PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

This is one of L.A.'s best dining bargains. Chef/owner Joseph Miller excels in simple New American cuisine, particularly grilled fish and roasted meats accented with piquant herbs. Formerly a tiny, quirky storefront, Joe gutted and completely remodeled the entire place, adding a far more spacious dining room and display wine room (though the best tables are still tucked away on the trellised outdoor patio complete with a gurgling waterfall). But don't let the upscale additions dissuade your budgeted appetite -- Joe's remains a hidden treasure for those with a champagne palate but a seltzer pocketbook. Case in point: For lunch, California sand dabs with cherry tomato, arugula, and Maine sweet shrimp goes for a mere $13. And this includes a fresh mixed green salad or one of Miller's exquisite soups. Dinner entrees are equally sophisticated: beet risotto with grilled asparagus, fallow deer wrapped in bacon (served in a black currant sauce with a side of roasted root vegetables), monkfish in a saffron broth, wild striped bass with curried cauliflower coulis. A double whammy is Joe's grilled ahi tuna and Hudson Valley foie gras appetizer served with rösti potatoes and a red-wine herb sauce, and the desserts are equally fantastic.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Los Angeles 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»