This elegant restaurant in one of LA's top hotels is perfect for special occasions, celebrations, romance and afternoon tea.

Guests choose the main room for more formal dining (and, when it's chilly, for the warmth of the wood-burning fireplace), but the bougainvillea-lined terrace is popular for its genteel beauty. The California cuisine menu uses only the freshest vegetables, artisan meats and cheeses, and herbs and spices from the hotel's private garden. Appetizers might feature a Mediterranean fish soup or a scallop and blue-prawn risotto. A standout entree is the melt-in-your-mouth roast rack of lamb; dessert options include a chocolate or Grand Marnier souffle. Afternoon tea enthusiasts—and there are many in LA—have been known to declare the Hotel Bel-Air's scones with lemon curd and clotted cream far superior to the Millennium Biltmore's. Tea here starts with three small sandwiches and progresses to muffins, scones, cookies and chocolate-covered strawberries—all accompanied by excellent teas served loose in individual pots.