PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Despite newer trends sweeping L.A., finely executed northern Italian cuisine is still going strong, as evidenced by this Westside standout. Opened by Maureen Vincenti, widow of Mauro (whose Downtown Rex ruled the scene for years), Vincenti lives up to its promising pedigree. The menu, praised as "authentically Italian," offers creative fare -- gnocchi in tomato-squab sauce, sage-enhanced pumpkin-squash ravioli -- along with well-prepared classics such as rotisserie-cooked whole fish, game birds, and steak. Economy-minded diners with upwardly mobile palates can easily stick with hearty appetizers and pastas ($14-$18) and still have some room left for one of Vincenti's tempting dolci, particularly the vanilla gelato laced with espresso.

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

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»