Past the execs and celebs inside Sunset Tower Hotel is a peaceful poolside lounge, The Terrace, with fantastic small plates and a view only possible on the strip.

Chef Dakota Weiss has rightfully earned accolades for her work inside the hotel's formal restaurant, Tower Bar, but since settling in she has expanded her efforts at this more casual poolside lounge as well. Offerings include grilled foccaccias (with pecorino and shaved fennel, perhaps, or brie, heirloom tomatoes and bacon) seafood options (oysters, shrimp cocktail) and classy riffs on American fare, often with French and Italian influences. Fingerling potato skins arrive with serrano ham, rich Saint Andre cheese and white truffle oil; steak tartare has brioche toast points. (Open all day, The Terrace also serves a mimosa-friendly brunch.) With the help of a cocktail or two, it's easy to let time slip away, especially on a warm evening with nowhere else to go: Behind the small pool's glass wall, Los Angeles gleams after sundown. —Lonny Pugh