Table-Hopping

You’ve heard of the notion that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince? Well, when you dine out for a living as I do, you come across plenty of not-ready-for-prime-time restaurants before hitting upon the ones that turn the experience into something truly exceptional. I’ll spare everyone the disappointments, but in the interest of informing other foodies, here are my picks (listed in no particular order and with prices for main courses at dinner) for Southern California’s best restaurants. Let’s go out and eat!

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[ The Hump ] The latest project of Brian Vidor, the Hump is a sushi restaurant on the top floor of his other restaurant, Typhoon, at the Santa Monica Airport. So, while you’re ordering top-grade toro or hamachi from sushi master Hiro Nishimura, who worked at Katsu and founded R-23, you can watch planes taxi down the runway. With its bamboo-and-cane ceiling and ship’s lanterns, the Hump (that’s the name World War II pilots gave the Himalayas, which are etched on a glass panel behind the bar) has the look of an exotic outpost. Sushi aficionados order up platters of raw fish arranged on handcrafted platters. You can also ask the chef for omakase, his choice of what’s best that day, which can include cooked items or more eccentric dishes. Though it’s never the same twice, you just might receive halibut sashimi dabbed with a paste of chile and capers, sliced baby abalone with meaty shiitake mushrooms or a conch shell filled with conch meat and mushrooms in a savory broth. 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South, Santa Monica; (310) 313-0977. Sushi, $3 and up; specials, $4 to $16; omakase, starting at $85.

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[ Joe’s Restaurant ] In an uncertain world, Joe’s Restaurant is comfortingly consistent, with owner Joe Miller turning out beautifully modulated French-California food from a galley not much bigger than a home kitchen. Moderately priced and low-key enough to function as a neighborhood hangout, Joe’s follows the French formula of offering a couple of nightly prix fixe menus along with an a la carte menu of some of the same dishes. There are always appealing salads (asparagus with frisee and pancetta in a tomato vinaigrette, say) and his supple raviolis filled with porcini mushrooms and Parmesan. Miller has a fine touch with fish: I like his slow-roasted salmon with parsnip puree, fresh peas and caviar. The wine list has evolved and now lists some older bottles. The small cheese menu features intriguing combinations such as Morbier with endive, pears and walnuts. For dessert, Miller’s classic tarte tatin is always enticing, but come summer, try the fine strawberry granita. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 399-5811. Main courses, $17 to $21. Four-course prix fixe menus, $30 and $40.

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[ Spago Beverly Hills ] Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills venture is more about fine dining than the casual California grazing he perfected in Hollywood. Here, people come not only for the scene and celebs, but for the food as well. Despite the rigors of getting the food out at such a big restaurant, Puck still seems to be having fun in the kitchen, and even chef Lee Hefter is earning national recognition. I love Hefter’s ragout of sweet shrimp with chicken “oysters” (the tasty morsels nestled close to the backbone), pearl onions, black truffles and the surprise of toasted coriander, clove, cumin and black peppercorns for an Indian twist. When French foie gras was finally allowed into this country a few months ago, Hefter seared it and served it with rich, gamey pigeonneau (French pigeon) and a luscious quince and cranberry chutney. And, oh, his slowly braised osso buco and his knudel stuffed with pork crackling! Pastry chef Sherry Yard whips up kaiserschmarren, Austria’s warm souffled pancake strewn with sauteed strawberries, and other imaginative desserts. And the wine list compiled by sommelier Michael Bonaccorsi is as noteworthy for its fair-minded prices as its breadth of selections. 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 385-0880. Main courses, $26 to $35; chef’s tasting menu, $55 at lunch and $85 at dinner.

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[ Pinot Bistro ] The first (and my favorite) of Joachim Splichal’s Patina spinoffs, Pinot Bistro looks so French that it transports you to the City of Light. The saucy little chairs, the framed French postcards and the mirror-backed banquettes contribute to the effect. So do the waiters in long black aprons, who open Champagne with aplomb and ferry platters of chilled briny oysters. But the food, while generous, is more California-French than strictly French. Escargots, served in a dark wine sauce with whole garlic cloves and bone marrow, and snowy scallops threaded onto a rosemary skewer make good starters. Another nice choice is the pale endive salad strewn with caramelized walnuts and boulders of Roquefort. Simpler dishes such as crispy whitefish on a bed of brandade potatoes or monkfish wrapped in bacon are generally better than more elaborate offerings. Some of the most appealing selections are the plats du jour, so you’ll have to memorize the list if you really want that suckling pig or the bouillabaisse. For dessert, get the profiteroles drizzled with dark chocolate sauce. 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 990-0500. Main courses, $15 to $21.

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[ Saddle Peak Lodge ] Dinner at this rustic hunting lodge tucked in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas is as restorative as a weekend in the country. With its candlelit tables and cozy nooks, the massive stone-and-timber restaurant, part of which dates back to 1918, is, after all, one of the most romantic dining destinations around. I love the fishing pole leaning against the fireplace and the campy decor of twig banisters, stuffed stag heads and 19th century paintings of naked nymphs. New chef Alex Scrimgeour, an alum of Stars in San Francisco, has updated and lightened the game menu. Try his buffalo carpaccio (no, really!) with arugula and shaved Parmesan--but without the white truffle oil. Scrimgeour has added a lovely poussin salad with crumbled Stilton and another salad of grilled figs with radicchio, Parma ham and toasted hazelnuts. If you’re intrigued by exotic fare such as ostrich, antelope or black boar, this is where to try them. I’m partial to the brace of California quail wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon and roasted with a sage and onion stuffing. The less adventurous at the table, of course, can always order fresh fish, steaks and chops. Brunch on the garden terrace is hearty to say the least, but you can work it off with a hike in the mountains. 419 Cold Canyon Rd., Calabasas; (818) 222-3888. Main courses, $20 to $40; Sunday brunch, $22.50.

