Bar di Bello

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

Behind a wall of red velvet curtains in the Sunset Row complex, Bar di Bello packs a red travertine bar and walnut millwork with Scarpa sconces into a room small enough that every seat faces the bartenders. The team behind Gigi's and Wexler's Deli built the cocktail list around a greenhouse martini made with tomato water and gin, and a Negroni di Basso poured two servings deep into one giant goblet. Reservations open at midnight two weeks out and go fast; walking in works before 5:30, after that it's a wait for a walnut-wood table or a stretch of bar.