Eat | $$$$$
Trends may come and go, but some restaurants never need to change. This Santa Monica stalwart is one of them. Holding court on Main Street since 2001, the room is intimate and buzzy, with tall ceilings and twinkling chandeliers. You might think you stumbled right off of Main Street into Italy. The menu covers all the bases, from baby artichoke salads to meatballs in bright tomato sauce, porcini risotto and purple potato gnocchi, and osso bucco to loup de mer. Look closely across the dimly lit room, and you might recognize a few famous faces—it’s that kind of place.