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[ Jozu ] At this graceful California-Pacific restaurant, owner-host Andy Nakano offers guests a tiny glass of premium sake poured from a chilled pitcher. Whenever I visit Jozu, I look forward to this welcoming gesture and the delicious deep-fried Ipswich clams to dip in a spunky homemade cocktail sauce. The appetizers, in fact, are the stars of chef Suzanne Tracht’s menu: a calamari salad bright with lemongrass and a jalapeno dressing, plump crab and shrimp cakes paired with refreshing green papaya salad, crisp Sonoma quail glistening with a tangerine glaze, to name three. And in season, I can’t resist the fried Maine grass shrimp with their cilantro dipping sauce. A graduate of Campanile’s kitchen, Tracht uses Asian and Mediterranean vegetables in unusual ways and does an especially good job with fish, most of which are specials. Consider her John Dory with wild rice and a ginger-infused citrus sauce or her Alaskan white salmon with pea shoots and a rich miso sauce. Order the luscious char sui-style pork chop when it’s available. Otherwise, the grilled rib-eye steak in Szechwan peppercorn teriyaki sauce is another satisfying option. With so many noisy and crowded restaurants out there, Jozu is a grown-up change of pace. 8360 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 655-5600. Main courses, $20 to $32.

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[ Campanile ] Campanile serves one of the best breakfasts in America. Too bad it’s offered only on weekends, when you have to fight savvy out-of-towners for a table. But the wait is well worth it, if only to savor Nancy Silverton’s superlative pastries. Lunch in the light-drenched front room of the 1920s building is wonderful, too. The BLT is great; the soups are terrific. At dinner, chef-owner Mark Peel builds his menus around what’s freshest at the farmers markets. This is, in fact, the one place in town where you can find interesting vegetables on every plate. I love the roasted black mussels with Meyer lemon aioli, cedar-planked salmon and fine Kansas City or Porterhouse steaks. Last year, Peel and Silverton initiated prix fixe family dinners on Monday nights. It’s fun to go with friends and share cassoulet, pot au feu or Southern fried chicken. Thursdays are grilled cheese sandwich nights, with Silverton at the Italian panini press. If you don’t overdo it, you’ll have room for strawberry-rhubarb cobbler or warm gingerbread with applesauce. My weakness is the bitter almond panna cotta set down in a moat of coffee gelee. 624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 938-1447. Main courses $20 to $35; prix fixe menu, $35.

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[ Valentino ] Piero Selvaggio is at the top of his game: His flagship restaurant, Valentino, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and he has just launched a second Valentino in Las Vegas’ Venetian hotel-casino. For lovers of Italian wine, the Santa Monica restaurant has truly been the promised land. Selvaggio has championed the wines of Italy, amassing all the big names in multiple vintages. Even more impressive is his collection of great wines from small producers. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake devastated the wine cellar, Italian winemakers (many of whom Selvaggio was the first to support) rallied to ship him replacements of coveted vintages. When it comes to the food, the cognoscenti know to let Selvaggio or his captain design an “extravaganza menu.” Longtime chef Angelo Auriana will prepare a series of small courses that reflect the elegant simplicity of the Italian style of eating and, if you like, the sommelier will pair them with Italian wines. When Valentino is working well, the meals can be memorable. I fondly recall a glorious porcini mushroom cooked in parchment to bring out its earthy fragrance, tender oxtail ravioli napped in butter, sage and pecorino, and a marvelous sea urchin risotto. 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 829-4313. Main courses, $21 to $26; extravaganza menu, $65.

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[ The Grill on the Alley ] Since my first meal here, I’ve loved the Grill on the Alley for its cheerful and extraordinarily efficient white-jacketed waiters--the best in town--and its consistently excellent updated chophouse fare. The menu is printed daily, but most regulars already know what they want: a dozen or two of the impeccably fresh oysters on the half-shell, the plump crab cakes, the terrific shrimp cocktail, the textbook Caesar and then, let’s see, a platter of the frilly fried onions and skinny shoestring fries piled to impossible heights--and maybe a nicely aged prime porterhouse ordered rare with a char or the delicious double-cut lamb chops. If it’s a Sunday night, opt for the splendid traditional prime rib with the best version of Yorkshire pudding I’ve ever found. Fish is carefully cooked as well. And for dessert? Get the raisin-studded rice pudding. At lunch, agents and famous faces meet over great burgers and the benchmark Cobb salad. The wine list could use work, but the 15-year-old Grill, with its coffered ceiling, wood paneling, comfortable booths and green glass-shaded lamps, has all the earmarks of a classic. 9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills; (310) 276-0615. Main courses, $15 to $37.

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[ L’Orangerie ] This fantasy of an 18th century orangerie is one of the most romantic restaurants in L.A. Where else do you see women dripping furs and diamonds roll up in vintage Rolls-Royces? The formal dining room is lovely with its trellised walls, potted orange trees and arrangements of white lilies and roses. But those banquettes can be cramped, so I prefer the garden room, which has a roof that opens in fine weather. The food is very French and prepared by a young chef who cites two-star Burgundy chef Marc Meneau and three-star Paris chef Alain Passard as mentors. On quiet nights, Ludovic Lefebvre cooks like a dream. I haven’t found a better match for a Chardonnay than his whole roasted rock lobster with Catalan-style noodles and cinnamon butter. His lobster pot pie is brilliant. Dessert souffles, chocolate mousse and the warm passion fruit set in a nest of spun sugar are astonishingly good. On busier weekend nights, however, the kitchen has trouble executing dishes consistently. The wine list is also excessively expensive. Still, this place is a grand excuse to slip into something Chanel and celebrate that special occasion. 903 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 652-9770. Main courses, $29 to $45; chef’s five-course tasting menu, $85; vegetarian menu, $49.

