Another jewel in celeb chef Wolfgang Puck's heavy crown (how can this man even hold his head up with that thing on?), this Richard Meier-designed steakhouse inside the Beverly Wilshire offers sophisticated service and cuisine in a modern room that feels surprisingly casual.

Upon entering the hotel from the rear, we were pointed by a refined hostess to Sidebar—Cut's sister lounge with custom cocktails, sofas, a small menu and a not-so-small flat-screen TV—to the right. When our table was ready, we followed our cocktails, placed on a small tray by an extremely polite blonde, into Cut, the single-room restaurant to the left. Even after sundown, the modern dining room remains bright and breezy, an unusual juxtaposition to any menu that includes a $120 steak. (It's from Japan.) Before we selected our appetizers, the butter lettuce salad and asparagus under an egg split tableside by our server, we were shown a raw, linen-wrapped selection of that day's meats. The New York sirloin was tender, juicy and served fuss-free on pristine white plating, and the chocolate souffle—no need to order in advance—was so good it robbed a stack of crepes of the attention it warranted. Then, amid all that white light, the tanned, jovial Wolfgang Puck majestically appeared to shake the hand of every person still in the restaurant. (We were greeted twice within a few moments, we think because he was interrupted and forgot where he left off. Better than skipping someone.) —Lonny Pugh