eat. drink. (you know the rest.)

PINOT HOLLYWOOD was always the ugly duckling in the fleet of restaurants belonging to the Patina Group, but, at least in the early years, the food was decent. And pristine oysters on the half shell, well-crafted martinis and skinny fries showered with parsley and garlic were compelling enough to draw a crowd for a bite after a film or a play. Recently, though, under a succession of clueless chefs, the Hollywood bistro slipped out of mind. It still did a decent lunch business simply because it’s adjacent to Sunset Gower Studios, but given the increasing competition in Hollywood, the dining room often languished half empty at night.

Late last year, Joachim Splichal, who heads the Patina Group, closed the restaurant for renovation. I’d heard he was planning something radically different from the Pinots’ California-French model, something Asian or otherwise exotic. But in the end, he settled for a minor, but very effective, makeover and an enthusiastic young chef with his own spin on American cuisine. He also renamed the place eat. on sunset, the dot, I suppose, meant to signal the restaurant as someplace that would appeal to the text messaging generation.

The old decor was a bit fussy and dated but there was an inviting lounge at the back (one of the city’s first martini bars) and a large enclosed patio up front. At the time, the patio didn’t seem like such a tremendous asset. Now, restaurants with outdoor spaces are in high demand as L.A. finally learns to celebrate its weather (and as smokers seek a venue, like a patio, where it’s still legal to indulge).

Taking a page from mod hotels, the designers have sexed up the new restaurant by dotting daybeds, in discreet pairs, around the perimeter. Candles flicker in the darkness -- would anybody under 30 be caught dead in a restaurant that didn’t feature fire in some form, and candles? -- creating a serene, contemporary haven. Less enthralling is the shower-curtain effect on the patio, where, while it’s still winter, industrial heaters blow hot air through the wrapped-up space.

The restaurant’s palette is more subdued; etched glass panels that divided the dining room from the rest of the space have been replaced with frosted glass backlit with colored lights, seeping color into the room. The huge skylight, which could be glaring on a bright day, is cleverly shaded with a screen that slices the light into tiny shapes. The effect is dappled, like sunlight through trees. And at night, two glowing orbs -- lampshades that look like huge string balls -- preside overhead like twin moons.

The biggest change, though, is in the kitchen. The Patina Group has long been an incubator for chefs such as Ottavio Becerra, who started at Pinot Bistro and is still part of the restaurant group. Or Stanko Mihajlov, who left Pinot Bistro to open Bistro Provence in Burbank. Former Patina chefs have gone on to head up kitchens all over California. Now Splichal has nabbed the young chef Gary Menes, who was at Firefly in Studio City, where he was cooking soulful, delicious food for hipsters who were there more for the scene than the food, a thankless job for a chef.

Eat. on sunset has a much bigger, more ambitious menu than Firefly’s, demanding more organization and teamwork in the kitchen, and Menes is still getting up to speed. The kitchen performance is uneven, sometimes in the same meal, but when they get it right, food here can be more satisfying than anything Pinot Hollywood turned out for years.

It’s hard to resist starting off a meal here with Champagne and a dozen oysters on the half shell. The oysters, usually a choice of several types, kumamoto and Fanny Bay among the best, are not as inexpensive relative to other places as Pinot Hollywood’s used to be. Now a half dozen will set you back $11, just shy of $2 apiece, the standard price around town. But they’re always crisp, perfectly chilled and delicious.

*

A classy Toad in a Hole

MY favorite on the appetizers list is Toad in a Hole. Menes’ take on the British nursery dish is a slice of brioche with a hole cut out to hold a fried egg. A thick slice of apple-wood-smoked bacon is balanced across the top and on the side is a thatch of wispy greens tossed in a vinaigrette. Oh, and a little black truffle is shaved over the top. It’s surprisingly sophisticated with a glass of full-bodied red wine, like the Stolpman Vineyards Syrah on the all-American list.

Seared diver scallops with caramelized cauliflower florets are another appealing starter. The sweet fleshy scallops against the earthy grace of the cauliflower really works. He ratchets up the contrast with crisp, julienned apple and a silky Chardonnay beurre blanc.

A couple of pasta dishes, both first courses, are worthy ideas that could use some tweaking. Tagliolini (thin, hand-cut noodles) tossed with lemon juice, lemon zest and basil is a touch too sharp, sure to kill any wine. Its tart edges need to be smoothed. Chestnut agnolotti carries the sweet, earthy taste of chestnut, with some smoked ricotta to punch up the flavors. Menes gets that butter and sage makes the best sauce for a ravioli, the better to show off the filling without competing with it. But the plump little packets don’t need to be literally swimming in the stuff.

The best of the salads is composed of tiny, jewel-like roasted baby beets with red oak lettuce, which really tastes like lettuce, crunchy roasted pistachios and goat cheese. Why the goat cheese needs to be marinated in olive oil, I don’t know. Maybe because it reads well on the menu, but it doesn’t improve the cheese. But it’s nicely dressed, and like the rest of the salads, uses quality ingredients.

