The Best of The Rest

Set in a former Googie-inspired coffee shop, with an outdoor lounge that has low-slung Parsons couches and shoji screens, [temple] attracts a young, fashionable crowd. Chef Richard Aramino has created L.A.’s first crossover Korean. To traditional dishes and flavors he adds accents of Brazil (where owners Jun and Soyon Kim grew up) and California. Appetizers perfect for grazing include hand-pleated rock shrimp dumplings, crab cakes laced with kimchi and an ornate seafood pancake. Every entree comes with an array of panchan, side dishes. And to drink, the bartender concocts Soju Caipirinha. Temple, 14 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 360-9460. Entrees, $12 to $22.

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[ALTO PALATO] is a stylish Italian restaurant that consistently turns out wonderful thin-crusted pizzas and rustic regional pasta dishes in a roomy contemporary setting. At the aperitif hour, the bar serves up a well-chosen selection of Italian cheeses and wines by the glass. On Wednesday nights tour the regions of Italy via a special $25 prix fixe menu that features a different region each week. Wine drinkers have an incentive: If you order the regional menu, any bottle of wine is 40% off. And for dessert, what else but the homemade gelato? Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 657-9271. Pizzas, $10 to $14. Entrees, $11 to $25.

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Nobu Matsuhisa has restaurants from here to New York, London and Paris--even Tokyo. But [MATSUHISA] is the original, where he honed his peculiar fusion of Peruvian and Japanese flavors. The straightforward sushi is excellent, but his regulars can’t get enough of “new-style sashimi” doused with warm olive oil, squid “pasta” with asparagus, and seafood perked up with his signature sauces. The presentation is arresting, and the normally austere Japanese palette of flavors is punched up with garlic, chile, even butter. Reserve a seat at the tempura bar, which serves an omakase (chef’s choice) that includes his latest creations. Matsuhisa, 129 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 659-9639. Entrees, $20 to $50. Omakase, $75.

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[BALBOA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE] is not your father’s steakhouse. Set inside The Grafton on Sunset hotel, the restaurant’s edgy design attracts a young, hip crowd. Instead of whiskey and sodas, the bar turns out unusual cocktails--the weirder the better. Tables are small and the noise level extreme, but the beef is prime and aged to the max. The superlative New York steak is aged about 40 days. First courses stand out from the crowd, too. When there’s a pecan tart on the menu, why skip dessert? Balboa Restaurant & Lounge, 8383 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; (323) 650-8383. Entrees, $16 to $39.

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Everything from the sea, both near and far, appears on [WATER GRILL’S] menu. Under chef Michael Cimarusti, this once-moribund seafood house has become the city’s best. Stop in before the theater or a concert for oysters from the raw bar, or try a bowl of the fabulous white clam chowder laced with applewood-smoked bacon. His big-eye tuna tartare is superb; so are the loup de mer with fennel and the Columbia river salmon. And the desserts, from pastry chef Wonyee Tom, are worth every calorie. Water Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles; (213) 891-0900. Entrees, $25 to $35.

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The address of [BISTRO 21] for a long time was jealously guarded by the lucky few who happened on it by chance or had followed chef/owner Koichiro Kikuchi from his days at La Boheme. With only a handful of tables and no chance of a scene in his mini-mall location, Kikuchi concentrates on the food: for example, a puristi’s lobster bisque, seared foie gras on a pedestal of braised daikon, lobster in a swath of emerald watercress sauce and a sumptuous duck confit. Never fussy or overwrought, his French cooking embodies a graceful Japanese aesthetic. Bistro 21, 846 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 967-0021. Entrees, $16 to $27.

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[THE BUFFALO CLUB] is an odd, maddening place. Lost in an industrial part of Santa Monica, with no sign outside, it has only a valet station to mark the spot. As you’d expect, it has plenty of attitude. Inside is a sophisticated supper club with luxurious leather chairs, generous booths and a magical garden with Chinese lanterns strung overhead. The surprise is the excellent American menu from one of L.A.’s best French-trained chefs, Patrick Healy. Try the spicy buffalo wings, the classic crab cakes and, in season, juicy soft-shell crabs. Don’t forget the ethereal cornmeal-crusted okra or the fries. The Buffalo Club, 1520 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 450-8600. Entrees, $25 to $32.

