3 Great Places to Eat in L.A.

My taste buds were treated like royalty at three restaurants in Los Angeles during a recent stay, and here are their details for you:

#1: Carlitos Gardel - Named after Argentina’s version of Frank Sinatra, this little hideaway was the ultimate find during my stay in Los Angeles. Owned and managed by Gerard Bozoghlain and his brother, Carlitos Gardel offers a wide variety of steak cuts for the most hearty appetite, as well as some incredibly delicate appetisers and the most sumptuous desserts, made by Gerard’s mother! We visited Carlitos with our friend Boh Runga, a Kiwi singer-songwriter who knew Gerard from some time in the recording studio. It turns out that Gerard is a bit of a master musician in his own right and is about to launch an album with his band ‘The Cause’. Gerard was the perfect host, and he even shut the restaurant early to play us some of his music which we enjoyed over the best dessert wine I’ve ever tasted - ‘Sori del Re’. It was just sweet enough and lightly carbonated. Delicious. The Zagat survey rates this place highly, and you can book on-line through a number of dining websites.

Carlitos Gardel, 7963 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. + 323.655.0891; www.carlitosgardel.com

2: Ivy at The Shore - We were taken to the Ivy at the Shore by my good friend Derek Handley who runs The Hyperfactory. Derek had cancelled a Polo lesson to lunch with us, which really made my day. Having never been to the original Ivy in L.A. I expected high-end glamour, silver service and all the trimmings, but I was surprised (in a good way) at the low-key mood of the place. The waiters, in their all-white uniforms, reminded me of Brandon from 90210 when he worked at that beach-side pool house, and the cane furniture and hand-painted crockery made me feel very relaxed. Derek plowed into a lobster linguini, while I had a delicious spaghetti bolognese, all washed down with sparkling San Pellegrino. Not a complicated meal at all, but extremely satisfying nonetheless. This place is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Santa Monica some time soon.

Ivy at The Shore, 1535 Ocean Ave. (bet. Broadway and Colorado Ave.), Santa Monica, CA 90401. + 310-393-3113; www.zagat.com/Verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=49409

#3: Angelini Osteria - The last of our mighty triumverate of restaurants was Angelini Osteria, whichmy girlfriend found by Googling -Italian Restaurants Los Angeles’. It sits in the top ten, and even on a Tuesday night it was full of patrons from early on. We sat down and were set upon by two eager and very well-trained waiters, both of Italian origin. They had a great grasp of the menu’s offerings and quickly made suggestions as to what we would like. The great thing about dining in L.A. is those little bowls of bread you get at the beginning of every meal. All free, no strings attached. Everyone should do that. Anyway, I ordered the breaded veal and Anna had an entree size pumpkin ravioli, and OH MY GOD if they weren’t two of the best meals we’ve EVER tasted! The entree sizes are big enough for a petite-medium sized person to eat as a main, and the mains are BIG. You must go to this place if you want good Italian food.

Angelini Osteria, 7313 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA + 323-297-0070; www.angeliniosteria.com