Best New Restaurant: The combination of soothing feng shui ambience and superb Asian fusion cuisine has made Koi, 730 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/659-9449), the hottest new restaurant in L.A. Hollywood's biggest celebrities arrive here nightly to nosh on addictive dishes such as baked crab rolls with edible rice paper and miso-bronzed black cod.

Best Spot for a Romantic Dinner: In L.A., a romantic restaurant is one without cellphone service. That would be the Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Rd., Calabasas (tel. 818/222-3888), in the hills above Malibu. This converted hunting lodge made of massive timbers and native rock is quite the quixotic setting for a meaty meal for two. Candlelit tables, a crackling fireplace, and a Wine Spectator-award-winning wine list are sure bets for getting in la mood d'amour.

Best Places for a Power Lunch: Between 12:30 and 2pm, industry honchos swarm like locusts to a handful of watering holes du jour. Actors, agents, lawyers, and producers flock to perennial favorites The Ivy, 133 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/274-8303); Maple Drive, 345 N. Maple Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/274-9800); and the L.A. branch of New York's venerable The Palm, 9001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/550-8811), a steakhouse where the food is impeccable and the conversations read like dialogue from The Player.

Best Place to Relive Old Hollywood: Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood (tel. 323/467-7788), is haunted by the ghosts of Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway, who drank here during their screenwriting days. This comfortable, dark-paneled room, virtually unchanged since 1919, begs you to order up one of L.A.'s best martinis and some chops or the legendary chicken pot pie, and listen to the longtime waitstaff wax nostalgic about the days when Hollywood Boulevard was still fashionable and Orson Welles held court at Musso's.

Best Spot for People-Watching: Nowhere in L.A. is better for people-watching than Venice's Ocean Front Walk, and no restaurant offers a better seat for the action than the Sidewalk Café, 1401 Ocean Front Walk, Venice (tel. 310/399-5547). Unobstructed views of parading skaters, bikers, skateboarders, musclemen, break dancers, street performers, sword swallowers, and other participants in the daily carnival overshadow the food, which is a whole lot better than it needs to be.

Best Spots for Celebrity Sighting: You'll always find well-known faces frequenting West Hollywood hot spots, the most sizzling of which is Koi, 730 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/659-9449), the current fave of George Clooney, Jennifer Garner, the Osbournes, Madonna, Demi, Ashton, J.Lo, and their ilk. The Hump, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/313-0977), is a little-known Santa Monica Airport sushi bar were Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Phil Jackson make regular appearances. Other celebrity hangouts include Le Dôme, 8720 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/659-6919); Asia de Cuba at The Mondrian hotel, 8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 323/848-6000); The Ivy, 133 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/274-8303); Maple Drive, 345 N. Maple Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/274-9800); and, of course, Spago Beverly Hills, 176 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/385-0880).

Best Alfresco Dining: You'll find that more and more Los Angeles restaurants are eager to create appealing outdoor seating, even if it means placing bistro tables along a busy sidewalk. At the high end of L.A. alfresco is Four Oaks, 2181 N. Beverly Glen Blvd., Los Angeles (tel. 310/470-2265), nestled under romantically lit trees in the canyon of Beverly Glen. A more affordable way to enjoy a meal outdoors is to stroll Sunset Boulevard around Sunset Plaza Drive. There are at least a half-dozen pleasant sidewalk cafes -- and the people-watching is some of the best in the city.

Best View: Look for art-world bigwigs and Getty higher-ups at the Restaurant at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., West L.A. (tel. 310/440-7300), whose in-the-clouds locale makes for breathtaking views when the L.A. sky is smogless (read: winter). Reservations are a must, even for lunch (served Tues-Sun); dinner is served only Friday and Saturday, when the museum is open late. Make reservations online at www.getty.edu.

Best Sunday Brunch: Help raise the roof at the House of Blues' Gospel Brunch, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 323/848-5100). For more than a decade the HOB has hosted a raucous Sunday brunch that's simmering with high-energy gospel groups and all-you-can-eat Southern home cookin'. It's brunch you can shake your booty to.

Best Steakhouse: The beef is at Mastro's Steakhouse, 246 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/888-8782). You'll find Fred Flintstone-size slabs of hand-cut USDA beef, oysters the size of your palm, and a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes mixed with sour cream, chives, bacon, and butter. God bless America.

Best Wine List: Year after year, plenty of other restaurants offer thoughtfully chosen vintages, but no one comes close to toppling Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/829-4313), which still boasts L.A.'s best cellar and is continually honored with Wine Spectator's highest ratings.

Best California Cuisine: At chef/owner Michael McCarty's eponymous Santa Monica restaurant Michael's, 1147 3rd St., Santa Monica (tel. 310/451-0843), the cuisine at this perennial favorite makes it clear why McCarty is considered an originator of California cuisine.

Best Chinese Cuisine: While Chinatown is the place to go for traditional wonton and chow mein, Joss, 9255 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood (tel. 310/276-1886), is my pick for some provocative twists on Chinese essentials. The sophisticated minimalist decor, combined with excellent and personable service, makes this great for a group or a romantic dinner for two -- and the food is always superbly presented and fantastic.

Best Indian Cuisine: Ballywood meets Hollywood at Tantra, 3705 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake (tel. 323/663-8268), L.A.'s ubertrendy Indian restaurant and nightclub. It took a studio design company to create the too-cool ambience, and the food is superb. Lord Ganesha watches over Silver Lake hipsters as they dine, dance, and drink Shiva's Revenges.

