Bond-ing Experience

The West Coast's first Bond Street is here at the chic Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills. The vibe is sleek, sexy and noisy, but it's worth it. Renowned sushi chef Hiroshi Nakahara has relocated to Los Angeles from his long standing post at Bond Street New York. Hiroshi originally joined forces with Jonathan Morr in 1997 to debut, with the opening of Bond Street New York, an innovative style of sushi and is now bringing his signature dishes, including the arugula crispy potato roll and sundried tomato & avocado roll, to the West Coast. I personally preferred the sesame crusted shrimp roll and broiled Chilean sea bass. Oh, and they're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner... not easy to find in LA these days. Side note: Dodd Mitchell did the stunning interiors, which includes a rooftop pool and lounge area.

Excellent Italian on the Sunset Strip

Amarone Kitchen + Wine is a fabulous new Italian restaurant on Sunset Blvd. a few doors down from the Viper Room. It has a very New York feel since it is a small place run by real Italians. Everything here is great, especially the phenomenal wine list. Lot's of great Italian wines are on the list at all price points. Even better is the fact that the sommelier will not guide you to the priciest bottle, but rather the one you asked for. So refreshing!