3 Best Restaurants in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, and Brentwood, Los Angeles

It's a gem tucked within a treasure box: hidden within Citrin, a one-Michelin-star restaurant, is Mélisse, a two-Michelin-star restaurant. Chef-owner Josiah Citrin entrusts chef/partner Ken Takayama to blend his modern French cooking with seasonal California produce at this Santa Monica institution. On any given night, the rotating,18-course tasting menu might feature Santa Barbara uni cromesquis, Kagoshima A5 Wagyu beef or a hojicha macaron. The cheese cart is packed with domestic and European selections, and the dining room is contemporary yet elegant, with well-spaced tables and fine china. The tasting menu can be made vegetarian.

A Santa Monica mainstay, the seasonally changing menu at this farm-to-table wine bar and seasonal kitchen consistently upends norms and has even earned a Michelin nod. The homey, minimalist space offers sweeping views of Wilshire Boulevard. On any given night, the menu of California cuisine may include bay scallops with Weiser Farms sunchokes or a heritage bone-in pork chop with apple butter. Everything is made in-house, down to the sea salt. Ask the knowledgeable staff for suggested pairings from the never-ending wine list.

Highly regarded sushi chef Katsuya Uechi turns out spicy tuna atop crispy rice, whimsical wonton cones filled with scoops of silky crab and tuna tartare, and larger plates like miso-marinated black cod. Don't neglect the plates from the robata bar, where skewers of meats are grilled over hot coals. Trend-conscious patrons sit in a seductive space designed by Philippe Starck. Glossy lips kiss the room's clientele from one wall, while kohl-rimmed eyes peer out from behind the sushi bar.