Hillstone

On our list of the best special-occasion restaurants in Los Angeles.

A two-story dining room on Wilshire near the Third Street Promenade holds red booths and lighting dim enough that the kitchen's smell of warm tortilla chips carries further than the light does. The kitchen sends out a spinach-artichoke dip, a caesar on a chilled plate, and a French dip stacked with thinly sliced prime rib, alongside martinis from the bar. Reservations favor tables of two; larger groups may have to walk in and wait for a table to open up.