LITTLE TOKYO. Located in the New Otani Hotel & Garden, this elegant Japanese restaurant looks, feels, and tastes authentic. Overlooking the third floor Japanese Garden, there are sushi and tempura bars and private tatami rooms. The extensive menu and the delightful service will make even novices to Japanese cuisine comfortable. The Sunday brunch is the only meal you will need all day, and the quality matches the quantity.

EAST HOLLYWOOD. This cozy corner hangout features extensive outdoor seating, shaded by umbrellas, as well as a pleasant, if cramped, indoor space. While the cafe serves three meals a day, there's always a rush on desserts and pastries, thanks to creations like brown butter berry tarts and praline fudge bars with homemade vanilla caramel. Alcove's take on the moon pie is an extravagant one ­ two chocolate chip cookies encase made-from-scratch marshmallow, and the whole is dipped in chocolate and hand-decorated. Layer cakes, bundt cakes, pies, and loaves of bread are also available. N.B. Alcove begins serving food an hour after opening times.

STUDIO CITY. Plunge into the din of light and sound that is Art's and you'll be rewarded with the best deli food in the Valley. Locals rate the enormous corned beef and pastrami sandwiches on homemade rye as the best on the West Coast. Other house specialties include the matzo-ball soup and the "I Want It All" chicken soup, which comes in a huge bowl packed with kreplach (Yiddish raviolis), noodles, kasha (whole oats), rice, chicken, carrots, and a big, matzo ball. Don't skip dessert - the iced cookie and apple strudel are especially tasty.

WEST HOLLYWOOD. Its monochromatic white decor and model-beautiful clientele render Asia de Cuba a trendy, of-the-moment kind of place. Festive atmosphere, a playful waitstaff, and chic ambience lend appeal, and customers relish the mouthwatering Cuban-Asian fare. Fried calamari salad, a house specialty, makes culinary waves, and you can't go wrong with yucca-crusted mahi mahi or lime-and-garlic chicken. Desserts, naturally, make a splash on their own. An outdoor patio, glimmering with candles, affords incredible views ­ a nice change from the austere interior.

BEVERLY HILLS. There are plenty of New Yorkers who feel misplaced amid the landscaped yards and sparkling diamonds of Beverly Hills, but they can always get a taste of home by visiting Barney Greengrass. The famous smoked sturgeon, sable, and salmon make great lunch choices, as does the chopped liver spread on a bagel (a New York-style bagel, no less).