Stinking Rose

Thankfully, an unabashed passion for garlic no longer carries a stigma in gastronomically diverse L.A. At The Stinking Rose, garlic lovers are invited to give in to their pungent passion and clove dreams. Here, each is enticed with a specially created cuisine that has one ingredient in common -- garlic. Even the restaurant's several distinctive, campy dining rooms pay homage to garlic lore and the mottos of this establishment include: "We season our garlic with food" and "It's chic to reek." The menu is filled with endless delights for garlic lovers: garlic chowder, garlic shrimp, pastas in sauces heavily infused with garlic, 40-clove garlic chicken, even garlic ice cream and a wine dubbed Château de Garlic! There are even "vampire" dishes for those who choose to abstain. Located in the old Lawry's building on La Cienega's "Restaurant Row," this spot is the Southern California branch of a popular San Francisco restaurant. The original, in San Francisco's North Beach district, is so fragrant you can detect the distinctive aroma from entire city blocks away.