CITYSCENE: Los Angeles

> Bastide
When Bastide, the high-concept French dining establishment in west LA, closed last year for retooling, most assumed that its owner, TV-commercial director Joe Pytka, had given up on the enterprise.
        Then he met Walter Manzke, a Patina alumnus most recently of L'Auberge Carmel. In discussing what they hate about eating out, a concept emerged: fine dining, unstarched. Now Bastide is open again, with a décor that signals the change-elegant, but with a Warhol veneer, like the marble tables in the garden room, lit by lamps constructed from Campbell Soup cans.
        The same whimsy informs Manzke's menus. On the page his dishes read more like talking points than menu items (listed as "Amuses 1,2,3," "Abalone" or "Lamb"). On the plate, they expand in theatrical ways: "Beef" five ways, includes a cube of Kobe, bone marrow bites and braised oxtail, pursed in spinach leaves.
        Sommelier Pieter Verheyde comes to LA by way of Alain Ducasse in New York and Monaco. By filling Pytka's glass with a steady stream of exotic Slovenian wines, Verheyde convinced him that the restaurant would be well served by extending its list beyond France. The wine list is now geographically themed: Australian selections fall under the heading "Indian Oceanic." France is "Atlantic Oceanic." Piemonte, "Po, Sub-Alpine." The global focus diverts the reader away from conventional associations, which Verheyde isn't afraid to exploit in his menu pairings. With the "Squab," he'll pour a smoky fumin from Val d'Aosta; and with your second "Sweet," a precious ounce of 1966 Dow's Port. Suddenly what was once just a wine list feels like a world of opportunity.
- Patrick J. Comiskey
Bastide, 8475 Melrose Pl., W. Hollywood, CA; 323-651-5950
(reviewed W&S 4/08)
> Brass-Cap
is Bruce Marder's newest venture, a French-style seaside brasserie with a breezy ambience. With typical panache, Marder isn't afraid to offer frog legs and steak tartare, as well as tamer options like lemon chicken and côte de boeuf. With Steven Wallace of Wally's wine shop as one of the restaurant's partners, the wine list is predictably vast, and includes many reasonable wines by the glass. Try the Saison des Vins Sauvignon Blanc from Copain ($9) or the Etienne Dumont Brut Champagne ($14) at the solid-pewter bar-a perfect way to cap a day at the beach.
- Maria Vitulli
Brass-Cap, 100 W. Channel Rd., Los Angeles, CA; 310-454-4544
> Comme Ça
Chef David Myers has just opened an up-decibel brasserie, Comme Ça, in marked contrast to his hushed, upmarket restaurant, Sona. Butcher paper adorns the tables; plush white leather banquettes are accented by an antique mirror; and in the rear, an enormous slate board trails into the kitchen where the cooks' current inspirations are revealed in colored chalk. Myers's menu keeps to the French classics, like coq au vin, sole meunire and a crispy skate grenobloise. The wine list-by Sona's Mark Mendoza, maintained by Justin Hoffman-offers affordable selections like Qupe's Central Coast Syrah, Ostertag's Sylvaner and two shades of Thunevin's Le Vin de Bob. At the bar, place your bets with a Dealer's Choice cocktail, where your whim-something tart, something smoky, something Beefeaters-is answered on the fly by the bartending team, trained by Sammy Branch of Manhattan's Milk and Honey.
- Patrick J. Comiskey
8479 Melrose Ave., W. Hollywood; 323-782-1104; commecarestaurant.com (reviewed W&S 2/08)
> Enoteca Drago
Enoteca Drago joins the welcome proliferation of wine bars serving small plates of tempting savories across the country. Owned by restaurateur Celestino Drago (owner of Celestino and Drago in Los Angeles), the Beverly Hills-based Enoteca Drago offers fifty Italian wines by the glass, from an elegant Pinot Noir Blanc from La Crotta di Vegneron to an earthy Sicilian Cerasuolo di Vittoria. The menu is as diverse as the wine list, from an addictive bowl of olives stuffed with parmesan-laced veal to tissue-thin carpaccio of monkfish and salmon. Close your eyes, take a sip, pop an olive and suddenly, for a fleeting moment, you're in the piazza in Arezzo basking in the moonlight.
- Jessica Strand
Enoteca Drago, 410 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA; 310-786-8236
> Mr. Cecil's California Ribs
Mr. Cecil's California Ribs may sound like the kind of place where you'd wash down a plate of finger-lickin' bbq'd beef or pork with a cold brew. But owner Jonathan Burrows loves wine, so he's put together an all-French list that includes three sparklers, eight whites and more than a dozen reds. The inexpensive Fat Bastard Shiraz, a French Vin de Pays d'Oc, is Burrows' favorite with any of the ribs; those with fancier tastes can opt for the 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild or Cristal Champagne.
