Les Noces Du Figaro, Los Angeles

The comic opera The Marriage of Figaro is rather fitting namesake for this French bistro: plush purple stools at a marble-topped bar and dual staircases winding up toward inlaid frescoes invoke elegance, but the full bar and pastry cases stacked with colorful macarons retain a sense of playfulness. Indeed, Les Noces du Figaro plays many roles, despite being billed simply as a bistro.

By day, the patisserie counter stocks fresh croissants, while the dining room fills with sweet and savory scents of banana crepes and Parisian-style omelets with potatoes, gruyère, and herbs. Brunch is served seven days a week here, so the breakfast menu also includes more hearty dishes such as coquilles Saint-Jacques Poêlées: sauteed scallops with spinach, papaya, and candied pistachios. There's coffee service, of course, with café au lait and cappuccinos, as well as teas infused with blends of mint-citrus or orchid-vanilla.

In the evenings, streetlights flicker on throughout the dining room, illuminating bilingual dinner menus with an exquisite selection of entrees. Meals might begin with cuisses de grenouilles—frog legs sautéed with lemon-butter—or ahi tuna tartare with avocado and cilantro. Oysters are available by the dozen or half-dozen, and served with a trio of champagne, cocktail, and horseradish sauces. Main dishes include grilled rack of lamb with mint au jus and pan-roasted duck with prosciutto-wrapped figs alongside plentiful vegetarian options, such as veggie ravioli and couscous with grass-fed tofu.