Chaya Brasserie   

8741 Alden Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310-859-8833
www.thechaya.com

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Still a star after 20 years, Chaya owner and Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe fuses the stateliness of a Japanese teahouse with robust French- and Italian-inspired dishes. The result is an elegant but innovative approach that has endeared Angelenos to its healthful simplicity and earned Chaya Brasserie a place alongside the Spagos and Bastides in the city's pantheon of elite eateries. Tachibe has drawn discriminating diners to his off-Robertson digs with dishes such as the seared blue fin tuna, which comes in a spicy soy reduction and is joined by shiitake spinach spring rolls and wasabi mashed potatoes. Other exotic enticements include the sliced Muscovy duck, garnished with duck confit and goat cheese and pineapple balsamic dressing. The desserts follow suit, with outlandish offerings like the lychee panna cotta with coconut sorbet and mango sauce, as well as the more quotidian warm apple tart with ginger, brown sugar, caramel sauce and honey ice cream. The ambience is equally stylish yet informal, with a garden full of bamboo stalks that rise into the restaurant's angular skylights. Come for the complete dining experience, and don't forget to uncork one of Chaya's 20-some-odd rare vintages from leading wine-producing regions around the globe. -- Jeremy Horelick