The eclectic culinary dreamer and “event concept designer” Barton G. Weiss goes big on theatricality and flair at this fantastical West Hollywood home for liquid nitrogen cocktails and food that plays with itself.

Web site: bartongtherestaurantla.com​
Number of seats: 170
Average per-person check: $60
Popular dishes: Lobster Pop Tarts with Maine lobster, gruyère and Pernod Mornay sauce baked in flakey phyllo pastry, Tabasco hollandaise and tarragon aïoli; Mouse Trap Mac & Cheese with pasta spirals in a cheesy homemade Cheddar cheese sauce, served in a giant mouse trap; Marie Antoinette’s Head: cotton candy surrounded by petit cakes, raspberry & strawberry cream cheese, fresh berries and schlag
What people come for: Liquid nitrogen cocktails
Address: 861 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Phone Number: 310-388-1888
*Photo: Barton G.

This spacious Fairfax District market took the idea of classic European food halls as inspiration and materialized it in a mix of full-service offerings and retail fare to take home.

Web site: www.stirmarket.com​
Number of seats: 75
Average per-person check: $40
Popular dishes: Porchetta with crispy skin, fennel, rosemary, garlic, lavender and lemon zest; Fairfax veg flatbread with quinoa chickpea croquette, edamame hummus and feta; avocado toast with pepperoncino, citrus and sea salt
What people come for: Daily breakfast and weekend brunch, wines on tap
Address: 7475 Beverly Blvd.
Phone Number: 310-879-8283
*Photo: Stir Market

This “passion project” of chef Jacques Fiorentino focuses on one dish — no surprise here: steak frites — and devotes the highest attention to details, including serving its main dish in two separate portions so they don’t get cold.

Web site: www.lassiettesteakfrites.com​
Number of seats: 150
Average per-person check: $35
Popular dishes: Steak Frites: sous-vide coulotte steak with beef tallow fries and housemade sauce; Sandwich de Bifteck: steak sandwich served open face on a baguette with fried egg, melted Raclette cheese and choice of salad or beef tallow fries; Poutine L’Assiette: coulotte steak covered with housemade sauce, topped with roasted goat cheese
What people come for: More than 20 wines by the glass, craft and specialty import beers
Address: 7166 Melrose Ave.
Phone Number: 323-274-2319
*Photo: L’Assiette Steak Frites