Bonaventure Brewing Co. & Restaurant

The massive Westin Bonaventure Hotel, L.A.'s largest, offers more dining choices than many small towns, from a tony rooftop steakhouse to a Korean barbecue joint or Cajun café. But the Bonaventure Brewing Co., on the fourth level, is one of the more attractive options. Whether you're in search of a late supper after escaping the office or just looking for a place to hang during happy hour, this is a great spot to know about.

The restaurant boasts an impressive centerpiece cherry wood bar, with a cozy dining room adjacent to it. Weather permitting, seating is available in a beer garden shadowed by towering glass-and-steel skyscrapers. Lushly landscaped, with vine-covered trellises, central fountain and umbrella-shaded tables, the beer garden shares a plaza with massive beer vats tended to by the restaurant's own brewmaster.

The eclectic menu offers starters such as pork wontons with a sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce, beer-battered calamari with basil tartar sauce, crunchy coconut shrimp with peanut sauce, and golden crab cakes drizzled with red pepper aioli. Entrées include steaks, pastas, char-grilled pork chop in a mustard buerre blanc and macadamia- and ginger-crusted ahi tuna with pineapple-coconut sauce. Choose from among several house-brewed beers or from a short but thoughtful wine list. Meal for two: $65.