Dining Out

by Roger Grody

With its Mediterranean climate, L.A. has long attracted diners to its restaurant patios, but now alfresco dining spaces are in greater demand than ever.

LOS ANGELES, with its moderate climate and laidback attitude, is a natural place for alfresco dining, even in neighborhoods miles from the ocean. Recent events have rearranged priorities, and as the local economy comes out of hibernation, ample outdoor seating is one of the most sought-after qualities in a restaurant. Here are some of the best places in L.A. for dining outdoors.

Located in downtown’s City Market South, a reimagination of a historic produce market, Dama is part of the culinary empire of chef and television personality Antonia Lofaso. Dama’s Latin-inspired menu provides a culinary journey from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, with a layover in Veracruz, and its prominent bar dispenses playful cocktails that complement the cuisine. Its courtyard seating, with umbrella-topped tables and comfy couchlike banquettes, is a great place to sample Mexican street foods like elote, South American empanadas or whole pan-fried snapper prepared escabeche-style. The restaurant shares a spacious courtyard with Rossoblu, where chef/owner Steve Samson’s housemade pasta contributes to a memorable Bolognese cuisine that perfectly balances rusticity and sophistication.

The luster of Spago, Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills flagship, never fades, and its patio has long been one of the most coveted in the city, bringing a quintessential sense of L.A. chill to the glamour of the culinary landmark. Guests consume elevated dishes like an Ossetra caviar tart or lacquered duck breast with pepper-lavender gastrique on the newly configured patio, then finish with Austrian kaiserschmarrn, one of the legendary chef/ restaurateur’s favorite childhood desserts.

One of the most inviting patios in town belongs to A.O.C., the popular restaurant/wine bar from James Beard Award winners chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne. The courtyard, with its outdoor fireplace, leafy olive trees and wrought-iron accents, was always the most joyful space at A.O.C. and is now in greater demand than ever. The shareable plates— think curried cauliflower, soft polenta with wild mushrooms and stellar cheese or charcuterie boards—can be paired with a glass of Côtes du Rhône or an Arizona Love cocktail (tequila, tangerine, cinnamon and fleur de sel).

At Nobu Malibu, the progressive legacy of master sushi chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa is enjoyed in a sleek modern environment. Its wood-clad deck outfitted with cushy furniture, Zen garden landscaping and panoramic ocean views represents the ultimate SoCal alfresco setting. The menu, in which modern concepts and Peruvian ingredients are applied to centuries-old Japanese traditions, is worth the high tariff, and the multicourse omakase—deferring to the chef eliminates difficult decisions—is the best way to experience Nobu Malibu.

Alta Adams—a partnership between chef Keith Corbin, a Watts native, and Bay Area chef/restaurateur Daniel Patterson—offers its signature “California soul food” on the restaurant’s sheltered patio. Named for the historic West Adams neighborhood in South L.A., Alta presents an American menu laced with enticing African and Caribbean influences that includes black-eyed-pea fritters with spicy herb dipping sauce; hearty oxtails over rice; and memorable fried chicken. This is the kind of soul-warming food ideal for celebrating a reawakening.

Jeremiah's Chicken at Birdie G's served sizzling hot.

Photo by Jim Sullivan

Serving an approachable new American cuisine is Little Beast, ensconced in a charming Craftsman bungalow with more than a century of history. The best way to enjoy this Eagle Rock favorite is outdoors on the veranda or, better yet, on the inviting back patio buffered from street noise. Some of the best options here are jars of chipotle hummus or chicken-liver mousse, blackened salmon and a burger slathered with bacon jam. Pair with wine from a tightly edited but intriguing list.

If burgers aren’t your thing, consider the imaginative Mexican-themed vegan specialties at Gracias Madre. The plant-based menu at this Melrose Avenue establishment includes macadamia ricotta enchiladas in raisin sauce; a birria burrito, whose “meat” is fashioned from jackfruit; and mushroom fajitas with chile de arbol. The patio, shaded by gnarled old olive trees, is festive by day, sexy by night, and either mood is enhanced by pitchers of margaritas, sipping tequilas or wine that reveals just how far Mexican vintners have progressed.

Another option for creative Mexican cooking is Santa Monica’s Tallula’s, from the prolific culinary entrepreneurs responsible for Rustic Canyon, Cassia and Milo & Olive. After guacamole or Caesar salad, guests move on to crab taquitos, whole fried sea bass with tamarind sauce, or tandoori chicken fajitas (one of several cross-cultural mashups, thanks to the Indian heritage of chef Saw Naing). The original patio at Tallula’s was an intimate space, but to accommodate increased demand for outdoor seating, a portion of the restaurant’s parking lot has been transformed into an inviting dining area—a move encouraged by the city of Santa Monica. An alfresco expansion has also been achieved at sister restaurant Birdie G’s at Bergamot Station, a place offering the kind of food a Jewish grandma would cook if she had attended Le Cordon Bleu.

WHERE OUTDOORS ARE [IN]

Alta Adams 5359 W. Adams Blvd., L.A., 323.571.4999, altaadams.com

A.O.C. 8700 W. 3rd St., L.A., 310.859.9859, aocwinebar.com

Birdie G’s 2421 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, 310.310.3616, birdiegsla.com

Dama 612 E. 11th St., downtown, 213.741.0612, damafashiondistrict.com

Gracias Madre 8905 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 323.978.2170, graciasmadre.co

Little Beast 1496 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock, 323.341.5899, littlebeastrestaurant.com

Nobu Malibu 22706 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.317.9140, noburestaurants.com

Rossoblu 1124 San Julian St., downtown, 213.749.1099, rossoblula.com

Spago 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.385.0880, wolfgangpuck.com

Tallula’s (below) 118 Entrada Drive, Santa Monica, 310.526.0027, tallulasrestaurant.com