Light fare for L.A.’s trendiest

In broad daylight, it’s easy to overlook Buddha’s Belly, a casual Asian cafe on Beverly Boulevard. But after dark, there’s no missing it -- or at least, not the 50-foot-tall Buddha that glows on an adjacent brick wall.

That Buddha is the most dramatic of the projected-light signs showing up around town lately.

Trendy restaurants have taken to using GoBo lights -- an old theater trick used to create backgrounds such as forests or cityscapes -- to “paint” their names on facades or walls.

Dolce, a hot Italian destination on Melrose, uses GoBo technology to etch its name and logo -- two wine glasses -- in white light just to the left of the entrance.

Bliss, a year-old contemporary American spot on La Cienega, projects its name in a stylish lavender circle above the door.

“It’s simple, yet it still has an artsy vibe,” says general manager Rusty Morrone. “It has an edge.”

Katana, a hip Japanese place on Sunset Strip, also uses GoBo to cast the restaurant’s name and medieval-style crest on the front of the restaurant, although co-owner Lee Maen says hipness wasn’t the deciding factor.

“The building is a national historic landmark,” he says. “We needed some kind of sign up there, obviously.”

Katana’s projection is 3 feet by 10 feet, big enough to be seen by passing cars, but nowhere near Buddha’s Belly league.

That, co-owner Evan Silver says, “is probably the biggest Buddha image in Los Angeles.”

-- Leslee Komaiko

Small bites

* Last summer, the cabanas at Whist in Santa Monica were the hottest seats in town -- the young and glamorous were all but begging to spend upward of $1,000 a night for one of those poolside tables.

This summer, the cabanas are all but abandoned, and the reason isn’t the usual fickle crowd. The restaurant, which is in the Viceroy hotel, has had a “glitch” in its alcohol license, says Kate Bartolo, senior vice president of the Kor Hotel Group. For the last few weeks, alfresco diners have had to endure a sort of BYOB arrangement, ordering drinks from the indoor bar and ferrying them to their outdoor tables. Bartolo expects a temporary lifting of the restriction “in very short order,” after a recent public hearing by the Santa Monica Planning Commission.

Whist, 1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 451-8711.

* Citrine opened Aug. 26 in the former Jozu space. David Slatkin, who cooked most recently at Morton’s on Melrose, and at Fenix at the Argyle, is executive chef.

Citrine, 8360 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-1690.

* Some of the city’s top restaurants are rewarding diners who come out on off nights and at off times. On Tuesday nights, Alto Palato offers a 50% discount on every item on the menu. Max has an early dinner special from 5:30 to 7 p.m. weekdays, with three courses (chosen from a weekly changing menu) for $24. On Monday nights, Josie waives the corkage on up to two bottles of wine per party. And Balboa, the steakhouse in the Grafton Hotel, discounts the entire wine list 50% on Sundays.

Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 657-9271. Max, 13355 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks (818) 784-2915. Josie, 2424 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 581-9888. Balboa, 8462 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 650-8383.