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[ Water Grill ] With a revamped room and a new chef on board, Water Grill isn’t just a clubby downtown L.A. institution anymore. It’s an outstanding seafood house. Spago alum Michael Cimarusti has done his homework on the menu and what an improvement! The focus is on top-quality ingredients and polished Franco-California cooking. Even the raw-seafood bar is better: On a recent visit, the tiny Kumamoto oysters were phenomenal. And I’d make a special trip just for Cimarusti’s Manila clam chowder laced with applewood-smoked bacon or his hand-cut bluefin tuna tartare with crushed avocado. Some of the Asian-inspired dishes, such as black sea bass with eel potstickers, are reliable bets, too. French sea bass is grilled whole and served with braised fennel. The wine list, previously all-American, is now beefed up with bottles from France, Italy, Germany and Austria that team well with fish. Pastry chef Wonyee Tom’s desserts provide a strong finish. Her ice creams and sorbets are superb; I’m partial to the chilled honeydew melon soup garnished with sour-cream sorbet. 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 891-0900. Main courses, $16 to $34; five-course tasting menu, $75.

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[ Chinois on Main ] Fifteen years after the Asian fusion cuisine pioneered at this restaurant has become a major trend, Chinois on Main is still one of the most difficult reservations in town. The attendant noise level is a definite drawback, especially if there’s a big table nearby making merry. (The best strategy is to come early or sit at the counter.) What’s the big attraction? The wildly exotic French-Chinese food, including succulent barbecued baby pork ribs in a dark honey-chile sauce, tempura ahi tuna sashimi in a sea urchin sauce fired with wasabi, and gamey venison in a cherry-ginger-port wine sauce. Pajama-clad waiters glide between tables like tightrope walkers, bearing wok-fried whole catfish or curried Shanghai lobster. Whenever I’ve called upon a server to help choose a menu for the table, I’ve always been delighted with their suggestions. Most recently, chef Makoto Tanaka sent out delicious curried oysters in cucumber sauce and grilled squab with wild mushroom dumplings. I can usually eat some crisp-skinned Cantonese duck in plum sauce, too, or a couple of the thick “Mongolian” lamb chops in cilantro vinaigrette. Hmm, I wonder why I never seem to have room for dessert. 2709 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 392-9025. Main courses, $20 to $30, meant to be shared.

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[ Nouveau Cafe Blanc ] Japanese chef Tommy Harase has been quietly cooking sophisticated Franco-Japanese cuisine in Beverly Hills for five years. This tiny jewel of a restaurant is packed at lunch because locals know a bargain when they see one. Where else can you find perfectly poached Maine lobster for $10 or an avocado filled with a lovely blue crab salad for $6? It’s at dinner, though, that Harase really shows what he can do, working out of a kitchen not much bigger than that of a studio apartment and offering both an a la carte menu and a single tasting menu. Harase sends out an amuse-gueule just like the big French restaurants. Last time, it was a single leaf of endive holding several smoked scallops tossed in an exquisitely balanced soy, sesame and sake sauce. There also was a sumptuous corn chowder with a raft of sauteed foie gras, beautiful homemade gravlax strewn with herbs and Barbarie duck confit set down in a lentil ragu. Desserts, particularly the creme brulee and a very Japanese coffee gelatin with softly whipped cream, are excellent. 9777 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 888-0108. Main courses, $15 to $18; five-course menu degustation, $48.

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[ Primi ] Bravo to Piero Selvaggio, who this year dared to change the focus of his 15-year-old Westside restaurant from northern Italian to vibrant southern Italian cooking. He sent his new chef, Vittorio Lucariello, to work with the highly regarded Don Alfonso near Lucariello’s hometown on the Sorrento peninsula, and now Primi’s exciting menu showcases the food of Naples and points south. Look for dishes such as the beautiful antipasti plate of chiodini mushrooms in oil, dried figs marinated in Barolo, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, tender baby artichokes and a little ricotta salata cheese. I love the pastas: the al dente spaghetti in a spicy sauce laced with ribbons of basil, bread crumbs and hot pickled cherry peppers, and the cavatelli (Apulian-style gnocchi) sauced with rapini and salted ricotta. Lucariello makes a mean lasagna, too. If you want a light secondo, look no further than the branzino all’acqua pazza, striped bass cooked in an herb-flavored broth. The wine list, while not as encyclopedic as Valentino’s, has several interesting wines. For dessert, don’t miss the sfogliatella, Naples’ delicate clam-shaped pastry filled with cinnamon-scented ricotta and candied fruit. As a finale, have a small glass of limoncello, the Amalfi Coast’s famous lemon liqueur. 10543 Pico Blvd., Rancho Park/West L.A.; (310) 475-9235. Main courses, $18 to $23.

