Chow Bella, Scarpetta

Chef Scott Conant  brings his take on Italian cuisine to a beautiful space in Beverly Hills’ Montage Hotel with Scarpetta. If you haven’t been to the locations in New York or Miami, opened in 2008, you’re in for a treat from this talented maestro. Specialties prepared with the finest seasonal ingredients are served in a Mediterranean atmosphere that also evokes Hollywood glamour. Custom cabinetry showcases the...

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The Den of Hollywood

It’s Sunset Boulevard without the drama, hassles or high  prices of the neighboring establishments. The Den,  situated directly across the street from the Château  Marmont–and ahem, that’s exactly what we’re talking  about, much as we love that place–is packing them in  with drink specials, a seasonal and quite reasonable  menu and a fun late-night party atmosphere on the  patio. This is the kind of place that...

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How Do You Say Abbot Kinney in French?

You don’t need to be wearing a beret, but if you did you’d  fit right in at Lilly’s French Café in the heart of the  Abbot Kinney dining district. If rustic French bistro fare  tempts your palate, this could be your new favorite place.  Deceptively larger than it looks from its charming front  entrance and warm wood-toned bar, Lilly’s boasts a  lively dining room with a modern art display and a  quieter rear candlelit...

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Skybox Sushi

Once we stepped behind 100-year-old wooden gates into a tranquil Japanese garden and were greeted warmly at Gonpachi, we looked up and were suddenly and somewhat explicably reminded of being at Staples Center. No, it wasn’t a Pau Gasol sighting, and more on that in a moment.  Gonpachi is a gem that stands out from the old school vibe (Lawry’s, Benihana, anyone?) on La Cienega’s established restaurant row, just north of Wilshire....

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Martini Madness On Rodeo

With the price of a few rounds of “designer” martinis requiring a C-note these days, it’s hard to imagine five for less than $20. But that’s exactly the deal at the Luxe Hotel’s Bar 360 Monday-Friday, 5:30-7:30 pm: $3.60 drink specials include a fresh watermelon martini, or, shades of Sex and the City, a cool Cosmopolitan, both giving deeper meaning to “happy hour.” Small plates like fried green tomatoes and fresh burrata, lobster...

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