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At [CAFE BLANC], chef/owner Tommy Harase turns out polished French-Japanese cooking worthy of a much grander space than this nine-table cafe. As stark and design-conscious as a museum restaurant, Cafe Blanc focuses on the food: lobster bisque, poussin with rosemary-lime juice. Lunch is more casual, and quite a bargain for the level of the cooking. Cafe Blanc, 9777 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 888-0108. Entrees, $18 to $24.

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Brooke Williamson became sous chef at Michael’s when she was only 20. Now 23, she’s the chef at [ZAX] in Brentwood, the neighborhood where she grew up. Her menu is “contemporary American,” based on what she finds at the farmers market. Composed salads and soups are wonderful. She’s strong on seafood, but don’t miss the New York steak topped with Roquefort butter, which brings one customer back so often, she’s named the dish after him. Zax, 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310) 571-3800. Entrees, $18 to $27.

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The menu at [CHINOIS ON MAIN] barely budges, and regulars tend to ignore the specials in favor of classics such as the baby back ribs in a dark, sticky sauce redolent of star anise, the rich Shanghai lobster embellished with flash-fried spinach, or the meaty Mongolian lamb chops with cilantro sauce. Wolfgang Puck’s foray into Franco-Asian cooking is a fusion that has dazzled for 19 years. Waiters are clad in black Chinese pajamas. And Barbara Lazaroff’s high-spirited decor makes it feel like a party you’ve been lucky enough to crash. Chinois on Main, 2709 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 392-9025. Entrees, $25 to $36.

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[GINZA SUSHI-KO] is L.A.’s most expensive restaurant--a cool $300 per person (when fugu, or blowfish, is in season, it can run even more), and that’s without drinking a drop. At such prices, sushi master and potter Masa Takayama can afford to be uncompromising. He flies his seafood in from Japan and cooks only by reservation, usually for no more than 10 people. It’s a meal that demands attention: You’ll eat things you may never have seen before, such as raw sweet shrimp marinated with shrimp brain and liver. Yet there’s nothing pretentious about this understated restaurant. Perfection is almost impossible, but Takayama somehow achieves it. Ginza Sushi-Ko, 218 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 247-8939. $300 per person and up.

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When Wolfgang Puck opened a second [SPAGO] in 1997, the idea of moving from West Hollywood to staid Beverly Hills seemed a mistake. But he has proved everyone wrong and has created an even better Spago, more fine dining than California casual. Much of this success is thanks to Lee Hefter, a rare chef who can both command the troops at this enormously busy restaurant yet constantly challenge the kitchen with inventive new dishes. Spago is still the place to see and be seen, but now more than ever people come for the food and the extensive wine list. Spago, 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 385-0880. Entrees, $22 to $35.

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At lunch, Hollywood power brokers slip into the booths at [THE GRILL]--a classy retro joint famous for its definitive Cobb salad, a perfect Caesar and chophouse favorites such as double-cut lamb chops, prime New York strip and liver and bacon. Ingredients are top-notch, and the service from the white-jacketed waiters is the best in town. With The Grill’s classic martini, it’s the kind of place Nick and Nora from the “Thin Man” films would have loved. The Grill, 9560 Dayton Way, Beverly Hills; (310) 276-0615. Entrees, $20 to $35.

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A coolly elegant Swedish restaurant seems an unlikely tenant for a glitzy shopping mall, but that’s Orange County. After 13 years, [GUSTAF ANDERS] is alone in presenting contemporary Scandinavian cuisine. Chef Ulf Anders bakes all his own Swedish-style breads and cures his own herring, grav lox and sugar-and-salt-cured salmon. They’re fabulous. In season, you can order platters of crayfish cooked with handfuls of dill, or shrimp in the shell. His desserts are irresistible, especially the Princess cake wrapped in a sheet of pale green marzipan. Gustaf Anders, 3851 S. Bear St., Santa Ana; (714) 668-1737. Entrees, $18 to $20.

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Though Joachim Splichal sold his restaurant empire to Restaurant Associates two years ago, he’s still in charge at his flagship restaurant, [PATINA], whose reputation as one of the Southland’s finest French restaurants carries all the Pinots in its wake. The cooking is perhaps best expressed in the tasting menus--and in the magnificent cote de boeuf served table-side. This year Splichal added a glassed-in chef’s table in the kitchen for as many as six guests, where you can order wines hand-picked by sommelier Chris Meeske. Patina, 5955 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 467-1108. Entrees, $29 to $31. Chef’s tasting menus, $65 to $75. Chef’s table, food only, $100.

