Good Restaurants near Sofitel on Beverly Blvd

[chowmensch]

NE Hound here....I will be at the Sofitel in two weeks with my wife for a long weekend (Fri-Mon). Looking for good places for lunch and dinner. Heard mixed things re Jar, Il Picollino, Della Terra, and Capanile. Lunch places should have great salads and sandwiches. Open to most cuisine and price points. Outdoor dining would be nice but not mandatory. Thanks.

[Servorg]

A few places near the Sofitel:

Comme Ca

Lucques

Belmont Restaurant

Taste

Animal

Golden State

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Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Taste
8454 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Animal
435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Comme CA
8479 Melrose Ave West, Hollywood, CA

The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036

[yogachik]

Second Animal, probably the best in town right now.
Pane e Vino is walking distance, as is Chaya Brasserie - both are consistently very good with great atmosphere - great for lunch, both.

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Pane e Vino
8265 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Chaya Brasserie
8741 Alden Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[holleygolitely]

Joan,s on Third and the Polo Lounge outside for lunch

[yogachik]

I'm trying to figure out how the Polo Lounge is considered near the Sofitel.

[paprkutr]

I like to sit on the patio at Pane e Vino. It is a nice place to have dinner, and it is only a few blocks away.

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Pane e Vino
8265 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[chowmensch]

Thanks. Menu looks good and I like the outdoor space.

[HastaLaPasta]

Ago for italian
Comme Ca for French
I like Wokano which is nearby for Sushi / Chinese but it won't blow your socks off

Some other upscale restaurants are nearby - Koi, Fogo de Ciao (national chain but upscale and good IMHO).

Also depends on how far you want to drive - lots of places around Rodeo Drive a few miles away, for instance - Il Pastaio & Nic's are two good restaurants in that area that won't break the bank, and if you want to break the bank, there's a Maestro's, Wolfgang Puck's "Cut" steakhouse, The Blvd. in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Grill on the Alley, among others.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Koi Restaurant
730 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

[Servorg]

A couple of "casual" suggestions that are very close to the Sofitel are Chili Addiction and Vito's for excellent NY style pizza and great calzone too.

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Vito's Pizza
846 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Chili Addiction
408 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[chowmensch]

Thanks, everyone. Really appreciate all the suggestions....

[chowmensch]

A belated thank you to all the LA Hounds who were so helpful to my wife and me on our visit to LA a few weeks ago. We took many of your suggestions and really enjoyed your picks... Here's a brief look at the places where we dined from October 8 - 11.

Friday Dinner: Pane E Vino. As Paprkutr predicted, we loved the patio with its twinkling lights. It was close to the hotel and perfect for our first night. I had a special, tagliatelle with duck ragout and it was terrific. Since we were still on east coast time, we were very tired but definitely sated.

Saturday Brunch: Blu Jam Cafe. This suggestion came from my daughter who lives in LA. She is not a hound but she has a nice feel for good food (she works on the production side of Top Chef). Long wait to get in but well worth it. I had the Salmon Hash. The flavors all went together well and while a little loud (I'm old) there was a nice energy that everyone in our party enjoyed. B+

Saturday Dinner: Il Piccolino. This was not a chowhound recommendation. In fact, many on CH seemed unimpressed with this small restaurant on Robertsobn Blvd. I tried to get into Il Pastaio for Saturday night but Open Table said no reservations were available at the times we requested. At any rate, I really liked Il Piccolino. Still full from brunch, I ordered a simple spaghetti bolognese. It was heavenly. I think it had three different kinds of meat in the sauce. The co-owner was quite nice and there seemed to be a lot of regulars. Sharon Osbourne and her son (it was his birthday) came in and were quietly seated in another room. B+

Sunday Lunch: My wife loves French Dip sandwiches so, of course, we had to go to Phillipe's or Cole's. Since I had already been to Phillipe's on a previous visit and we were closer downtown to Cole's we decided on Cole's. I got the large beef French Dip and enjoyed it but overall, I think Phillipe's was a better sandwich (maybe, the bread?). If you are congested with a cold, Cole's mustard will cure you in less than fifteen seconds (extremely spicy). It wasn't crowded and we enjoyed the historical pictures, etc on the walls. B

Sunday Dinner: Jar. Numerous hounds had varying opinions on this place but everyone seemed to agree that the Pot Roast was the signature dish. I ordered it and was very happy I did. Three of our party had the pot roast and each of us loved it. Very tender and flavorful. I had the deviled egg with crab and thoroughly enjoyed it. The crab flavor enhanced the classic deviled egg taste but did not overpower it. A-

Monday Lunch: Chaya Brasserie. My wife proclaimed her poached salmon the best salmon dish she has ever had. I had the cod and loved it. It was tender, moist, pefectly cooked. Service was excellent. The sides that came with our fish entrees were creative and delicious. A

Monday Dinner: Taste on Melrose. Nice casual place. I ordered the kobe beef meatballs. They are served over linguine with a white truffle cheese fondue sauce which I thought overpowered the meatballs. Overall, too rich for me. Desserts took a long time to come and were just okay when they did arrive. B

Overall, we had a wonderful time with our restaurant choices. A special thanks to yogachik who suggested both pane e vino and chaya brasserie. Thanks, everyone!!

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Chaya Brasserie
8741 Alden Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Pane E Vino
240 S Brea Blvd, Brea, CA 92821

Il Piccolino
350 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90048

[paprkutr]

I'm glad that you had a nice trip, and it seems like you got to taste a variety of restaurants.