Help - Best restaurant for a romantic anniversary dinner in LA?
 

Hi All,

My BF and I will be moving to LA in 4 weeks and will be in town this weekend figuring out where we're going to live. We will also coincidentally be celebrating our 4-year anniversary together. We're a couple of Chicago foodies and are hoping for a high caliber experience (food, service, atmosphere).

Any thoughts on L'Orangerie? I haven't really seen much else that seems to qualify as special occasion-worthy, which surprises me.

Thanks for your speedy replies!!

HI--you cannot miss w/Spago in BH, but DS lives in LA and has a good friend who is also a foodie who has a long history living there. I will consult w/them and get back to you--still too early out there for feedback from them.

Well, not romantic unless you are art lovers, but for your second night in town you might try The Restaurant at the Getty, a great welcome-to-LA experience. Open at lunch and on Fri and Sat evenings.

Thanks for both your replies. We've wanted to try Spago for a while, but the one we had in Chicago closed up before we got around to it.

We are big art-lovers...will have to check out the Getty!

Anybody else?

One goes to the Getty for the spectacular physical surroundings, not for the art (which isn't as well-thought-out as collections at real museums)-- although, if a good exhibition is there, there is no better place to see it. It is gorgeous up there.

Spago Beverly Hills is worthwhile not because it's "Spago"-- it's because its current chef staff is superb. The tasting menu is one of the best on the West Coast.

For really beautiful ambience and romance I would reccomend Inn of the 7th ray in Topanga Cyn..
But if you want to do the LA scene thing, Spago in Weho is better than La Orangerie by far

Don't go to the Getty for food !!!!!

Thanks all, I think I'm going to have BF look into snagging a table outside at Spago. Cheers!

Beena-- Spago hasn't been in WeHo for years, you know that! ;) Remember when it was up that hill, around the corner from Tower Records...? So long ago, it seems.

Spago, 176 N. Cañon Drive, BH 90210
(310) 385-0880

I'll disagree with Beena, our recent dinner at the Getty Restaurant was perfectly prepared, and they have an excellent reasonably priced wine list. I've also heard that even the Getty Coffee Shop is very good for lunch.

I absolutely do not recommend L'Orangerie. My husband and I picked it to celebrate our 20th anniversary a couple of years ago - what a dissappointment! Snooty staff and so-so food (the L.A. Times just panned it as well). We will never go back. In addition to Spago BH, I would recommend: Maple Drive in Bev Hills or Mélisse in Santa Monica. Also, the restaurant at the Hotel Bel Air is beautiful and very romantic. We have enjoyed a number of delicious meals there for special occasions. Just visiting that beautiful historic hotel is memorable.

Thanks all...BF got us a reservation for tomorrow at (gasp) 6:00, the only one they had left, for Fri. eve. Oh well, it'll be 8:00 for us anyway.

Just checked out Melisse in Santa Monica, looks good too. If we do Spago, we're probably going to keep things casual. How's The Lobster for seafood and the sea-view?

The Lobster? Go for the view, stay for more view. For good seafood in Santa Monica, go to Ocean Avenue Seafood up the street. Far better.

Mélisse is a very good choice. If you want to spend a lot of money for special Italian in a very exclusive room, there's Capo, on Ocean. And, of course, the SM outpost of the Ivy (in a new room).

Hi Diva--I was a little confused by your last post b/c you said tomorrow, but tomorrow is *not* Friday...it sounds like you are set for your anniversary dinner, but my LA foodie connection just got back to me w/these suggestions...Hope they are useful for future reference in your new LA life.

" L'Orangerie, is one of the
highest-rated restaurants in LA.
If you wanna blow a few bucks, try Blair's, Inn Of The Seventh Ray, or hell, try Spago. But for a real foodie, the fun is finding the local specialties and that stuff is usually
found in strip-malls, Alegria in Silverlake, Zankou chicken, Hirozen (sushi) in West Hollywood and of course, URTH. that's my $0.02"

So there you have it from a foodie local. Hope you enjoy LA!!

(PS--sorry for the line breaks, I was editing from an IM and could not get them to disappear.:) )