I wanted to find a place that my wife would really enjoy. She is a gossip reader, so it had to be a "hip and star filled" place. The choices were Spago or Vine. After consulting with the concierge, I decided on Spago. This restaurant is owned by Wolfgang. There are several reviews on other sites that rate this restaurant stuffy and over priced. It is not true. If you were to dine at any other fine dinning establishment, for a three-course dinner, and a few drinks, your bill would be similar to that of Spago. We shared an appetizer, one fish and one chicken entrée, two desserts, and three cocktails, the total bill came to just over $200. Not bad for a famous restaurant.

While the fish was good, the chicken entrée was superb. The portion was so large that I could have taken it home for lunch the next day (not something I suggest you do at this type of restaurant). The service was excellent. The waiter made great suggestions for wine selection, and actually helped my wife select her meal. She has a food allergy, and the waiter made sure all ingredients were accommodating to her needs. We made reservations early, we were the first people inside. (I do suggest eating outside if the weather permits.) The place sure did fill up fast. Unfortunately for my wife, no stars were out tonight…but she can at least say we ate there. Highly recommended!

I wanted to go to the legendary Spago in Beverly Hills since my friend owed me dinner. We happened to leave the courthouse early enough for lunch. I know that reservations are necessary for dinner, but I wasn’t sure about lunch. Since her baby was at the daycare center, and we were dressed nicely for court, I figured lunch would be a good as time as any. We walked in and were seated right away.

The restaurant is structured with lots of natural light. The kitchen is visible through a pane of glass. There was some Pre-Columbian artwork hanging on the walls. It reminded me of Diego Rivera’s style. Our server was very attentive.

We split the saffron risotto with ragout of sweet shrimp to start. This appetizer is fantastic. It’s amazing how food can be heightened to such a level. For the main course, I ordered the pan-roasted organic chicken with potato purée. The chicken has feta cheese inserted into it. It was very good. My friend ordered the lobster Cobb salad. The salads are HUGE. Originally, we thought the appetizers would be small and that we would end up sharing them, but when the salad showed up, it was obvious that it was intended to be a main course. Since my friend did not order a main course yet, she took the salad as her dish, while I ate the chicken. We could not finish either dish, so we didn’t have room for dessert. My friend was disappointed since she wanted to sample their desserts.

While we ate our meal, we noticed that Wolfgang Puck was in the dining areas, greeting the clientele. He went to each table and said hello to each patron. I got to meet him and shake his hand. The couple next to us spoke German, so they had an extended conversation with him. I had nothing to say other than that I enjoyed the meal. Although I love his cooking, I am not a gushing fan. My friend and I liked the personal touch. All the servers were extremely attentive, whether it was the waiter, the busboy or the hostess. There were also a couple of men who looked like they ran the restaurant other than Puck. One had an Austrian accent like Puck, so I wondered if he was a relative since he looked a bit like him.

Our meal turned out to be about $90 for two. It was a pricey lunch, but it was worth it -- good food, good atmosphere. Plus, we got to meet Wolfgang Puck. I would also have to note that the seating tends to be done according to importance. If you are famous or important in some way, you will most likely sit in the patio area. The further you are from the patio determines your VIP level. The area referred to as "Siberia" is near the kitchen. We were seated in Siberia. I was not unhappy to be in Siberia, though.