems a bit scorched).

It’s just about the perfect place for a quiet little romantic meal. Not necessarily a flawless meal, though. The chicken breast entree at dinner is dry and overdone, and its bourbon sauce (weird idea) is insipid. The scampi flambe are so understated (bare minimum of garlic, parsley in place of lemon) as to fade into the plate.

Cafe des Artistes has its limitations, but of course, there are far worse things to have. Only occasionally is anything here really memorable, but the very fact of sitting in this peaceful and civilized place right in the middle of Hollyweird might be memorable in itself.

Cafe des Artistes, 1534 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood , (213) 461-6889. Open for lunch Tuesdays through Fridays, for dinner Thursdays through Saturdays, for brunch Sundays. Beer and wine. Parking lot. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $30 to $50 : brunch for two, champagne included, $29.