- Chris Rubin
Mr. Cecil's California Ribs, 13625 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA; 818-905-8400
> Norman's on Sunset
Norman's on Sunset signals the western migration of Norman Van Aken, whose eponymous Miami and Orlando restaurants have lit a controlled Scotch bonnet burn in the cuisines of those two cities. Here, in a gleaming glassed-in kitchen, Van Aken plays Caribbean riffs off classic dishes, like curaçao-glazed foie gras on brioche or rhum-painted fish on mango-habañero mojo. To help manage the heat, sommelier Peter Birmingham stocks his list with German, Austrian and Italian aromatic whites, such as Cìú Cìú from Falerio dei Ascolani, a juicy trebbiano blend from the Marches.
-Patrick J. Comiskey
Norman's, 8570 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA; 310-657-2400; normans.com
>> Ortolan
Ortolan is a little French game bird, tiny when compared with the ambitions of Loire native Cristophe Emé for his Third Street restaurant. Emé's worked in some great kitchens, like Taillevent and Auberge de l'Eridan, as well as LA's L'Orangerie. Now, in a space that's part brick-lined vaulted wine cave, part sultry bar adorned with a wall of hanging herbs, and part dining room the color of clotted cream, Emé marries the classical to the extravagant. Choose a traditional terrine de foie gras, or venture out with roast John Dory and pickled chanterelles. Sommelier Frédéric Hémon, also from L'Orangerie, has composed a wine list balanced between his native France and California, with selections like the Skewis 2001 Anderson Valley Demuth Vineyard Pinot Noir, or Usseglio's 2002 Châteauneuf.
- Patrick J. Comiskey

Ortolan, 8338 W. Third St., Los Angeles, CA; 323-653-3300; ortolanrestaurant.com
>> The Hungry Cat
stands like a lighthouse beacon against the high waves of commerce washing over Sunset and Vine, steps from Hollywood's venerated footpaths of fame (locate John Wayne's gold star and you're getting warm). The Cat's minimalistic black-box interior hardly resembles the restaurants Chef David Lentz takes as his inspiration-the net-strewn, overstuffed shellfish houses of San Francisco like Swan's Oyster Depot-and the flavors are anything but Tinseltown: scallop carpaccio drizzled with a spicy citrus oil, succulent crab cakes with a side salad of shredded celeriac and the meatiest, most authentic oyster stew this side of Chincoteague Island. A.O.C.'s Caroline Styne has assembled a simple, fish-friendly wine list, including a Languedoc assortment (Picpouls and Minervois) and a Provençal rosé, of course.
-Patrick J. Comiskey
The Hungry Cat, 1555 N. Vine St., Hollywood, CA; 323-462-2155; thehungrycat.com
> Violet
Violet occupies the pole position in Santa Monica's restaurant row on Pico Boulevard, flanked by Valentino to the west and 310 to the east. This understated bistro works an energetic contrast of brushed steel and plush violet banquettes, as informal as LA allows. Chef/owner Jared Simons prepares about 25 small plates for a given evening, with seasonal dishes like summer beets and smoked eel, supported by standards like braised short ribs and the best mac 'n' cheese this side of Milwaukee. Simons has also fashioned a bistro-brief wine list that is especially deep in Champagne and intriguing in its unusual reds and whites, like Hofstätter's Alto Adige pinot bianco, or Mount Riley's Marlborough pinot noir.
- Patrick J. Comiskey
Violet, 3221 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA; 310-453-9113; violetrestaurant.com
> Wilshire
Wilshire takes its name from the Santa Monica leg of LA's swankiest boulevard. Its warm, copper-hued lounge catches flickering accents from hundreds of tea lights, giving way to three different dining environments, including a serene patio. Chef/partner Christopher Blobaum fashions a local, mostly organic menu that is long on comfort, from the Kurobuta pork chop on polenta to the duck breast served on a duck confit succotash. Wine director Matt Straus, late of Grace, has put together a thoughtful wine list, the kind where Alsace rieslings cohabit with Australians from Polish Hill. It is especially strong in pinot noir and syrah offerings, from Qupé to Peay, even the coveted Red Car syrah, "The Fight."
- Patrick Comiskey
Wilshire, 2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA; 310-586-1707; wilshirerestaurant.com