San Laurel

Located on the lobby floor of the Conrad Hotel, José Andrés's new hotel fine dining concept spares no indulgence, from a Basque cheesecake to Spain’s famous jamón ibérico. You will pay handsomely for dinner here—my bill came out to over $300 for two after tax and auto-gratuity, and I didn’t order any alcohol—but if you’re in the market to gaze upon Walt Disney Concert Hall across the street and Downtown writ large as you enjoy your meal, San Laurel is a decent, if slightly snoozy, upscale option. Despite the restaurant’s culinary pedigree, the menu mostly skews quite safe in the style of most hotel restaurants. There’s a little gem salad, steak and octopus with potatoes and aioli. At the same time, I enjoyed the vermicelli “mac and cheese,” and you can’t go wrong with the pricey imported jamón ibérico or slices of Idiazábal cheese served with crackers and membrillo (quince paste). Lunch treads in familiar territory with salads and toasts, but you can also snag a $48 prix fixe option that’s, relatively speaking, quite a steal. The lunch deal includes oysters, scallops, hiramasa crudo and heirloom tomato salad, plus your choice of entrée.