food | Tom Cruise | Queen | high-tech world | DSL

he said....
tom cruise's award-worthy l.a. attractions

lodging
hotel bel-air
very expensive
(310) 472-1211

dining
dairy queen
fast food, inexpensive, multiple locations

formosa cafe
chinese, inexpensive,
(323) 262-2936

giorgio baldi
italian, expensive,
(310) 573-1660

in-n-out burger
hamburgers, inexpensive,
multiple locations

krispy kreme
doughnuts, inexpensive,
(323) 291-4133

matsuhisa
japanese/peruvian,
very expensive,
(310) 659-9639

spago
californian, expensive,
(310) 385-0880

toscana
italian, moderate,
(310) 820-2448

shopping
tower records
(323) 657-7300

nightlife
bliss restaurant and lounge
(310) 659-0999

el rodeo night club (562) 942-0755

grand star jazz club
(213) 626-2285

key club
(310) 786-1712

sky bar at the mondrian hotel
(323) 650-8999

whisky a go-go
(310) 652-4202

culture
getty center
(310) 440-7300

theaters
cinerama dome
(323) 464-4226

mann's chinese
(323) 464-811

we said...
our award-worthy l.a. attractions


lodging
élan hotel modern
moderate, (323) 658-6663.
the élan's goal is "delivering comfort to a high-tech world," and deliver they do. the architecture is stunning, the rooms are plush, and rates not only include a continental breakfast, but also an evening wine-and-cheese spread.

farmer's daughter
moderate, (323) 937-3930.
this family-
run "urban oasis brimming with coun­­try charm" (think denim bed­spreads and rocking chairs) is so intimate and kitschy chic it feels more like a motel than hotel, but it still has plenty of up-to-date amen­ities, including free dsl and rain showerheads.

dining
bombay café (310) 473-3388.
this place isn't much to look at, but there's no better place for indian food on the west coast. just don't ask us what to order, because everything is good, as the mountain of press and ce­lebrities the restaurant has received since opening in 1989 attests.

crustacean, (310) 205-8990.
the atmosphere at this upscale vietnamese spot is incredibly romantic, with a koi pod running through it, but you go to crustacean for the food, especially the dungeness crab with garlic. it's so good, in fact, that the owners have erected a "secret kitchen," where proprietary dishes are cooked beyond the prying eyes of anyone who might be tempted to steal the recipes.

shopping
book soup
(310) 659-3110.
the soup is one of the country's best bookstores, not just be­­cause of its cool sunset strip lo­cale, but because the staff really knows books. and they always seem to get the newest magazines earlier than anyone else.

neiman marcus
(877) 634-6263.
although based in dallas, with satellites across america, this neiman's gets it best: a never-ending stream of shoppers scouring floors of everything imagi­nable. the restaurant/bar is perpetually packed with the hollywood masses, who all seem to be drinking martinis by noon.

spa
beverly hot springs
(323) 734-7000.
when in hollywood, why not go hollywood and pam­per yourself at a top-notch spa? where else can you soak in a restorative hot spring that bubbles up from beneath l.a.? and where else can you partake of a little miracle they call the "body scrub and body care," which patrons swear leaves you looking and feeling years younger?