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[ Troquet ] Finding a really good French bistro tucked away on the top floor of South Coast Plaza makes Troquet worth a detour whether you plan to shop or not. Tim and Liza Goodell have turned what was once Piccolo Cucina into one of Orange County’s prettiest restaurants, with lush red brocade booths, lavish flowers and a small fortune in porcelain. Begin with a platter of oysters or else splurge on le grand plateau of lobster, prawns, oysters, clams and mussels. The foie gras with pear ginger marmalade is wonderful, but I’d choose the frisee salad with lardon, an egg poached in red wine and confit of duck gizzards, or maybe the pig’s feet sausage with tiny green lentils and shoestring potatoes. There’s also a good version of calf’s liver and onions with Banyuls vinegar. If I have time for a leisurely lunch, I order the braised veal cheeks “en cocotte” with potato gratin or the cote de boeuf for two. Be sure to save room for the astute selection of cheeses. And never, never skip a dessert like the chocolate souffle cake with prune armagnac ice cream and espresso sauce. So what if you have to buy a dress one size bigger? Live a little. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa; (714) 708-6865. Main courses, $12 to $24.

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[ Harbor Village ] The San Gabriel Valley is home to some of the best Chinese food in America. Huge new seafood palaces are opening every other week, but Harbor Village in Monterey Park, one of the first Hong Kong restaurants to open a branch here, remains a strong presence. The daily dim sum is truly spectacular, the closest to the quality I’ve had in Hong Kong of any place I’ve tried in Southern California. Every morsel--from the bracing wonton soup and succulent barbecue pork to the fragile spring rolls and shrimp dumplings--is so tempting that you find yourself eating more than you’d ever imagined. I’d drive there just for the three-star juk (rice porridge) alone. Banquet meals never turn out to be as interesting as hoped, so you’re better off studying the large menu and ordering yourself. Good bets include the pan-fried heads-on shrimp in spicy pepper salt, braised goose webs with sea cucumber, and a live fish from the tank steamed with ginger and garlic. Call a day ahead to order the beggar’s chicken, which is stuffed with fragrant mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaves and cooked in clay. It’s a one-dish feast. 111 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park; (626) 300-8833. Main courses, $10 to $45.

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[ Ginza Sushiko ] This minuscule sushi restaurant hidden in Two Rodeo, that silly faux-Italian hilltop street in Beverly Hills, is flat-out the most expensive restaurant in L.A. And while you’ll see big spenders from the fashion and film industries showing off in front of their cronies, you’ll also see devoted foodies who have saved up to savor this singular dining experience. I don’t think there’s a restaurant outside Japan that serves sushi of such high quality. Chef-owner Masa Takayama has his fish flown in from Japan every other day, buying only what he needs to ensure freshness. To start a meal here, he might serve a delightful hamo fish skin and cucumber salad in an antique Bohemian glass bowl. I love to sit at the maple bar and watch him work, grating fresh wasabi root on a sharkskin grater and deftly slicing needlefish so that it opens like a chrysanthemum when he drops it in broth. Sometimes he’ll present ochre-colored uni with crackly nori, forming the dry seaweed into cones and filling them with the sea urchin roe. Or he’ll serve exquisitely marbled toro, live red clam or shrimp that are still wriggling. 218 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 247-8939. $250 to $300 per person.

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[ Gustaf Anders ] This coolly sophisticated California-Scandinavian restaurant has long been one of the best places to eat in the Southland. The contemporary interior features abstract paintings, birch branches and a striking yellow and black color scheme. Chet Baker plays softly on the sound system, and there are vases of gold lilies on every table. At the front is an enticing display of Ulf Anders’ handcrafted breads: fragrant Swedish limpa, rustic crispbreads and marvelous little dinner rolls. I can never visit without ordering the sumptuous salt-and-sugar cured salmon, served very cold with creamed dill potatoes. Anders also makes some of the best gravlax around. Plus, there’s an array of house-cured Icelandic herring served with warm new potatoes. When it comes to main courses, pristinely fresh fish is cooked with a light hand and subtly sauced. In summer, don’t miss the huge platters of crayfish boiled with fresh dill and spices and served with a traditional dill sauce. The more casual Back Pocket next door features a wood-burning oven and gravlax pizza as well as thyme-scented roasted leg of lamb. The same well-edited wine list is available at both places. Swedish princess cake wrapped in pale green marzipan makes a royal ending. 3851 Bear St., South Coast Plaza Village, Santa Ana; (714) 668-1737. Main courses, $16 to $29.

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[ The Buffalo Club ] The posh Buffalo Club, hidden inside the shell of a shabby Mexican dive, still tries hard to maintain its status as a secret address. The phone number is unlisted and there’s no sign, but the line of swank cars snaking up to the valet is a dead giveaway. When it opened five years ago, you had to know somebody to get a reservation. These days, though, the place is open to the public. In the garden strung with Chinese lanterns, the long mahogany bar is mobbed and large tables of twentysomething gal pals are having the time of their lives. For the rest of us, the draw is Patrick Healy’s seductive French-inflected American cooking. To start, try the terrific spicy buffalo wings paired with a salad of good tomatoes, sweet onions and crumbled Maytag blue cheese. Or the satiny tequila-cured salmon draped over a fluffy sweet corn blini. I can never pass up the apple juice-marinated pork chop with those irresistible collard greens and dreamy cheddar-whipped potatoes or the braised Maine lobster with dusky Oregon morels. Tempting, too, are Healy’s sides--fabulous fried okra dusted in cornmeal, cheese grit fries and a meltingly rich macaroni and cheese. The noise level makes conversation difficult, but who’s talking? We’re too busy eating. 1520 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 450-8600. Main courses, $22 to $32.

