This cavernous dinner favorite is for decadent evenings when understatement is not on the menu.

Sure, it's right there on Santa Monica Boulevard, ankle-deep in Boystown, but once inside, diners are transported to a Gothic castle-like space, with an oversized fireplace, Italian crystal chandeliers and draping velvet curtains. It's all very "Phantom of the Opera." The lush garden patio outside, with its own additional fireplace, is one of the best alfresco retreats around; the small bar, with its own streetside patio, serves up mojitos, martinis and munchies. Once it's possible for the eyes to focus on the menu, they're greeted with inspired seasonal cuisine from chef Christine Banta, who cut her chops at venerable LA mainstays Michael's (the birthplace of California cuisine) and Granita. Because she uses ingredients fresh from farmers markets, dishes will come and go, but one perennial favorite is the yellowfin tuna tataki with Tobiko caviar (popular for more than 12 years). Other standouts include homemade sweet-pea ravioli, a melt-in-your-mouth hangar steak, and a crispy-skinned red snapper with artichoke puree. The dessert not to miss is the butterscoth pudding parfait.

It's no "Phantom of the Opera," but next-generation WeHo cabaret "Upright" is extremely popular; the show calls La Boheme home on the second Friday of every month. In its first year, "Upright" welcomed cast members from Broadway and national tours of "Avenue Q," "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Hairspray," "Les Miserables," "The Lion King," "Wicked" and many more. Producers Shane Scheel and Chris Isaacson are themselves incapable of letting a perfectly good microphone go to waste, as are film and TV stars like Neil Patrick Harris and Zooey Deschanel who show up. Tickets are available for $15 cash at the door, but those who reserve a table in advance get a prix-fixe dinner from chef Banta for $54. Dinner and drink specials begin at 9pm, and the show begins at 10pm.