Simonette Restaurant

The Palihotel, a 1920s building just behind downtown Culver City, houses this French café and bistro, whose cobalt walls match the hotel's restored Art Deco facade. It runs all day, from espresso in the morning to beef bourguignon and ratatouille at night, with mussels and a burger dressed in Dijon, served with frites or French-style green beans, in between. Tables spread from the dining room out to a leafy courtyard. The bar pours negronis and house drinks like the World Famous, made with rye and Benedictine, and a weekday afternoon happy hour fills it after work.