Main courses right now tend to be hearty, built for cold places and big appetites. Beef two ways is appealing in this weather. Instead of a single slab of steak, you get a piece of grilled skirt steak, which gives your chompers some exercise, alongside some slow-braised oxtail suffused with red wine and tender enough for a baby to eat. Together, they make a kind of haiku of beef, and the creamed spinach and potato galette served with them are a fine complement.

Foodies are going to head straight for the Snake River Farms pork belly. That’s a slab streaked fat and lean, baked all day to a melting tenderness and served with grilled endive and a smooth sweet potato puree. Good flavors together.

Oven-roasted Colorado lamb, though, may not be the roast lamb of your dreams. It’s not tender and juicy enough and the ricotta gnocchi served with it are awfully heavy. Grilled Sonoma duck breast is not very exciting either, but perfectly fine. I like that he’s paired it with farro (spelt). And he gives a nod to duck a l’orange with an orange-infused jus.

The real winner in the main courses, though, is Scottish salmon. Slow-roasted to keep its custardy texture and subtle flavor, it’s escorted to the table by a bouquet of snow peas and carrots. At lunch it comes with a warm shiitake and spinach salad dressed in a whole grain Dijon vinaigrette that could stand to lose the honey that sweetens it.

Sometimes there’s a lightly smoked Kurobuta pork chop. If you see it, grab it. This is one flavorful piece of pork, thick enough that it can pick up a char and still be pink and juicy inside.

*

Civilized lunches

LUNCH is also notable for Cobb salad updated with watercress and chicory along with the lettuce, and chicken breast that’s been marinated and then poached, so it’s not the usual dried-out hunk of chicken. Smarter still is an omelet du jour (how civilized is that?) served with home fries made from the ubiquitous fingerling potato. What about a burger? But of course. Here, it’s ground rib-eye topped with Point Reyes blue cheese. If you’re going for this baby, bring your running clothes and hoof it back to the office.

The all-American wine list, mostly California, Oregon and Washington state, is organized by region and also by weight. So if you’re casting about for a “refreshing, light-bodied” white to go with a salad, consider a Pinot Gris from the Anderson Valley or a Pinot Grigio from Santa Ynez. An Alban Viognier found under “aromatic, medium-bodied whites” should see you through the scallops and that Irish salmon. And for a full-throttled red, look to the Miner Family “Aia” Napa Valley Cabernet.

Wine buffs take note that, like every other restaurant under the Patina Group umbrella (with the exception of Patina), eat. on sunset charges no corkage, zero, if you bring your own bottle. This policy brings in wine collectors, and holds down costs because each restaurant doesn’t have to invest in an extensive wine cellar.

Come dessert, why not try an Inniskillin ice wine from Niagara Peninsula in Canada? Desserts themselves are less compelling, though, than the dessert wines. The panna cotta does have the proper, shivery texture of cream with just enough gelatin so that it can stand up without collapsing, and doughnut holes work like biscotti with an espresso, but anything more elaborate, such as a white chocolate rice pudding, tends to be cloyingly sweet.

Joachim Splichal was among the first to put serious restaurants in neighborhoods that had few or none. When Hollywood didn’t seem like it was going anywhere, food-wise, he opened Pinot Hollywood. Now that the ‘hood is catching up and scads of trendy new restaurants and clubs compete for diners and the late-night crowd, he’s realized he needed to do more to keep up. A hip new name, a thoughtful makeover and a new chef may do the trick. And then there’s that outdoor patio, something that few of the new spots in Hollywood can boast.

Will the restaurant at Sunset and Gower make a lasting comeback? It’s hard to say yet: Stay tuned.

**

eat. on sunset

Rating: * 1/2

Location: 1448 N. Gower St., Hollywood, (323) 461-8800; www.patinagroup.com.

Ambience: Contemporary American restaurant -- a retool of the old Pinot Hollywood -- in a Hollywood bungalow with an enclosed patio out front. There’s a lounge in back with an extensive cocktail selection and its own menu. It gets an industry crowd because of its location near studios.

Service: Personable and attentive.

Price: Dinner appetizers, $7 to $14; main courses, $21 to $27; dessert, $7; lunch appetizers, $6 to $12; lunch main courses, $10 to $17.

Best dishes: Oysters on the half shell, roasted baby beets salad, Toad in a Hole, seared diver scallops with cauliflower, Snake River Farms pork belly, beef two ways, Scottish salmon.

Wine list: All-American list organized by weight, i.e., light-bodied, medium- bodied and full-bodied, plus about 20 wines by the glass. No corkage fee.

Best table: One in front of the fireplace.

Details: Open for lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lounge open from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Full bar. Valet parking.

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.