Dine with the Stars at the dineL.A. 10th Anniversary

Part of the Dream Hollywood complex, this 10,000 square-foot New York import from the Tao Group is a glitzy two-level restaurant/lounge located on the Cahuenga Corridor. Enter Beauty & Essex through a “pawn shop” with jewelry and guitars for sale, then move on to the elaborate, dramatic main dining room with a 20-foot skylight and opulent design elements like enormous crystal chandeliers, leather and velvet, upholstered furniture, and gilded gold accessories. Two full service bars, an outdoor patio and a courtyard are big draws for the glamorous celebrity set, which includes Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, numerous Victoria’s Secret Angels, and of course, the Kardashians and Jenners. You might rub shoulders with celebs while enjoying chef-owner Chris Santos’ decadent two-course dineL.A. lunch menu (Sundays only, $25), which includes grilled cheese with bacon and tomato soup dumplings, “Oreo Cookie” pancakes, cinnamon-raisin French toast, and short rib huevos rancheros.

A Sherman Oaks landmark since 1956, Casa Vega is a family-owned and operated restaurant that is as well-known for its killer Margaritas and hand-chopped guacamole as it is for its celebrity clientele. When Ray Vega opened his namesake restaurant, Cary Grant, Dyan Cannon, Marlon Brando, and Jane Fonda were among the regulars. While they were dating, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt reportedly found privacy huddled in a red booth amidst the kitschy décor. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton call it a favorite for a local night out, and George Clooney is known to stop by. Thanks to the dark ambiance, celebrities have always been comfortable and discreetly welcomed. Ray’s daughter, Christy Fowler Vega now runs the show and takes special care that stars stay under wraps, if requested. The enormous menu features classics of traditional Mexican cuisine, and includes vegetarian and vegan options. The two-course dineL.A. lunch menu ($15) and three-course dinner ($29) include the very popular lobster enchiladas, special "oven roasted" burrito, and a classic House Combination.

Wolfgang Puck is as much of a celebrity as the famous faces who frequent Spago, his landmark Beverly Hills restaurant and the flagship of his empire. The original Spago opened above the Sunset Strip in 1982 and was an instant celebrity magnet. Opened in 1997, the current Canon Drive location became the place for power lunches, and has hosted a number of glamorous affairs, including Oscar events from Vanity Fair, Elton John, and The Hollywood Reporter. The sophisticated, buzzy space includes a leafy brick outdoor patio with a retractable roof. Puck can be found cooking in the kitchen, or circling the dining room, warmly engaging guests both new and old. His former wife and Spago's co-founder/co-owner, Barbara Lazaroff is often there entertaining and greeting the crowd amid her many philanthropic affairs. The reservation list can range from U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries to a Who’s Who of classic film stars, musicians, and young Hollywood—all dining on Puck’s elegant, locally driven, California cuisine. You’re sure to feel like a celebrity as you dine at Spago via the dineL.A. Exclusive Series, featuring an extravagant 13-course California tasting menu for $125 per person. 

For 25 years, master sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa laid down the law at Sushi Nozawa, his original Studio City restaurant that he closed in 2012 to make room for his growing SUGARFISH empire. He was known to throw people out of the restaurant or promptly move them from the bar to a table if they requested a California Roll, a sauce, or even a side of rice. There was also a strict no-cellphone policy. Charlize Theron famously tells a story that she was kicked out when she asked for specific types of fish, yet she kept going back. A sign on the wall simply stated “Trust Me.” And with that edict, SUGARFISH continues his particular tradition of omakase - there is no sushi bar, just three "Trust Me" menus plus select a la carte items. Servers bring meticulously plated dishes with specific instructions about how to eat them, and if a sauce is necessary or not. The signature warm, loose rice and melt-in-your-mouth fish has not changed, although the rules have relaxed a bit - you won’t be thrown out if you choose to add sauce or happen to answer your phone (but it’s wise not to).

Celebrities flock to SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa, with L.A. locations spanning Downtown L.A. to the Valley and the Beach Cities. The Kardashians and Jenners are frequent patrons, as well as Justin Bieber, Larry David, Jennifer Garner, Megan Fox, Julianne Hough, Taylor Swift, Ashton Kutcher, and more. Sushi aficionados can get their fix at all ten SUGARFISH locations with special dineL.A. lunch and dinner menus ($20/$39).

Star power is always present at Tavern, the Brentwood restaurant with three dining options from two of L.A.’s most prolific restaurateurs— James Beard award-winning chef, Suzanne Goin and James Beard nominee, sommelier Caroline Styne. Most notably, Tavern hosted a fundraising dinner party for President Barack Obama in 2011. Celebrities will often go unnoticed among the upscale neighborhood customers. With kids in tow, many stars will fly under the radar at The Larder after a weekend soccer game, ordering baked goods, eggs, or sandwiches at the counter. The bar area and the sophisticated, airy dining room attracts celebs having business meetings, a friends lunch, or date night. Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, Reece Witherspoon, Kate Beckinsdale, and Cindy Crawford are among the famous fans of the comfortable atmosphere and upscale menu featuring seasonal California cuisine, creative cocktails (the refreshing Green Hound is a "must-drink"), and extensive wine list. Enjoy a two-course dineL.A. lunch menu ($25) and three-course dinner ($49), including the grilled salmon with fennel for lunch, and the very popular Spanish fried chicken and lamb spare ribs for dinner.

Bruce Kalman, executive chef/co-owner of UNION in Pasadena and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market at Grand Central Market in Downtown L.A., is currently a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Colorado. He won the Elimination Challenge on Episode Five with his egg-yolk cavatelli with wild-boar sugo and roast ramps while camping in the snow (and playing a little guitar accompaniment to boot). This isn’t Kalman's first go under the bright lights - he was a judge on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen, semi-finalist on Bravo's Best New Restaurant, and champion on the Food Network’s Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and Esquire TV’s Knife Fight. After stints at several top restaurants across the nation, Kalman arrived in Los Angeles in 2011 to open Santa Monica’s Misfit, and then impressed with his house-made charcuterie and pasta at West Hollywood’s Churchill, while attaining a James Beard nomination for "Rising Star Chef.

At the 50-seat UNION, Kalman is acclaimed for his spin on rustic Northern Italian cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. Diners able to secure a reservation for his five-course dineL.A. Exclusive Series dinner will be privy to his signature bread service, citrus-cured Pacific yellowtail with pickled radish and pomegranate, Little Gems and pears with crème fraiche-poppyseed dressing, potato leek agnolotti, and Flannery Holstein ribeye. And of course, no meal is complete without the house favorite dessert—olive oil cake with salted honeycomb gelato.

New York-based Tom Colicchio is among the most accomplished figures in the culinary world, but Bravo’s Top Chef is probably the first thing that comes to mind as he’s starred as the head judge since the reality show debuted in 2006. He is also the host of the online Digital Companion Video Series, Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen; executive producer and Top Judge on Bravo’s Best New Restaurant; and appeared on the Great Chefs series. The five-time James Beard Foundation Award winner is also a world-class chef, restaurateur, author, and social/political food activist. Among his many restaurants, he received critical acclaim for Gramercy Tavern (which he opened with Union Square’s Danny Meyer), followed by his signature restaurant Craft, which he first opened in New York in 2001 and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary in Los Angeles. Guests can experience sophisticated fine dining at Colicchio's Century City restaurant with a three-course dineL.A. dinner menu ($49) featuring such choices as pork croquette, laughing bird shrimp, Texas quail, Mugifuji pork loin, stinging nettle & ricotta tortellini, and chocolate caramel peanut tart.