Stella

It took one dinner at this upscale Italian spot in West Hollywood for us to start doing Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, that is screaming “Stella!” to anyone who’ll listen. The cavernous, two-story space feels like a mega-yacht floating off the coast of Monaco, complete with studio execs ordering vintage wines without opening the menu. But the glitzy scene isn’t the reason to come, it’s the food. Gooey mozzarella and anchovy melted over lemon leaves, silky polenta pasta gilded with crab and trout roe, and grilled Iberico pork that practically melts on your fork—all outstanding and welcome change-ups from LA’s chicken parm and bolognese craze. Stella is pure (pricey) extravagance, but the one-of-a-kind cooking here is worth braving the valet line filled with Cybertrucks.