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Josie Le Balch grew up in her father’s French restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. Now, after stints at Saddle Peak Lodge and Remi, this second-generation chef is behind the stoves every night at her own Santa Monica restaurant, [JOSIE]. She can make a mean sauce, and first courses run from the classic (mushrooms in puff pastry or a cherry tomato tartlet) to gutsy (grilled cuttlefish with chorizo). Every night, she dreams up a handful of specials, many of them based on game. Josie, 2424 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 581-9888. Entrees, $18 to $31.

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Everyone I’ve ever taken to [LAKE SPRING SHANGHAI] in Monterey Park has gone back on their own. That’s saying something when there are hundreds of Chinese restaurants competing for attention. This small restaurant features the cooking of Shanghai, with wonderful Shanghai-style dumplings, sheets of tofu braised to resemble goose, and a slew of other appetizers. The piece de resistance is pork “pump”--a pork leg cooked slowly in Chinese plum sauce until it’s so tender the waiter can cut through it with a spoon. Lake Spring Shanghai, 219 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park; (626) 280-3571. Entrees, $10.

The long-running [campanile] counts legions of foodies among its fans. Owners Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton celebrate bounty from the farmers market and local producers with an appetizing seasonal menu. First courses offer fresh sardines, fava bean puree, little packets of stuffed pasta or a benchmark Bibb lettuce salad showered with herbs. The cheese selection is glorious and the desserts are dreamy, which means you have to save room, somehow, for both. Campanile, 624 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 938-1447. Entrees, $25 to $40.

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[LUCQUES] is a delight for its good looks, gracious staff and, most of all, for Suzanne Goin’s sensual French-Mediterranean cooking. The single-page menu is filled with enticing offerings such as fava bean and ricotta ravioli with mint, escarole and black olives, and fat spears of asparagus topped with a fried egg and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Braised short ribs in a horseradish cream are menu regulars. Order the suckling pig if you see it, or any of the beautifully modulated fish dishes. Cheeses are always a point, and desserts are delicious. Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 655-6277. Entrees, $20 to $32.

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When Josiah Citrin emerges from the kitchen of [MELISSE] after a night behind the stoves, he looks as if he’s just run a marathon. He has, in a way. Citrin is pouring everything he’s got into this ambitious 3-year-old French restaurant. The decor is a bit old-fashioned, but that makes it all the more French. The same goes for the format, which offers a formal meal, with everything from amuses gueules to desserts and petits fours. Several of the best dishes, such as the splendid cote de boeuf for two, are served table-side, and the chef’s tasting menu is always a treat. Melisse, 1104 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 395-0881. Entrees, $28 to $36. Chef’s tasting menu, $68.

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A custom-tailored cottage on Balboa Peninsula is home to [AUBERGINE], where Tim Goodell and his staff are cooking some of the most interesting food in Southern California. Goodell’s unique take on contemporary French cuisine, highlighted with Asian touches, becomes more refined with every menu. I love his poached foie gras in a French canning jar, his artistry with seafood and his delights with pork or rabbit. Desserts from pastry chef Shelly Register are both inventive and delicious. Aubergine, 508 29th St., Newport Beach; (949) 723-4150. Prix fixe menus, $39 to $105.

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Now that Jean-Pierre Bosc is sole owner of [MIMOSA], he’s spending more time in the kitchen and has pulled this French bistro out of a slump. Francophiles crowd in for thin-crusted tarte flambee, pretty beet salads, stuffed mussels and friture d’Eperlans (tiny whole fried fish) with a lemony tartar sauce. He’s also cooking soulful dishes such as tablier de sapeur (braised tripe) and other regional French dishes. For dessert, there’s that childhood favorite: meringue floating in a sea of custard. Mimosa, 8009 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 655-8895. Entrees, $15 to $24.

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[JOE’S] is one of the most reliable restaurants in town because Joe Miller is in the kitchen almost every night, sending out his signature mushroom ravioli, composed salads, interesting soups and California-French-inspired main courses. His slow-cooked salmon is sublime, as is an earthy duck confit. For dessert, try a pot de creme or a lavender-scented creme brulee. The place is packed every night, but the toughest reservation may be Sunday brunch. Joe’s Restaurant, 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice; (310) 399-5811. Entrees, $19 to $24. Prix fixe menus, $38 and $48.

