Restaurants in Los Angeles

In keeping with the 300-year-old Brazilian tradition of slowly roasting skewered meats over an open flame, Picanha Churrascaria overwhelms diners' appetites with never-ending servings of 15 different proteins. Throughout each meal, servers approach tables with long, sword-like skewers of top sirloin, garlic chicken, and leg of lamb, then slice freshly grilled portions directly onto plates until guests signal them to stop. Between platefuls, diners can visit the restaurant's buffet, which features more than 40 salad fixings, a spread of traditional Brazilian side dishes, and cutthroat guards that see to it that no one scoops with their hands.

Servers circulate continuously through Samba, pausing tableside to carve morsels of mesquite-grilled meat that are the hallmark of all-you-can-eat churrasco meals. A buffet of fresh salad and ceviche gives diners a chance to stretch their legs and add variation to the endless courses of brazilian sausage, bacon-wrapped chicken, and sirloin steak.

At the Universal City location, nooks for groups to squeeze into and clusters of mod white couches stand out against glowing orange walls. On certain nights, meals are accompanied by a chorus of smooth-limbed showgirls, catalyzing the party for those who have not taken a churrasco approach to the more than 20 versions of Brazil's national cocktail available at the caipirinha bar.

Within a whitewashed façade with castle-like turrets, chefs at Le Petit Chateau craft rustic dishes reminiscent of French countryside fare. Traditional sauces such as béarnaise and velouté coat seafood and steak as diners start meals with hors d'oeuvres of foie gras and escargot. Whether couples savor a glass of hand-selected wine at the bar or share a chocolate soufflé for two in a booth, Le Petit Chateau's cultivates a romantic atmosphere without the need to vaporize a box of love letters.

There's no need to stir your risotto until your arm either goes numb or requires an expensive experimental arm surgery when you can enjoy creamy risotto primavera with white wine and asiago cheese at Maria's Italian Kitchen. With today's Groupon, you get $40 worth of delicious Italian food and drink for only $20 at the Downtown, West Los Angeles, or Brentwood locations.

The chefs at Chadaka Thai shower traditional spices over a bevy of fresh seafood, spicy curries, and refreshing vegetarian dishes. Tender steak and succulent lamb chops don flavors of lemongrass and hot peppers as egg and rice noodles take on a range of shapes beneath savory sauces. In the dining room, towering windows and pillar-like pendant lights illuminate dark-wood décor as stark geometric furnishings find a rustic complement with burl accents and a patchwork-quilt ceiling. Candlelit tables for two fan the flames of a romantic evening or passionate fire-eating contest, whereas an outdoor patio framed by pinewood-hued beams grants diners a glimpse of the bustling shoppers just beyond their savory sanctuary.

Tantalizing aromas from an old-fashioned stone-hearth deck oven drift through Yammy Pizza’s doors, which opened in 2009 to begin producing a menu of gourmet pizzas in a quick-service setting. Like most efforts to reimagine Romeo and Juliet as a dubstep musical, Yammy’s finds inspiration in Verona, whose age-old Italian recipes guide the production of 14 specialty pies. House-made marinara and cream sauce rain across robust pastas peppered with spicy shrimp and italian sausage, rounding out a menu bolstered by a quartet of calzones and grilled paninis served on rosemary focaccia bread.