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[ Aubergine ] Eating at Aubergine was always special, but now that the Newport Beach French restaurant has reopened after a lengthy remodel, it’s remarkable. The little cottage by the sea has gone drop-dead elegant with sleek mahogany cabinetry, chairs upholstered in chenille and a service staff that would do a starred Michelin restaurant proud. I’ve been a big fan of chef-owner Tim Goodell’s cooking from the very beginning. Now he and his wife, Liza, have eliminated the a la carte menu (perhaps to differentiate Aubergine from their other restaurant, Troquet at South Coast Plaza) and replaced it with three-, five- and nine-course prix fixe menus. Goodell’s passion for French cuisine shines through in everything he prepares: bread, startlingly green spring pea soup ladled over creme franche and black Perigord truffle, flavorful monkfish cooked on the bone with cipolline onions, seductively rich braised veal cheeks. Rabbit served with its roasted kidney and foie gras is marvelous, too. The cheese selection is small but choice. The warm chocolate souffle cake is so delicate that it threatens to collapse with the first bite. (Watch for a full review later this summer.) 508 29th St., Newport Beach; (949) 723-4150. Prix fixe menus only: three-course tasting menu, $55, five-course, $75, and nine-course, $90.

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[ Yujean Kang’s ] Yujean Kang’s is a great spot for a business lunch: When you order one of the two dozen lunch entrees, most less than $12, you also get a “nibble” (a small appetizer), a cup of soup and rice. Or you can call ahead and ask chef Kang to prepare a special menu. His Peking duck is splendid, served with all the proper ceremony. Chinese polenta with beautifully cooked shrimp, mushrooms and scallions in a subtle rice wine sauce is a must. Prawns appear in dishes such as ham with honey-mustard sauce or, my favorite, pickled cabbage with blackened chiles. And don’t forget the vegetables, which aren’t the usual stir-fries. Instead of nondescript wines often picked out by a distributor, Kang has chosen wonderful Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs, white Burgundies and other wines to suit his food. At Chinese New Year’s, he revs things up with a holiday menu and hires a Chinese dragon troupe to parade through the restaurant. Healthful note: No MSG is used--ever. 8826 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (310) 288-0806. And 67 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (626) 585-0855. Main courses, $11 to $18.

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[ Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi ] Wedged between a swimsuit shop and a boat-shaped bar, this boisterous one-room Italian restaurant is where Giorgio Baldi cooks up dishes from his Tuscan hometown, Forte di Marmi. Personally, I prefer the quiet front terrace covered with a green-and-white striped awning. What Baldi offers is really trattoria fare at ristorante prices, but the food is so good that well-heeled regulars don’t seem to care. He concentrates on the classics--bowls of steaming cacciucco (seafood stew), homey pastas and simple grilled fish. I can never say no to the tonno e fagioli, fat white beans with tuna and a handful of mache, or the deep-fried mushrooms served with a slice of fresh pecorino cheese. Spaghetti semplice--with tomato and basil--is just perfect. And feather-light gnocchi are cloaked in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce. If branzino is available, order it grilled with a squeeze of lemon. Pounded Milanese-style veal cutlet is delicious, too; give bistecca a pass. The wine list could be better, but the ricotta cheesecake isn’t bad. 114 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica; (310) 573-1660. Main courses, $15 to $28.

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[ Hitching Post ] What fun! A cowboy steakhouse with an updated menu and Central Coast wines that lure winemakers from all over. Chef-owner Frank Ostini’s clan owns another Hitching Post farther inland, but this is the one that’s the great find. It’s decorated with sprigged wallpaper and old photos of solemn cowpokes on horseback. Prices are low and portions big. The beef is Midwestern corn-fed Black Angus, which Ostini (in pith helmet behind the oak-fired grill) cooks to perfection, basting the meat with oil and vinegar. Right up there with the terrific sirloin and T-bones is the cold-smoked marinated pork loin grilled whole. Baby back ribs have a haunting overlay of smoke. Glorious thick-cut fries are cooked twice in beef fat. Also on the menu are charred quails, grilled artichokes with tomato-ancho chile mayonnaise, and pasilla chiles stuffed with shrimp and molten cheese. Finish with lemon-almond pound cake with fresh blackberry sauce or warm gingerbread with whipped cream. Pinot Noirs made by the chef and bottled under the Hartley-Ostini label are fine examples of Pinot Noirs from Santa Barbara County, as are the single vineyard bottlings of Sanford & Benedict. 406 E. Highway 246 (off 101 Freeway), Buellton; (805) 688-0676. Main courses, $12 to $30.

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[ Charming Garden ] When I get a craving for the clear heat of red chiles, rustic ham in honey sauce and meats braised with aromatic spices, I head for Charming Garden, a bright, cheerful Hunanese restaurant in the same San Gabriel Valley mall as Harbor Village. The service is patient and friendly, and the food, if you order regional specialties, is exceptional. Choose any or all of the “little dishes of Hunan”: sugar snap peas, bamboo shoots coated in chile paste, silvery inch-long dried fish with slivered red and green chiles, crunchy pickled cucumbers, and dried bean curd sheets cut as fine as angel-hair pasta. Then order the cured ham in honey sauce for which Hunan is famous; it comes sandwiched in a steamed bun. I always ask the waiters to translate the Chinese section of the menu. That’s where I found “pig’s foot cold” and meaty fresh mushroom caps in a marvelous chile-spiked sauce. Beggar’s chicken emerges from its wrapping so tender that you can cut it with a spoon, its stuffing fragrant with minced pork and dusky mushrooms. 111 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park; (626) 458-4508. Main courses, $15 to $20.

