LA Restaurants

A groovy, minimalistic restaurant whose simple dishes and flavorful Italian delights attract everyone from families to 30-something industry types. Intimate and hip, the rustic 12-year-old café has a grated wood ceiling, a rusty metal bar and granite tables, all suffused with glowing candlelight. The Tuscan fish soup with assorted seafood in a savory broth is a fave ($15.75). A more-than-palatable entrée, the tagliata features grilled beef tenderloin topped with herbs on a bed of arugula ($15). Lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner seven nights. Beer and wine; takeout; delivery; catering; valet parking. AE, DC, DIS, MC, V.

Looking for a neighborhood kind of restaurant where corn tortillas and spicy salsas are made from scratch, where pasilla chiles are roasted fresh for tasty chile rellenos, and where homemade black beans are a testament to everything canned beans aren't? You'll find no lard anywhere in Baja Bud's light but traditional Mexican fare. Pollo and carne asada are both low fat. And only canola oil is used in cooking, thus everything's healthy, including the addictive tortilla chips. The place sparkles clean and displays bright and lovely old-style Mexican murals. Menu items range from $1.90 to $6.75. Breakfast (W. Hollywood), lunch and dinner seven days. Beer and wine; takeout; parking. No credit cards. ATM cards accepted.

Featuring a handsome, comfy atmosphere indoors and al fresco patio seating, the Book Soup Bistro provides a common ground for hardcore power lunchers as well as the funky cappuccino crowd. Known for the homey, healthy-helpings menu of items such as turkey meat loaf with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce ($11.50) and a seared ahi tuna sandwich ($11.50), Book Soup continuing Saturday and Sunday brunch and the "Short Stories" menu of new items and abbreviated regular dishes, perfect for light afternoon snacks. Lunch and dinner seven days. Full bar; takeout; catering; parking; reservations accepted. AE, DC, DIS, MC, V.

N'Awlins crosses paths with West Hollywood at Bourbon Street Shrimp, a seafood establishment that prides itself on shellfish spiced Cajun style. Tastefully decorated to keep up with its Melrose neighbors, Bourbon Street boasts a fine menu and an active (and well stocked) bar. Notable items on the menu include the signature shrimp dish with rice ($13.95), the blackened chicken over caesar salad ($9.95) and the blackened fish served with red beans and rice ($10.95). Dinner seven nights. Beer and wine; takeout; parking. AE, MC, V.

This premier concert venue is also a house of fine, Southern-style lunches and dinners. The Bluetones house band performs here, but you won't be singing the blues after you try the margarita pizza, baked with fresh roma tomatoes, basil and mozzarella ($6.95). From the backyard smokehouse comes the "Memphis" barbecued chicken, hickory smoked with H.O.B.'s special sauce ($9.95). Or, treat your tastebuds to the world-famous New Orleans po' boy, a fabulous seafood sandwich and a true original ($7.95). Lunch and dinner seven days; gospel brunch Sun. Full bar; takeout; catering; valet parking. AE, CB, DC, DIS, MC, V.

Jay Leno and Sharon Stone are only two of the celebrities who frequent Hugo's, a hip and friendly hangout catering to those with "healthy" and "Italian" on the brain. Famous for its pasta dishes, the restaurant serves a good Pasta Mama--pasta scrambled with eggs, garlic and Parmesan cheese ($7.50). The only place you can get pumpkin pancakes ($6.50), Hugo's will also juice any fruit or vegetable it has in the open kitchen ($3.25-$5). Diners can take home free, quality prints of charcoal artwork! Breakfast and lunch seven days, dinner Tues.-Sun. Beer and wine; takeout; delivery; catering; parking; reservations suggested. AE, DC, MC, V.

Dining here is more than an eating experience; it's a date. Romantic candlelight illuminates tables while diners enjoy Spanish specialties, including paella ($18.75), rack of veal ($26.50), scampi al ajillo ($17.50) and a variety of tapas (about 200 in the repertoire). After dinner, some of the finest sangria this side of Barcelona will help you get in the dancing mood for the live salsa music. Dinner Wed.-Sun. Full bar; takeout.

Authentic Southern cuisine, thy name is Cajun Bistro. To the soulful sounds of blues and Cajun music, this southern-comfortable restaurant provides scrumptious specialties like jambalaya, a hearty soup of chicken and plump, spicy andouille sausage served over rice ($6.50 cup, $7.95 bowl); thick and tasty gumbo you can practically eat with a fork ($4.50 cup, $6.95 bowl); and a wild beer-can chicken ($9.95)! In a fish frenzy? Ask about the "Hook of the Day." Lunch and dinner seven days. Beer and wine; takeout; parking; reservations suggested. AE, CB, DC, MC, V.

"Eat, drink, play" is the motto at the Cobalt Cantina, with its eclectic Cal-Mex cuisine. The Cobalt's tapas menu allows the light snacker to sample a variety of items such as calamari-jalapeņo pepper pops, fresh sweet-potato corn tamales and Brie-papaya quesadillas. The popular Bluebar in West Hollywood and the Martini Lounge in Silver Lake offer daily happy hours from 12 to 7 p.m, and a new location will be opening in the Glendale Galleria in April. Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner seven nights, brunch Sun. Full bar; takeout; catering; valet parking; reservations for parties of eight or more. AE, DC, MC, V.

The cool frozen-yogurt classics--vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter--are always here, but you can call in for the flavors of the day. Specialty flavors like banana-cream pie and coconut can be topped with over 50 different delectables, including fresh strawberries and wet nuts (walnuts in warm maple syrup). For the health-conscious sweet tooth, there's a sugar-free flavor everyday--try coffee light or blackberry. Gourmet 9-inch pies can be custom made to meet your cultured taste. Open seven days. No alcohol; takeout; parking. No credit cards.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the Sunset Strip lies a restaurant that will take you south of the border. Just how far South you might ask--well, how does Argentina sound? The flavorful gusto of traditional Argentine steak dishes (prices vary) and European classics like Dijon chicken ($8.95)--as well as inventive vegetable dishes and salads--please palates of all persuasions. All generously portioned dishes come with freshly prepared sides like fluffy mashed potatoes or fresh, seasoned zucchini. Lunch and dinner seven days. Beer and wine; takeout; delivery; catering; valet parking. AE, CB, DC, MC, V.