Bastide

Imagine a restaurant set in a demure building at the back of a garden planted with lavender and olive trees. The house is trimmed in the pale muted blue of southern France; the cooking is perfectly Provencal. For a chef like Alain Giraud, who put in years at Citrus as chef de cuisine, Bastide is a dream come true. Open during the week only, Giraud and his small team are always in-house. The kitchen is state-of-the-art, furnished with a fortune in copper pots that are used daily. The service is crisp yet warm and unfussy. And the setting, designed by Andree Putman, is chic and understated. Sommelier Christophe Rolland spent months stocking the all-French cellar before the restaurant opened, and thanks to owner Joe Pytka, the respected film and TV commercial director, he has legendary vintages. In short, Los Angeles finally has a restaurant for grown-ups.--S.I.V.

Bastide, 8475 Melrose Place, Los Angeles; (323) 651-5950.