The man who owns the eminently popular Angelini Osteria also owns the less well-known but equally delicious La Terza, which offers up some of the most authentic Italian food in LA.

Attached to the Orlando Hotel, this multi-tiered, multi-faceted space has stark white walls, natural light and arty corrugated lamps dangling from high ceilings; the upstairs room is more romantic than the see-and-be-seen space down below. Outside, a teak wall separates the small patio from traffic on this busy corner, but you want to be inside to see owner Gino in action, greeting guests and charming them with his Italian-English patois. The pasta at La Terza is very nearly transcendent, cooked perfectly and served in reasonable portions—a good thing, since it’s all so delicious it’s impossible not to clean your plate. With a staff from all over Italy (notably Sicily, Turin, and a head chef from Rimini), La Terza takes the best of different regions and mixes it up into one lovely menu with a few modern touches, such as the prosciutto di Parma served not with the traditional melon, but with a more inspired and delicious accompaniment of sliced pears and Gorgonzola. But tradition is still there where it counts: A dessert pine-nut tart will be presented by the waiter as “torta alla nonna.” We love this place. —Katherine Spiers