A member of superstar-chef Joachim Splichal's L.A. restaurant empire, Cafe Pinot is modeled after the top-ranked Patina, but designed to be less formal and lighter on the palate -- and the pocketbook. The restaurant's location, in the front garden of the L.A. Public Library, makes it a natural for downtown business folk; at night there's a free shuttle to the Music Center. Cafe Pinot's tables are mostly on the patio, shaded by umbrellas and the well-landscaped library courtyard.

Splichal has installed a giant rotisserie in the kitchen, and this is where the best meals come from. The moist, tender, mustard-crusted roast chicken is your best bet -- unless it's Friday night, when you can order the roast suckling pig with its crackling skin. Other recommended dishes include the risotto, duck-leg confit, grilled calf's liver, and seared peppered tuna.