New York-based restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow (Asia de Cuba) has refurbished the historic Hollywood Athletic Club—once a hangout for the likes of Chaplin, Gable, and Barrymore. The restaurant now features a sleek modernist look with a cheery citrus palette and menu conceived by super-chef Michel Richard, who gained fame at L.A.'s landmark Citrus before departing for Washington, D.C. The affable Frenchman is rarely here, but the kitchen reflects his playfulness in dishes like "beluga pearls," which are actually Israeli couscous served in a caviar tin—tinted with squid ink, they look like the real deal—layered over lobster. They also do a soulful 72-hour short rib with ultrarich frites cooked twice in clarified butter.
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