Tucked into a Pacific Palisades strip mall, Lucia's has added modern American touches to its sturdy Italian menu. Low-key twentysomethings now join fun families for a leisurely meal in an area with meager options.

The menu is not all that's been overhauled at this restaurant, open since May 2004: Outdoor seating and a wine bar have been added to the two cozy dining rooms. It's an effort to draw young crowds bound to support the rare local institution serving up beer and wine. The food helps too: The grilled romaine salad, which is also served at sister restaurant Taste on Melrose Avenue, is a good precursor to pastas, pizzas or entrees like chicken milanese, lobster ravioli or pan-roasted halibut. Non-Westsiders needing a casual post-beach dinner should also be pleased by Lucia's, as would those in the mood for an evening drive down Sunset Boulevard but don't need the pinkies-up finesse of upscale beachside stops. The waitstaff is friendly even outside the restaurant: Our waiter made a point to say hello when we worked off all those carbs at the gym the next day.