Best French Cuisine: Jean François Meteigner, owner and executive chef of the tres romantique La Cachette, 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City (tel. 310/470-4992), is one of America's most influential French chefs, and his cuisine naturelle menu is full of flavor while 90% free of cream and butter.

Best Italian Cuisine: Former New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl called Valentino, 3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/829-4313), the best Italian restaurant in America. This restaurant is very traditional and unusually formal for L.A., but the dining experience is worth dressing up for.

Best Sushi: Claim a sushi bar as L.A.'s best, and you're sure to start an argument, but I don't care: The chefs at The Hump, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/313-0977), are deadly serious about their sushi. Flown in daily from Tokyo's Tsukijii and Fukuoka fish markets in oxygen-filled containers, it's so fresh that there's a sign at the entrance warning the faint-of-heart that the meat's still moving.

If you prefer a far more festive atmosphere, a no-brainer is Hama Sushi, 213 Windward Ave., Venice (tel. 310/396-8783). The six cheery chefs make everyone feel most welcome as they slice, dice, and drink many rounds of beers. By closing time, everyone's singing along.

Best Mexican Cuisine: Executive chef Yerika Muños's ancestors are responsible for the recipes at Frida, 236 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills (tel. 310/278-7666). Bite into a handmade soft taco brimming with sautéed shrimp bathed in a dark, tangy pasilla-orange sauce, and you'll know why everyone's talking about this Beverly Hills newcomer.

They may not be Mexican, but "Two Hot Tamales" Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger traveled deep into Mexico to absorb regional tastes and aromas, and returned with secret ingredients and kitchen savvy to pass on to their patrons at the Border Grill, 1445 Fourth St., Santa Monica (tel. 310/451-1655).

Best Seafood: Water Grill, 544 S. Grand Ave., Downtown (tel. 213/891-0900), is a beautiful contemporary fish house that serves imaginative dishes influenced by America's regional cuisines. An absolutely huge raw bar features the best clams, crabs, shrimp, and oysters available, and the fish is so fresh it practically jumps onto the plate.

Best Burgers: Stand in line at The Apple Pan, 10801 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles (tel. 310/475-3585), for the city's best hamburger. Choose from the "steakburger" or the saucy "hickory burger" -- though regulars know to get hickory sauce on the side instead (for french-fry dipping). You'll feel that the 1940s live again in the decor and atmosphere of this family-run cottage on the busy Westside. I actually suspect that the wallpaper dates from opening day in 1947.

Best Only-in-L.A. Dining Experience: You haven't seen everything until you've seen southern fried chicken and waffles on the same plate. Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles, 1514 N. Gower St. (tel. 323/466-7453), is a Hollywood institution where a polyglot of L.A.'s population comes for chicken-and-cheese omelets and sweet-potato pie. The friendly atmosphere and creative combinations make for a fun, adventuresome, and inexpensive dining experience.

Best Afternoon Tea: Surrounded by botanical gardens, the tearoom at the Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino (tel. 818/683-8131), is truly an oasis. The Huntington, located in a wealthy residential area of Pasadena, has the added appeal of pre- and post-tea activities, such as strolling the theme gardens, viewing the art gallery or library, and visiting the bookstore/gift shop. The moderately priced tea ($13) is buffet style, so you can stuff yourself with fresh-baked scones, finger sandwiches, and strawberries with thick Devonshire cream.

Best "Yuck. I'm not eating that.": If you want to train for a Survivor tryout, a good way to start is with several servings of stir-fried Taiwanese spicy crickets, dried Manchurian ants, and Thai-style crispy white sea worms at Typhoon, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/390-6565).

Best Value: Former mayor Richard Riordan's The Original Pantry, 877 S. Figueroa St., Downtown (tel. 213/972-9279), stays open 24 hours a day, serving up large plates of traditional American comfort food (meatloaf, coleslaw, ham 'n' eggs) that won't win any culinary awards but offers some of the best values in town. More upscale but equally value-priced is Joe's Restaurant, 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice (tel. 310/399-5811), where the four-course prix-fixe menus are a real bargain for under $40.

Best Noshing on Your Feet: Open since 1917, Grand Central Market, 317 S. Broadway, Downtown (tel. 213/624-2378), is L.A.'s largest and oldest food hall, selling everything from fresh bread to local and exotic produce, fresh fruit juice, smoked meats, Chinese noodles, and chili.

Best Exotic Cuisine: Yet another reason to make the drive to Pasadena is Nonya, 61 N. Raymond Ave. (tel. 626/583-8398), a gorgeous restaurant that serves a cuisine you've probably never even heard of: Peranakan, a blend of Chinese and Malaysian culinary styles. Chili-marinated chicken grilled in banana leaves? A mango-halibut salad? Let's go.

Best for Late-Night Dining: On the theory that later is better, our vote goes to Toi on Sunset, 75051/2 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (tel. 323/874-8062), and its brethren, Toi on Wilshire, 1120 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica (tel. 310/394-7804), and Toi on Vine, 1360 N. Vine St., Hollywood (tel. 323/467-8378).

You'll never feel like the last patron at these places -- they're open till 4am and 3am, respectively -- and the terrific Thai food will give your fading brain a spicy kick.