Tam O'Shanter Inn

Part of the Lawry's Prime Rib family, the Tam has been an L.A. institution since 1922, a remarkable achievement in a city where dining trends change as fast as hemlines. The dining rooms are just what you'd expect: lots of dark wood, beamed ceilings, fireplaces and loads of Scottish memorabilia (e.g. family crests, flags, berets) lining the walls. Sturdy wooden tablesare paired with high-backed, leather-cushioned arm chairs.

Enough folks must order old-fashioned homeland specialties like toad-in-the-hole and Scotch rarebit to keep them on the menu, and you'll also find leg of lamb, roasted duck, mustard-crusted pork, salmon and swordfish.

But the main attraction here is the prime rib, which manages to keep the Lawry's reputation intact, despite slightly lower prices than the flagship restaurant's. The beef comes with all the trimmings, including some legendary creamed corn or spinach.