Late-night and sultry

HOLLYWOOD, if you haven’t noticed, is heating up to the boiling point. Citizen Smith is just the newest come-hither restaurant-lounge to open its doors there recently, after Memphis (with a southern theme), Geisha House (Japanese), L’Scorpion (Mexican), Bella Cucina (Italian) and Tokio (Japanese again). In this neighborhood, when the rest of the city is long asleep, the night is still alive, and Citizen Smith stays open until 4 a.m., except Sunday through Wednesday, when it closes early -- at 2 a.m.

As at all the other hot spots, design is paramount at Citizen Smith. Thomas Schoos, best known for Koi and Wilshire, has come up with an arresting look for the long, skinny space which stretches all the way to the back alley and then gathers that up too as the outdoor patio. There’s so much going on here that it’s hard to take it all in.

The eye might first go to the brown and white cowhides mounted to form patchwork “wallpaper” lining four alcoves, each with a leather booth, that are strung along one wall. Past the bar on the left, tables are closely packed all the way to the back wall. Overhead, giant rococo chandeliers are boxed in with plexiglass printed with see-through photos of ordinary and extraordinary faces. .

Moroccan tea glasses are turned into votive candleholders mounted into fleur-de-lys sconces so the entire wall beside the bar bristles with wavering candlelight.

Clearly, this place is not about the food -- it’s all about the sexy setting and the scene. Not that the food is bad. It’s actually quite decent for a place like this. The concept is comfort food, the server will tell first-time visitors. Order any way you like. Mix it up. Share dishes. Come for a burger or some jalapeno mac. Model types can nibble on chopped vegetable salad or sip tomato soup. The menu is undemanding and predictable, except for the handful of Southern-inflected dishes that Louisiana-born chef Taylor Boudreaux proposes.

Southern specialty

THESE, it turns out, are some of the best things on the menu. Boudreaux’s fried chicken is crunchy and golden, not a bit greasy. You can order it as an appetizer, with chunks threaded on a skewer. As a main course, you get three -- count ‘em -- generous breasts with pan gravy and, if you like, mashed potatoes loaded with roasted garlic, butter and cream.

Cajun barbecue shrimp is great to share, a bowl of barely cooked tiger shrimp in lots of “butter beer” sauce that packs a wallop of heat. At the bar, or anywhere else in the place for that matter, an order of chopped-steak sliders -- three diminutive burgers in diminutive buns with caramelized onions and a shallot Dijon aioli -- will stave off any hunger pangs. Besides, they’re pretty adorable. And the casserole of jalapeno mac lit up with chopped chiles under a light coverlet of breadcrumbs goes down very easy with a cold beer.

A couple of things to avoid: French onion soup is scary, the color of motor oil, it’s been so reduced, with a wad of melted Gruyere on top.

Wild bass one night arrives smelling funky from a few feet away. How this one escaped from the kitchen, I don’t know. But when a guest sends it back, the chef comes out to apologize. And also takes it off the bill.

But there are plenty of good choices on the large one-page menu. My picks for a late-night snack include the muffuletta sandwich, an Italian roll spread with olive relish and piled with mortadella, provolone, salami and Black Forest ham. Opt for fries instead of the homemade potato chips, though, which taste scorched and have too much spicy salt.

For those who crave something rich and messy, there’s the Citizen Smith burger, half a pound of beef stuffed with blue cheese and garnished with apple wood-smoked bacon and caramelized onions. Myself, I don’t see the point of these over-embellished burgers. I want to taste the beef. For purists like me there’s a plainer version with the classic fixings.

Boudreaux was formerly at Mastro’s, not necessarily a great recommendation. Still, you’d expect the steaks at Citizen Smith to be killer. They’re not. A T-bone is cut too thin to work as a real T-bone, and though it has about as much flavor as a supermarket steak, this baby is $38.

Nooks and crannies

FIRST-time visitors may have a difficult time scoping out all the nooks and crannies of the restaurant. Far at the back and down a few steps is a second bar, this one with low tables, plenty of standing space and another dramatic chandelier, more a place to congregate for a drink than for full-on dinner.

Beyond that is the alley, with brick walls, enormous potted trees, fire escapes and helicopters overhead; it’s been kitted out for outdoor dining with posh leather booths. It’s not only less crowded to hang out in this “West Side Story” stage set, it’s also quieter, except for the occasional groovers slipping out to sneak a smoke in the alley.

On the other hand, you don’t feel as much a part of the scene unfolding inside, where, at a long table barely illuminated in candlelight, there’s the glint of gold and silver jewelry, the gleam of bared bellies. Wine glasses sparkle. Eyes lock. Mountains of salad greens disappear, despite the fact they’re completely ordinary.

Given the crowds and the noise level, the waiters are heroic. Our waiter one night, from Brazil, is a superstar by L.A. standards: Not only does he get the order right, but also he’s pleasant, has a sense of humor and real warmth.

Desserts run to the gooey and sweet -- a strawberry shortcake scribbled with strawberry juice and whipped cream, a decent pecan pie, a brownie sundae. Only New York cheesecake with its bright note of lemon is worth the calories.

When we look up from our coffees one evening, we’re the only table left standing. Literally. While we’ve been talking obliviously, the sea of tables around us have all been removed. It seems the restaurant is being taken over at 11:30 p.m. for the birthday party of a hip-hop singer.

As we pick up our wraps and bags, a sultry hostess glides through the empty room trailing a bouquet of gold balloons. Other staffers appear from the wings with more golden balloons, dozens of them. In the dark, the effect is magical. Nobody is exactly rushing us out, but it is time to go.

We meander into the night, carrying a mental snapshot of the scene. At the entrance to the alley, where the valet has been moved, invitees patiently wait behind the velvet rope for admittance, and when the moment comes, square their shoulders, and step into the light.

A little bit of borrowed glamour never hurt anybody.

*

Citizen Smith

Rating: *

Location: 1600 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 461-5001; www.citizensmith.com.

Ambience: Sexy and clubby.

Service: Wry and efficient.

Price: Appetizers, $6 to $18; sandwiches, $9 to $16; steaks, $29 to $42; “other amazing entrees,” $16 to $25; sides, $6 to $8; desserts, $6 to $10.

Best dishes: Chopped steak sliders, Cajun barbecue shrimp, onion ring tower, jalapeno mac, muffuletta sandwich, fried chicken.

Wine list: A list that ranges far and wide and offers a handful of choices under $40, plus a dozen wines by the glass. Corkage, $25.

Best table: A booth in one of the cowhide-covered alcoves.

Special features: Back alley turned outdoor patio.

Details: Open for lunch Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; for dinner Sunday through Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. Full bar. Valet parking, $8.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.