Eat page

As anyone who knows them can attest, Eddie and Craig enjoy dining out. Los Angeles is a great restaurant city, and the boys and their friends make it a point to dine at the best, most distinctive places, even if it means saving money for three weeks. Luckily they enjoy cheaper fare with as much gusto, so most nights out are easy on the wallet. Below are Craig and Eddie's favorite local, national, and international places to eat anything from a light snack to an elegant four-course dinner.

American
Callendar's	Hard Rock Cafe	Saddle Peak Lodge
5773 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., (323) 937-7952 No, not Marie Callendar's. This is the upscale but reasonably priced offshoot on the Miracle Mile. The long brass bar and dark wood paneling remind Craig and Eddie of San Francisco. Eddie loves the bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Craig often gets the exceptionally meaty baby back pork ribs smothered in hickory BBQ sauce. Just try to save room for pie.	Worldwide Say what you will about theme restaurants. You can get a good meal here the world over. Would Craig and Eddie have bothered to go to the Berlin one if they didn't know they'd get the best burger in Europe and some raucous, smoky surroundings? The Pig Sandwich is rightly beloved. Since Buffalo chicken strips were added to the menu, Craig can't stay away.	419 Cold Canyon Dr., Calabasas, CA, (818) 222-3888 Go "Kangaroo, extra pouch, please!" You can (almost) get that at this faux hunting lodge nestled in the canyon, along with duck, boar, buffalo, ostrich, and venison. Cooked the way God intended, to the delight of people who aren't deluded by the "cute and gentle" aspect of the fare (yeah, like you eat cows and chickens in self-defense).
Tavern on the Green	21
Central Park, (212) 873-3200 Go A divine experience. The grand glass-enclosed dining room treats you to a fine view of the enchanting surroundings. The trees all around are draped in twinkling lights, whose color and design change seasonally. Take a look at a picture from Eddie and Craig's album. The menu changes often, and everything's good.	21 W. 52nd (5th/6th Aves.), (212) 582-7200 This clubby hangout, which began life as a speakeasy in the '20s, was Joan Cawford's favorite place to dine in the city. Great steaks, chops, and sides. Marvel at the $27 hamburger. The service is perfect yet glacial, so don't be in a hurry. Eddie counts the filet mignon among the world's best. Read about the visit here.

Californian
La Boheme	Fiddler's Bistro	Maple Drive
8400 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-2360 Go Like eating in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. One big, dark, Gothic, high-ceilinged dining room with a roaring fireplace at one end and a waterfall at the other. First-time diners' jaws drop. Oh, and the food's good too. The seasonal La Boheme stuffed pork chop is perfection!	Plaza Hotel, 6009 W. 3rd St., L.A., (323) 931-8167 Fresh, delicious food in a coffee shop atmosphere. Having breakfast on the patio is one of Eddie and Craig's favorite ways to kick off a Sunday. Some dishes have a little Greek going on. Terrific, seasoned French fries. Craig loves the lamb burger with pesto and goat cheese.	345 N. Maple Dr., Beverly Hills, (310) 274-9800 Go The cool, high-tech setting is very Hollywood. Live jazz some nights. The food and service will make you feel like a player, even if you aren't seated at one of the few A-List booths along the windows. Start with the Kick Ass Chili, says Craig. The meatloaf (yes, meatloaf) is Eddie's favorite in town.
Asia de Cuba
Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Blvd.; also in New York Perfectly dazzling combinations of Asian and Latin flavors. Steep prices, but worth a special occasion dinner. The views from the patio are dynamite. The service is strange: All the entrees are brought out one at a time in what the restaurant mysteriously calls "family style" (whose family eats off one another's plates?). Be ready to share with hungry companions if your dish comes out first. Dining here is no guarantee of getting into the adjacent, ultrahot SkyBar, but getting in before 10 on a worknight is usually a snap.

