Camélia

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

Dark wood paneling and tall curved windows fill the dining room at Camélia, in the Arts District, from the team behind Tsubaki. The kitchen runs French technique through Japanese ingredients: a croque madame built on milk bread and crisp ham katsu, koji standing in for cream in a roasted chicken dish, oysters finished with a ponzu mignonette. Early-2000s hip-hop plays over the room, and reservations go through OpenTable, though the bar seats walk-ins first come, first served.