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At [MORI SUSHI], sushi master Morihiro Onodera likes to keep a low profile. The inconspicuous sign is all the better for his fans, because they can still get in. Sushi quality is remarkable, and Onodera is such a fanatic for detail that he hulls his own rice to ensure it retains all its moisture. This is one of the few places where you’ll get your money’s worth when ordering omakase. Mori Sushi, 11500 Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles; (310) 479-3939. Sushi, about $40 to $60 per person. Omakase starts at $65.

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The San Gabriel Valley boasts more Cantonese-style seafood houses than possibly anywhere else in the country, and [NYC JUMBO SEAFOOD] is right at the top. To see what’s being offered, head straight to the wall of fish tanks at the back filled with crab, rock fish, geoduck clams, lobsters and live prawns. Keep it simple: steamed prawns, whole fish steamed with ginger and scallions. Try the giant New Zealand king crabs cooked three ways: steamed with glass noodles and prawns, deep-fried plain and fried with rice, heaped in the upturned shell. NYC Jumbo Seafood, 203 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra; (626) 289-4828. Entrees, $9 to $13.

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[PINOT BISTRO], the first--and most reliable--of Splichal’s many Patina spinoffs, is a Valley institution, thronged both at lunch and dinner. The black-and-white floor, classic bistro chairs and graceful writing on the mirror dress the part. You’ll eat very well if you stick with the salads, soup du jour, the crispy whitefish and any of the braised meats or chops. Most regulars wouldn’t think of leaving without dessert--make it the croissant bread pudding drowned in cream or a plate of sugar cookies. Pinot Bistro, 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 990-0500. Entrees, $18 to $25.

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[JIRAFFE] may be the ideal Santa Monica restaurant. Irreverent and fun, its logo is the Eiffel Tower morphing into a giraffe. The food from home-grown surfer-chef Raphael Lunetta is an amiable mix of California and country-style French. He does wonderful things with foie gras, wild mushrooms and salads. He’s especially strong on seafood, which, sad to say, is unusual this close to the coast. JiRaffe, 502 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 917-6671. Entrees, $19 to $30.

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The decor at [RESTAURANT DEVON] in Monrovia may be a bit hard-edged (Chinese chairs, copper-tubing light fixtures, abstract paintings), but chef Pedro Simental’s precise California-French cooking makes up for it. Dainty crab cakes bursting with crab, grilled quail stuffed with lamb mousse, or the mixed mushroom salad perfumed with walnut oil and walnuts make a strong first impression. His skill as a saucier shows up in poussin in a refreshing orange glaze or steak in a Port reduction as transparent as a watercolor wash. Restaurant Devon, 109 E. Lemon Ave., Monrovia; (626) 305-0013. Entrees, $14 to $28.

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At [IL RISTORANTE DI GIORGIO BALDI], a casual Italian with a star-studded clientele, the cherubic Signor Baldi cooks the food of his childhood: a smooth brown puree of borlotti beans festooned with fettuccine, tiny sweet clams and fat white beans, spaghetti in an understated tomato sauce and eggy fresh fettuccine in a musky porcini sauce. The prices are somewhat high for what is basically trattoria fare. I guess you have to pay extra for the tang of the sea half a block away. Il Ristorante di Giorgio Baldi, 114 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica; (310) 573-1660. Entrees, $12 to $35.

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After 12 years, Hans Rockenwagner continues to reinvent his Santa Monica restaurant, [ROCKENWAGNER]. Though German-born, he’s a California chef to the core, playing off Asian, French and more exotic elements to create a cuisine as personal and eclectic as his Edgemar Complex setting. Spring brings a white asparagus festival. Last year he and wife Patti added WunderBAR, where you can order small plates (including a beguiling pretzel burger) and taste cutting-edge German and Austrian wines by the glass. Rockenwagner, 2435 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 399-6504. Entrees, $21 to $27.

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Pasta stars at [POSTO], the Valley cousin to Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino in Santa Monica. Chef Stephen Samson, after all, grew up on his mother’s Bolognese cooking and pays tribute to her with dishes such as paglia e fieno (green and yellow noodles with peas, prosciutto and cream) and hand-rolled garganelli. You can’t go wrong with osso buco or any of the other Italian classics on the menu either. Posto, 14928 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; (818) 784-4400. Pasta, $14 to $16. Entrees, $19 to $27.

