Travel Reference
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and mustard-sage vinaigrette. The dry-aged New York strip is also fantastic, as ar e the
steak frites.
1147 3rd St. (north of Wilshire Blvd.), Santa Monica. & 310/451-0843. www.michaelssantamonica.com.
Reservations recommended. Main courses dinner $23-$45, lunch $16-$23. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri
noon-2:30pm and 6-10:30pm; Sat 6-10:30pm. Valet parking $7.
Tavern FRENCH/AMERICAN Caroline Styne and chef Suzanne Goin already
have two successful restaurants in L.A. (including Lucques, p. 123), and this, their third,
lives up to those standar ds. I t's a multi-faceted concept: A full-ser vice r estaurant for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner; a bar; and a gourmet gr ocery and to-go counter called the
“larder.” The atrium dining room is stunning with butterscotch-colored banquettes, high
ceilings, skylights, and r eal oliv e tr ees spaced ar ound the tables. The menu is classic
Goin—roast chicken with mustard breadcrumbs, braised cavalo negro (a dark kale), and
spicy merguez sausage with apricots. The bar is a sexy space with high-backed chairs and
a menu of nibbles like steak tar tare topped with a quail egg or a por k burger with Man-
chego cheese and romesco sauce. The larder is bright and sunny with cases and counters
filled with everything from homemade breads and pastries like flaky cr oissants and rich
cupcakes to pre-made salads using farmers' market ingredients like heirloom carrots and
beets. Everything tastes personal and homespun, but is definitely priced for the tony
Brentwood neighborhood it inhabits.
11648 San Vicente Blvd. (at Darlington Ave.), Brentwood. & 310/806-6464. www.tavernla.com Reserva-
tions recommended. Main courses $12-$22. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 8am-11am, 11:30am-2:15pm,
and 5:30-10pm; Sat-Sun 10am-2:15pm and 5:30-10pm. P arking lot behind the restaurant ($5 with vali-
dation).
6
Valentino NORTHERN ITALIAN Valentino is a good choice if you're splurg-
ing on just one special dinner, particularly if you're passionate about wine. For more than
3 decades the ev er-so-charming and world-r enowned restaurateur, Piero Selvaggio, has
greeted guests and helped guide them through the extensive wine list (and taken a lucky
few on a tour of his awar d-winning wine cellar). D inners her e ar e typically lengthy ,
multicourse affairs, often inv olving sev eral bottles of wine to match the cuisine. You
might begin with a crisp pinot grigio pair ed with caviar-filled cannoli, or crespelle —thin
little pancakes with fr esh porcini mushrooms and a rich melt of fontina cheese. A rich
barolo is the perfect accompaniment to rosemary-infused roasted rabbit; the fantastically
fragrant risotto with white truffles is one of the most magnificent dishes I've ever had. If
you are looking for a mor e casual dining experience, P iero's new V-vin wine bar offers
excellent small plates and attractively priced flights of older vintages and rarely seen labels
from American and international wineries. P
lease be awar e that jackets ar e all but
required in the elegant dining r oom.
3115 Pico Blvd. (west of Bundy Dr .), Santa M onica. & 310/829-4313. www.valentinorestaurant.com.
Reservations required. Jackets recommended. Main courses $18-$38. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 5-10pm;
Fri 11:30am-2:30pm and 5-10:30pm; Sat 5-10:30pm. Valet parking $5.50.
Vincenti Ristorante NORTHERN ITALIAN Despite newer trends sweeping
L.A., finely ex ecuted northern Italian cuisine is still going str ong, as evidenced b y this
Westside standout. The menu, praised as “ authentically Italian,” offers cr eative far e—
gnocchi in tomato-squab sauce, sage-enhanced pumpkin-squash ravioli—along with
well-prepared classics such as r otisserie-cooked whole fish, game bir ds, and steak. Econ-
omy-minded diners with upwardly mobile palates can easily stick with hear ty appetizers
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