Like Spago, Valentino and Patina, this is an LA institution that everyone's visited at least once. If that induces squirming in you, dear LA.com user, then perhaps it's time.

The setting—Charlie Chaplin's old digs—is reminiscent of a little Italian village with a bar on one side of the courtyard, a tiny bakery on the other, a casual dining area facing the open kitchen and a formal rear dining room. The wine list is tantalizingly eclectic; the cuisine ranges from very good to dazzling. Owner-chef Mark Peel prepares such rustic French- and Italian-influenced dishes as brandade with warm cherry tomatoes, scallions and grilled batard; grilled swordfish with beluga lentils, spinach, currants and pine nuts; and prime rib with olive tapenade, flageolet beans and sauted bitter greens. Although Nancy Silverton is no longer involved with the restaurant, the grilled-cheese Thursdays she made famous still pack in crowds eager for haute versions of the homey sandwiches.