Continental
Bellevue	Brasserie des Artistes	Knoll's Black Forest
Smetanovo nabrezi 18, Old Town Prague, (42) 2 24 221387 Go Whether you're in the elegant dining room or on the terrace, you're bound to have a delicious meal at this world-class restaurant, the city's finest. The lights of Prague Castle shimmer on the hill across the river. Not the exceptional bargain that V Zatisi is (see below) but worth every Koruna.	Beverly Hills CLOSED as of Oct. '03 (briefly reborn as Rouge). It broke our heart to bid this place adieu. It was a little slice of Paris in L.A., our favorite place in the neighborhood. The food, by prize-winning chef Jean-Piere Giron, was exceptional and miraculously priced. The duck magret was the best duck Craig has ever eaten, and Eddie rated the pepper steak the best in town. We'll miss it terribly. Bonne chance, Messrs. Geo. and Alex Etesse!	2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA (310) 395-2212 Go CLOSED as of Feb. '04. After decades as the best German restaurant in SoCal, Knoll's closed its doors so its owners could enjoy a well-earned retirement. What a delight it was to relax in the open, heated patio, sip one of the imported beers they had on tap, and munch on the excellent deutsche bratwurste or the mouth-watering sauerbraten. We'll miss it.
Vinárna V Zátiší	Musso & Frank
Liliova 1, Old Town, Prague, (42) 2 42 28977 Go If you stay at the Betlem Club, you'll find this extraordinary place just a few paces across the square. Superb food at astonishing prices (by Western standards). Craig and Eddie dined on pheasant, beef tenderloin, and lamb chops with all the trimmings, not to mention appetizers and dessert, for a third of what they might have paid in L.A. It's no wonder the place was voted Best Restaurant in Eastern Europe.	6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 467-7788 A true Hollywood institution, dating back to 1919. Clubby atmosphere with paneled walls and art deco sconces. The Tuesday special is a yummy sauerbraten. Lots of high-quality dishes from the good ol' days jostle for space on the daily menu. Here's where you'll get L.A.'s best martini.

Italian
Il Fornaio	Louise's
Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, San Francisco, among others Go Tasty, inventive dishes from all over Italy. A different region is featured each month, and you can keep up to date on the Web site. The famous bread is sold all over town. Craig and Eddie have liked every meal they've ordered, too many to choose a favorite.	Larchmont Village, West L.A., Studio City, among others Go Yummy, heaping portions of pasta and pizza await at this popular (and popularly priced) eatery. Craig loves the pappardelle and sausage, and Eddie's partial to the village pizza. Quick, white-aproned staff. Most locations have takeout.
Villa del Lupo	Alessi Ristorante
869 Hamilton St., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, (604) 688-7436 Go In this dimly lit, cozy Victorian house you're bound to have one of the best Italian meals of your life. The "Home of the Wolf" makes it on Vancouver's Top 10 Restaurants list every year, and we know why. The osso buco and beef tenderloin are superb, as are the risottos and pastas. Eddie and Craig held their wedding dinner here with friends in 2006.	6602 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles , CA 90036, (323) 935-1197 CLOSED as of spring '06. Reopened in winter as Mario Batalli's Mozzo.

Oriental
Chan Dara	Chin Chin
Larchmont Village in L.A., among others Go Often ranked among the town's best Thai restaurants, this hip place serves great, inexpensive food that'll impress lovers of Thai cuisine and seduce first-timers. The grilled meats are delicious any which way you order them. To share, get the spicy noodles with veggies: big flat noodles and fresh, crisp veggies tossed in a hot, light basil and garlic sauce.	Sunset Blvd., Bev. Hills, Las Vegas, among others Go Fresh, dependably delicious Chinese food in a bright, cheery cafe setting. If you order nothing else, order the Noodles in Peanut Sauce. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Craig and Eddie get a heaping bowl of them as an appetizer, then move on usually to the lip-smacking orange chicken and the tangerine beef.
P.F. Chang's	Hu's Szechwan
Beverly Center, La Jolla, Las Vegas, others Go Mighty good, upscale Chinese in a hip dining space. Craig's favorite dish is Chang's Spicy Chicken: juicy white-meat morsels in a coating of tangy, crispy batter. Eddie loves the Szechwan beef, but be warned. These cracklingly dry, double-cooked beef strips on a nest of veggies are hot enough to ignite your tongue.	10450 National Blvd., West L.A., (310) 837-0252 This always-packed little hole in the wall is lavishly praised by everyone who's eaten here. Fresh, top-quality ingredients, tantalizing spices, and hearty, straightforward recipes make for some of the best Chinese dishes anywhere. The Kung Pao chicken is Craig and Eddie's favorite; no other restaurant's version even comes close.

South of the Border
El Cholo	Versailles
1121 S. Western Ave., L.A., (323) 734-2773, plus another location in Santa Monica Go If there's one thing we Angelenos know, it's good Mexican. It doesn't get any better than at this 70-year-old landmark. The L.A. Lemonade margarita will knock your socks off, as will Rosa's blue-corn chicken enchiladas. The Santa Monica offshoot is head and shoulders above the competition but not quite as consistently wonderful as the original on Western Ave.	1415 S. La Cienega, L.A., (310) 289-0392, among others Simple, no-frills Cuban food that'll leave you thinking that life under Castro might not be so bad after all. Everyone's heard about the garlic chicken, but the roast pork is every bit as wonderful and you don't have to deal with a skeleton.