Horses

This (in)famous European-style bistro in Hollywood is known for its excellent cocktails, decadent brasserie fare and yes, a bit of scandal around the co-owners’ nasty divorce and allegations of animal abuse. Now primarily led by Liz Johnson—Johnson’s ex-husband and fellow co-founder Will Aghajanian has left the kitchen, but still holds an ownership stake in the restaurant—Horses hasn’t skipped a beat these days in terms of culinary output and weekend crowds. Signature dishes like the smoked salmon lavish, all-endive Caesar salad and Cornish game hen dressed with dandelion panzanella still offer all the trappings of a lavish European-style dinner, though you can now also indulge in a Sunday brunch service that features destination-worthy pancakes and one of the city’s only pornstar martinis. Beyond savory fare, both drinks and desserts, including a frozen chocolate soufflé and sheep’s milk cheesecake, are executed with razor-sharp precision, which lifts Horses from “pretty good” to the ranks of “great.”