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[ Ciudad ] With the success of their cable TV cooking show, “Too Hot Tamales,” Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Border Grill have branched out further by opening Ciudad. The name is Spanish for city, and the menu celebrates the vibrant cuisines of Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Mexico City and Lima. The dining room is a giddy shock of color and quirky ‘50s-inspired design, and the kitchen revels in gutsy flavors. While sipping a tall, minty mojito from the bar, I could order an entire meal from the starters: hearts of romaine in a Spanish blue cheese dressing, papas rellenas (potato fritters with a stuffing of oxtail stew) or plantain gnocchi blanketed in tomatillo sauce and cream. There’s a terrific Argentine rib eye, made from imported free-range beef and stuffed with jalapenos and garlic cloves, and a good Cuban-style grilled chicken, served with fried plantains and yucca. A meal at Ciudad is a chance to discover new wines from Spain, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, even California. For dessert, pick the fresh pineapple upside-down cake or the tres leches cake soaked in regular, evaporated and condensed milks. 445 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles; (213) 486-5171. Main courses, $12 to $22.

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[ The Belvedere ] The Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel houses one of L.A.’s most civilized, most elegant restaurants, the Belvedere. Come here for haute hotel cooking with a difference. Chef Bill Bracken is constantly tinkering with the menu, testing new ideas and adding dishes. He recently introduced a selection of “small bites,” so you can tailor your appetizer to suit your palate and appetite, perhaps combining an espresso cup of corn chowder with a single Beijing duck spring roll or sauteed diver scallop. Bracken stacks iceberg lettuce, portabello mushrooms, tomatoes and cucumbers into a tower drizzled with ranch dressing--homemade, of course. I’ve enjoyed sesame roasted prawns with rice noodles in miso broth as well as an excellent New York steak with truffled hollandaise and a pile of fries. On a lighter note, there’s poached Atlantic salmon with first-of-the-season asparagus, morels and a flourish of beluga caviar. Pace yourself for state-of-the-art desserts, followed by an array of petits fours large enough to keep you lingering long past dinner. 9882 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 788-2306. Main courses, $22 to $32.

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Pinot Provence ] Patina’s Joachim Splichal has crossed into Orange County with Pinot Provence, the most attractive of his five Southern California Pinot restaurants. Set in a huge space next to the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, the dining room is chockablock with enough antiques and chandeliers to furnish a small chateau. The theme, of course, is Provence, and the menu embraces that region’s culinary treasures--olives, garlic, lemons, eggplant and lamb. You can order olives by variety, each with different seasonings, or start with braised artichoke barigoule scented with herbs. Beautiful oysters on the half-shell are presented in green-glazed platters. There’s also roasted rack and braised riblets of lamb with socca--that’s the chickpea flour flatbread of Nice--frites. Another fine dish is rabbit roasted with rosemary and mustard. Although chef Florent Marneau’s cooking is more polished and conscious of trends in France than the food at some of the other Pinots, the fewer his ingredients, the better the dish. Interesting plats du jour include a napoleon of braised veal cheek with garlic-artichoke mash. 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa; (714) 444-5900. Main courses, $17 to $25.

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[ Alto Palato ] In Italian, Alto Palato translates as “high palate,” or good taste. In this case, it’s the good taste for simple Italian cooking. Thin-crusted Roman-style pizzas leave the wood-burning oven slightly blistered at the edges and are topped with either a fresh tomato sauce, molten mozzarella and sweet basil leaves or else garnished with potatoes, caramelized onion, mozzarella and house-cured bacon, to name two excellent choices. Pastas such as the rigatoni in a definitive amatriciana sauce or fettuccine in a chicken rag are terrific, too. I can’t get enough of the carciofi alla giudia, or deep-fried artichokes. Gino Rindone, a former barista from Turin, makes the best espresso and cappuccino in L.A., bar none. He’s also got a masterful touch for gelato--hazelnut and pistachio in particular. Dine on Wednesdays, when the restaurant features a rotating regional menu and wines by the bottle are discounted 40%. Here’s your chance to discover the food of Sardinia and Piedmont, the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. At $25 for three courses, it’s quite a deal. 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 657-9271. Main courses, $12 to $25.

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[ Matsuhisa ] I don’t know why but Nobu Matsuhisa is more famous in New York and London, where he’s opened the wildly popular restaurants Nobu, than he is in L.A., home of his original restaurant, Matsuhisa. True, the Restaurant Row establishment is something of an ugly duckling compared to its high-gloss siblings, but L.A. is where Matsuhisa developed his inventive Japanese-Peruvian style of cooking (or not cooking, as it happens). Matsuhisa is known for adding garlic, chile, even butter to the austere Japanese palette of ingredients. Some of his creations are brilliant; others are less successful. If you decide on the omakase, you might get sweet snow crab sashimi in a fragrant yuzu sauce or glazed eel garnished with its spine, which as been tied into a knot and deep-fried. Sometimes Matsuhisa serves grilled prawns with their roe and a lemon garlic sauce or scallop sashimi sliced raw in the shell with a dab of fiery torodito, Peruvian hot sauce. There’s also a traditional sushi bar, but come here to sample something more exotic. 129 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 659-9639. Main courses, $9 to $35; omakase, starting at $65.

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[ Lavande ] Opened last year in the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Lavande is named after the lavender fields of chef Alain Giraud’s native Provence and certainly evokes the charm of that sunny region. The restaurant, decorated in Provenal ceramics and wicker armchairs, is comfortable and quiet enough for conversation. Girard, who worked alongside Michel Richard at Citrus for years, has created a genuinely appealing menu, including a robust fish soup with garlic croutons and garlicky rouille. There’s also a beautiful ratatouille terrine striped with layers of eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. From the “Classic Provence” choices, try the calamari stewed in tomato or the daube, which is veal slowly stewed in red wine with green and black olives. My favorites, though, are the roasted squab in a lavender honey glaze and the magnificent cote de boeuf for two, cut off the bone tableside and served with puffs of pommes souffles. At dessert, order a glass of fragrant Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, delicious with the vacherin glace of snowy meringue, strawberries and lavender-perfumed ice cream. 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; (310) 576-3181. Main courses, $21 to $32; tasting menus, $50 to $60, or $85 with wines by the glass.