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Leave the city behind at [SADDLE PEAK LODGE]--a stone and timber hunting lodge in Malibu Canyon. With Patina veteran Warren Schwartz in the kitchen, the food is better than ever. The theme is the same--mostly game--but, oh, what a difference. His deft hand with sauces and inspired combinations of flavors allows the taste of elk, buffalo and venison to shine. This is the place to drink those big, bold Cabernets and Rhones in front of the huge stone fireplace--as long as you don’t mind the moose and deer heads staring down from on high. Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas; (818) 222-3888. Entrees, $28 to $36.

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Italian restaurants in Los Angeles tend to be generically Tuscan because that’s the one region everybody knows. But in Pasadena, [TRATTORIA TRE VENEZIE] swims against the tide. Unusual pastas, a veal bollito misto, fish in agrodolce and seductive desserts that go beyond the usual tiramisu and ricotta cheesecake are among the creative offerings. The wine list is almost as eclectic as the menu, strong on wines from Friuli, Veneto and Alto Adige--which form Italy’s Tre Venezie region. Trattoria Tre Venezie, 119 W. Green St., Pasadena; (626) 795-4455. Entrees, $22 to $35.

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[VINCENTI’S] new chef, Nicola Mastronardi, is cooking gutsy, delicious food--from tender octopus salad perfumed with lemon, grilled seppioline with beans or lentils to wonderful pastas, such as bucatini all’ amatriciana, any of which would do Vincenti’s namesake, Mauro Vincenti, proud. Whole fish cooked in the wood-burning rotisserie is worth mentioning, as is the pigeon with peperonata and baby onions, just the dish for a Brunello di Montalcino or a Barolo or Barbaresco with some age on it. However, unless you have very deep pockets, wine prices are prohibitive. Vincenti, 11930 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood; (310) 207-0127. Entrees, $12 to $38.

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[TROQUET], the French bistro from Aubergine’s Tim Goodell, might be more at home on Paris’ Left Bank than in the South Coast Plaza shopping center, but quelle chance! This saucy bistro is just the place to repair after a bout of shopping. Start with dainty oysters on the half shell, silken foie gras or a pretty little salad, followed by a wonderful piece of fish, some braised beef cheeks in a deep-flavored wine sauce or a glorious roast chicken for two. Troquet, 3333 Bristol St., Suite 3001, Costa Mesa; (714) 708-6865. Entrees, $15 to $22.

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Wine lovers rush to [VALENTINO] the minute they hit town for a wine list that sets the blood racing. Owner Piero Selvaggio ferrets out bottles from inventive producers and estates from Italy and the world over. Tell the sommelier what you’re drinking, and chef Angelo Auriana will create a menu around that bottle of Barbaresco or Brunello. Appetizers, pastas and risottos are both elegant and soulful. Instead of a dessert, explore the Italian cheeses, or a luscious vin santo or recioto dessert wine. Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 829-4313. Entrees, $19 to $35. Menu extravaganza, $85.

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It’s not often that a truly interesting chef comes up through the hotel system, but [THE GRILL] at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington has one in Craig Strong. He worked in Barcelona before coming to Southern California and weaves elements of Provencal and Catalan cooking into his menu at the grand old Pasadena hotel. Past offerings have included crayfish served with fideus (broken pasta cooked like risotto) and a bouillabaisse sauce, a chilled eggplant and tomato terrine garnished with a silky brandade, and a seared foie gras set off with a vanilla sauce and Asian pears. Strong is an accomplished pastry chef as well. Let’s hope he stays. The Grill, Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena; (626) 577-2867. Entrees, $35.

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Unique in its concept, [YUJEAN KANG’S] eponymous restaurant reflects his interests in historical and regional Chinese recipes and techniques. But Kang’s real passion is for wine. At his Pasadena restaurant, you can match his Chinese “polenta” and shrimp with Rieslings and Gewurztraminers from Alsace and Germany. The best, though, is to ask Kang to cook a menu for the entire table. Just don’t forget the miniature dumplings in chile oil. Yujean Kang’s, 67 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (626) 585-0855. Entrees, $12 to $20.