Wilshire Dining

 Pink's Hot Dogs
 709 N. La Brea Ave., L.A. 323-931-4223 As much of the Hollywood scene as the Walk of Fame and star maps, Pink's has been a dream factory fixture for nearly 60 years.

 Quality Food & Beverage
 8030 W. 3rd St., L.A. 323-658-5959 The old-fashioned feel of this joint disappears after you notice the punk rock and urban clientele that wanders in to order breakfast or lunch.

 St. Nick's Pub
 8450 W. 3rd St., L.A. 323-655-6917 St. Nick's is a relaxed, laid-back, jeans and a T-shirt kind of place with good food, friendly service and, of course, a fully stocked bar.

 Swingers
 8020 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-653-5858 This motel coffeehouse gone trendy diner is both an eyeful and a mouthful.

 Taylor's Steakhouse
 3361 W. 8th St., L.A. 213-382-8449 For a steak dinner at bear market prices, slip into a red Naugahyde booth at Taylor's Steakhouse. The waitresses are sassy, and the hefty Porterhouse T-bones and culotte steaks--cut as thick as a baseball glove--are precisely cooked
 

 Genghis Cohen
 740 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. 323-653-0640 Besides serving Chinese food to local hipsters Genghis Cohen also brings live music to the neighborhood.

 Grill Express
 501 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. 323-655-0649 This little restaurant on a predominantly Jewish stretch of Fairfax Avenue holds one of L.A.'s most intriguing culinary secrets -- a combination Middle Eastern and Chinese menu.

 Lucky Duck
 672 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. 323-931-9660 The sexiest thing about Lucky Duck is its understated elegance. Wherever you look in the new Chinese bistro, things seem perfectly in balance.

 Menjin International
 8393 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-782-0039 This woefully underappreciated restaurant in a mini-mall near the Beverly Center has a full menu of wonderful pan-Asian dishes.

 The Grove at Farmers Market
 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A. Somewhere between small-town European charm and highly processed Vegas-style schlock. Shopping includes the usual suspects, plus a few notable lures including an Apple computer store and Sur La Table. It's Valhalla for families and a good alternative to the Beverly Center.
 

 Buddha Garden
 7373 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-931-4551 You can listen to a babbling fountain while you eat a thick, gooey sandwich at this quiet little cafe.

 Café Midi
 148 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. 323-939-8047 La Brea Avenue gets a touch of French chic.

 French Crepe
 6333 W. 3rd St., Suite 318, L.A. 323-934-3113

 Mimosa
 8009 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-655-8895 Francophiles crowd in for thin-crusted tarte flambée, pretty beet salads, stuffed mussels and friture d'Eperlans(tiny whole fried fish) with a lemony tartar sauce. You'll also find soulful dishes such as tablier de sapeur (braised tripe) and other regional French offerings.

 Pastis
 8114 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-655-8822 Pastis is a favorite of French visitors, expatriates and those of us attempting to rekindle our memories of the French countryside.
 

 Angelini Osteria
 7313 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-297-0070 Gino Angelini has always dreamed of someday opening an osteria, a casual place where he could cook simple, rustic Italian food. Now he's cooking the kinds of dishes Italians revel in when they eat at home. I doubt even in Italy that you could easily find a spaghetti alla carbonara as satisfying on every level as at Angelini Osteria.

 Ca'Brea
 346 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. 323-938-2863 Ca'Brea offers the most addictive Italian fare this side of Tuscany. The menu is extensive and interesting, offering top-drawer osso buco; veal chop with wild mushroom sauce; marvelous pumpkin ravioli with a walnut-cream sauce; and sensuous porcini risotto.

 Damiano's / Mr. Pizza
 412 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. 323-658-7611 The extreme darkness of the restaurant hides most crumbs and stains, and manages to create a cozy sort of familiarity. It's not a place to impress a date. It's a place to hangout.

 Giancarlo on La Brea
 143 N. La Brea Ave., L.A. 323-938-2504 Formerly Farfalla, Giancarlo on La Brea boasts the same menu as its predecessor and the same authentic Italian cuisine. Stop into Bar F2 upstairs for a cocktail before or after dinner. Different musical performers take over the intimate stage several nights a week.

 Pane e Vino
 8265 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-651-4600 Even more handsome than its parent restaurant in tony Montecito, the immensely popular Pane e Vino is all warm, earthen tones and Tuscan-ish details.

 Pane e Vino
 8265 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-651-4600 Even more handsome than its parent restaurant in tony Montecito, the immensely popular Pane e Vino is all warm, earthen tones and Tuscan-ish details.

 The Grove at Farmers Market
 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A. Somewhere between small-town European charm and highly processed Vegas-style schlock. Shopping includes the usual suspects, plus a few notable lures including an Apple computer store and Sur La Table. It's Valhalla for families and a good alternative to the Beverly Center.
 

 Beverly Living Fish Center
 4356 Beverly Blvd, L.A. 323-953-1740

 Black Sea Restaurant
 448 N Fairfax Ave, L.A. 323-653-2090

 Cleopatra's Fishers Hamburgers
 6332 W 3rd St, L.A. 323-857-0457

 Fish Grill
 7226 Beverly Blvd, L.A. 323-937-7162
 

 Cava
 8384 W. 3rd St., L.A. 323-658-8898 This dark and sexy restaurant features chef/owner Toribio Prado's innovative take on Spanish cuisine

 Cobras & Matadors
 7615 W. Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-932-6178 Vintage lightbulbs, their filaments glowing squiggles, dangle overhead like the lights strung across piazzas and outdoor cafes in Italy. The Spanish words tapas, carnes, mariscos, bocadillos, postres, cafes -- stenciled on the front door -- give an idea of what's to be found on the menu.

 El Coyote
 7312 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 323-939-2255 El Coyote's bar and most of its dining rooms are usually packed with a young, trendy, after-work crowd who come for the cheap food and classic cheesy decor.