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[ Ruth’s Chris Steak House ] Unlike many other temples of beef, Ruth’s Chris Steak House avoids the men’s club look with light wood wainscoting, sleek booths and potted orchids. The steaks are all aged prime, cooked with precision over ferociously high heat (order one rare with a char, and that’s exactly what you’ll get) and, unless you veto the idea, served sizzling in plenty of butter, which makes them both politically incorrect and incredibly delicious. If you’re in the mood for an appetizer, try some sliced tomatoes and onions with remoulade sauce or the barbecued shrimp. Part of a steakhouse chain that began in New Orleans, Ruth’s Chris earns high marks for better-than-average sides: creamed spinach, sauteed button mushrooms and crisp, gold shoestring fries. (If you opt for the regular or steak-cut fries, ask for them extra crispy.) On the other hand, the wine list could be more exciting and the desserts disappoint. But no matter. If you finish one of the steaks here, you won’t have room for sweets afterward. 224 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 859-8744. And 2961-A Michelson Drive, Irvine; (949) 252-8848. Steaks, $23 to $30 a la carte.

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[ Lucques ] Since opening last year, foodies have been flocking to this California-Mediterranean restaurant for chef Suzanne Goin’s sensual and earthy cooking. Named for a French olive and pronounced “Luke,” Lucques is chic and understated, expertly managed up front by Goin’s partner, Caroline Styne. Ask for one of the booths or a spot in the garden, and then sit back and enjoy the good bread, sweet butter and dish of olives and almonds bathed in warm olive oil already on the table. Goin, who cooked at Campanile for two years, shops the local farmers markets and follows the seasons in her menus. She serves delicious fat asparagus topped with a fried egg and Parmesan shavings and a soulful Tuscan bean soup with greens. She also makes one of the best antipasto plates around, this one with Spanish jamon serrano and creamy burrata cheese. Her duck confit is properly unctuous and crisp, set on a bed of pea shoots, wilted lettuce and English peas. My favorite dish so far has been her moist saddle of rabbit with wide ribbon noodles and Tuscan black cabbage. Cheeses are tremendous here, and they’re available at the late-night bar. Desserts are just as alluring: vanilla pot de creme, blood orange sorbet or a cup of Valrhona hot chocolate to send you on your way. 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 655-6277. Main courses, $16 to $25.

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[ JiRaffe ] When JiRaffe recently reopened after a remodel that included a few strategic chandeliers and a small bar, chef-owner Raphael Lunetta debuted his first menu after splitting with partner Josiah Citrin, also a chef and Lunetta’s best friend since childhood. (Citrin will open Melisse in Santa Monica later this summer.) Happily, the new menu still features what I’ve always admired about this smart California-French restaurant--good ingredients, bold flavors, finely modulated sauces. For starters, try the roast rabbit with basil polenta and a thyme-scented broth dotted with fresh fava beans. Just as appealing is the light salad of mushrooms and frisee or the beguiling seafood ragout with sweet white corn. Crispy Atlantic salmon, with a surprising parsnip puree and braised fennel, is fabulous. So are the brine-cured pork chop in a cider sauce with wild rice and smoky bacon, and the beautiful prime filet in a mellow shallot-foie gras sauce. Lunch, when none of the entrees is more than $14, is just as polished. 502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 917-6671. Main courses, $18 to $24.

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[ Patina ] Joachim Splichal, the German-born chef who, with his wife and partner, Christine, owns Patina and an ever-expanding empire of Pinot cafes, bistros and brasseries, keeps a careful eye on Patina, his flagship restaurant. Behind the papyrus and flowering vines that shield the facade from busy Melrose Avenue is a sophisticated restaurant with a minimalist decor. An outstanding technician (he’s a genie with potatoes), Splichal has both a sense of whimsy and a penchant for unusual ingredients. The “odd things” on the menu might be calf’s brains with artichokes or roasted marrow bones or sweetbreads and foie gras strudel. In fall, when the weather cools, Splichal offers an extensive selection of game dishes that’s worth a special trip. On any given night, though, the chef’s menu, all-seafood menu and “garden” menu for vegetarians are all good bets. Serious wine buffs will appreciate sommelier Christopher Meeske’s extraordinary wine list, which includes aperitifs and after-dinner drinks. 5955 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 467-1108. Main courses, $30 to $33.

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[ Mille Fleurs ] Aside from Spago, Aubergine and Vincenti, Martin Woesle’s Mille Fleurs is one of the few restaurants that regularly takes advantage of the exceptional produce from Chino Farm. It’s located close enough that the chef can stop by every morning. Consequently, the menu at this pretty suburban French restaurant changes daily, but expect to find openers like a lovely pea soup with mint or a trio of chilled soups made from green, gold and red tomatoes, and a lobster salad with freshly picked greens, avocado and mango. At lunch, cross your fingers that Woesle has Wiener schnitzel in sharp lemon butter on the menu because it’s one of the best around. Fish lovers will like his poached halibut cheeks or whole Dover sole sauteed in a silky Champagne sauce. I’m already looking forward to another taste of his Scottish hare in juniper berry and cream sauce with fat, chewy spaetzle noodles and braised red cabbage. Woesle’s gracefully balanced cooking makes a trip to Rancho Santa Fe worth a detour. I only wish the service weren’t so stilted. 6009 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe; (619) 756-3085. Main courses, $29 to $34.

