Fodor's Expert Review Beauty & Essex

With vintage decor, grand chandeliers, gilded walls, and luxe jewel tones, the Hollywood outpost of popular New York "clubstaraunt" Beauty & Essex more than lives up to its Tinseltown address. Hidden speakeasy-style behind a collector's storefront (beware impulse pricey jewelry purchases on the way out), this gigantic celebrity-frequented restaurant with a double-height main dining room with skylight, a ground-floor courtyard, and a patio on the second level, isn't all just glam smoke and mirrors. Start with delicious cocktails at a small elegant bar before being ushered to your table in one of the several dining spaces where the eclectic menu includes signature dishes like grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, tuna poke Wonton Tacos, Thai barbeque mushroom, and oven-braised chicken meatballs. There's also a pre-theater prix fixe menu.