Best Contemporary French Restaurants in Arts District

This was our first time to see a performance of the LA OPERA. I wanted to have dinner before the performance and felt that something at the Music Center itself would be best because of the traffic. Good call. Viewing the menu in advance of our evening, it seemed good but frankly, I had only moderate expectations. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! We started dinner out with a shared Caesar Salad which was excellent and the bread was fantastic. For dinner, my wife had the Steak Frites and I had the Brick1/2 Chicken. They were both superb. Our server was extremely polite and attentive. The noise level was low. You can talk and actually hear what the other person is saying. This is going to be our new go-to restaurant prior to attending performances.

The escargot, the beef bourguignon , and the duck leg confit were all excellent. The frisée salad is also delicious and has a fantastic dressing. The lavender earl grey tea is really fantastic.

I’ve been to Bar Chelou a few times but they have really hit their stride. The service was on point, the drinks were fun and delicious, and the food was incredible. Every dish had an unexpected twist, from the mini peperoncinis in the salad to the tang of peanut butter in the carrots to the umami in the tempura mushrooms, lovely surprises all around! And they coursed everything out beautifully and got us to the show at the Playhouse right on time, chef’s kiss!

Wonderful meal. Decibel Martini and Army Navy cocktail were both delicious. Black sesame Parker house rolls with butter and house cured ikura were so good! Abalone and shrimp pot pie was very good, and Koji-roasted chicken was juicy and wonderful. Very attentive service.

Very cute restaurant that has been around for a long time! Great service and good food and drinks.