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[ Rockenwagner ] Chef-owner Hans Rockenwagner combines French, California, German and Asian influences on his menu and pairs it with an equally dramatic interior to create the quintessential California-style restaurant. First courses can range from a classic crab souffle with lobster butter sauce to salmon tempura and a savory crab meat strudel. He also serves tuna steak with an Indian-inspired coriander-almond raita and teams Gulf shrimp with a crisp noodle cake and black bean sauce. The European-style breads are all house-made, and after-dinner cordials include tiny glasses of exquisite German distilled vinegars. During white asparagus season, Rockenwagner imports the fat white spears and offers a special spargel karte menu. New this year is Thursday lunch, a thoroughly pleasant diversion, especially on the patio of the Frank Gehry-designed Edgemar complex. But don’t forget Tuesday-night stammtisch, when boisterous regulars share appetizers or a full meal and tall glasses of weiss bier (wheat beer) from Bavaria. On weekends, brunch includes a vanilla-scented German apple pancake. 2435 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 399-6504. Main courses, $19 to $23.

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[ Vincenti ] Gino Angelini is, hands down, the best Italian chef in L.A. Here four years now, he was the last chef at Rex il Ristorante before that downtown landmark closed in 1997. At Vincenti--named after Rex’s late owner, Mauro Vincenti, and run by his widow, Maureen--Angelini continues to astonish me with exquisite, heartfelt cooking. Everything he touches has the true taste of Italy: tiny cuttlefish cooked in their own ink, tripe slowly stewed with San Marzano tomatoes and finished with Parmigiano-Reggiano, gently scrambled eggs served with the season’s first asparagus and crisped slices of house-made guanciale, or cured pig’s jowl. Angelini’s guanciale is what makes the amatriciana so authentically gutsy. His other pastas can also be breathtaking. Just taste the strozzapreti (priest-stranglers) with fresh lobster or the penne with rapini and bottarga (pressed tuna roe). Fresh whole fish are simply rubbed with olive oil and cooked in front of glowing embers, but my favorite rotisserie item is the pigeon stuffed with ruffles of cabbage and arugula. If you ask the chef to make a menu for your table, it’s a remarkable feast. My only complaint: the half-hearted, high-priced wine list. 11930 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310) 207-0127. Main courses, $12 to $35; chef’s four-course tasting menu, $48, six-course tasting menu, $60.

[ Lawry’s the Prime Rib ] This venerable old steakhouse belongs on this list as an example of a restaurant that does one thing and does it very well. The place runs like clockwork--after all, they’ve had more than 60 years’ experience. (Lawry’s was founded in 1938.) First, your waitress arrives in a perky old-fashioned uniform, complete with apron and frilly hat. She asks which cut you prefer. And then, after displaying a gravy boat of Lawry’s house dressing, she deftly pours the dressing from on high into a large, spinning salad bowl. Next she passes out the chilled salad forks. Seconds later, the gleaming stainless-steel meat cart approaches, steered by a white-gloved master carver. Up goes the lid, out come the knives. You want it rare? Medium? Well-done? He carves off the appropriate slab and spoons out creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. Yorkshire pudding follows soon after. A good time is guaranteed, particularly if you bring friends. Lawry’s is a favorite with European and Japanese visitors, who, I promise you, have never seen anything like it. 100 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 652-2827. Main courses, $20 to $28.

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[ Drago ] Drago, Celestino Drago’s flagship restaurant, is still his best. With its stark modern decor and slipcovered chairs, the look is big-city ristorante. There’s always a crowd speaking Italian at the bar, ordering espressos or aperitifs with a plate of arancini, deep-fried cones of rice with hearts of rag and peas. Regulars prefer to be seated in the rustic wine cellar, where it’s quieter and there’s more elbow room. They also know to listen closely to the specials, which often are more interesting than the regular menu. The cooking is as clean and contemporary as the setting: salmon or swordfish carpaccio, simple grilled fish topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, homey pastas such as orecchiette (little ears) with wild broccoli and pecorino, plus the usual veal and lamb chops. Of the handful of Sicilian dishes, try the spaghetti alla bottarga or pasta with sardines, raisins, pine nuts and fennel. Sometimes there’s a seductive risotto with squid ink, tiny bay scallops and shrimp. And, as at every trattoria in Italy worth its salt, if you ask, the chef will cook you just about anything else your heart desires. 2628 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 828-1585. Main courses, $19 to $26.

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[ Devon ] This Monrovia restaurant started out as a tiny storefront with big ambitions. Now, three years later, with Shiro veteran Pedro Simental in the kitchen, Devon has added a liquor license, a full bar and a small waiting area. You can tell just by looking at the intriguing menu that this is a place owned and run by someone passionate about food and wine: Where else could you start your dinner with wild boar ravioli to accompany that big red wine? There’s a nice caprese salad stacked between crisp wontons (a trick familiar from Shiro) and wonderful steamed black mussels in garlic butter. And main courses are as good as the appetizers. You can get a roast rabbit in mustard sauce that tastes as if it came from a Paris bistro, a splendid version of calf’s liver with capers and shallots, or a dry-aged prime rib eye in Port sauce. Service can sometimes lag, but who cares when everything else about Devon is so satisfying? 109 E. Lemon Ave., Monrovia; (626) 305-0013. Main courses, $11 to $27.