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Exploring the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California over the holidays, I was on a mission to eat at as many of the incredible restaurants. On the final evening of my visit, I went to Corazon de Tierra, a restaurant located  adjacent to the Vena Cava winery. At the head of Corazon de Tierra is the young and talented chef Diego Hernandez, a leader in the modern Mexican cooking movement, who has been awarded Latin America World's 50 Best winner for the restaurant. While I was enjoying my dinner, I learned that Chef Hernandez was in the process of opening a restaurant in Los Angeles in the old Dominick's space in West Hollywood. I waited in anticipation! The anticipation was worth it and it exceeded my expectations. Located in the former Dominick's space, Verlaine is an outdoor space with a retractable roof. The front door is covered with greens and opens to a tiled walkway that was previously a parking space.
208 Rodeo has been open since 1991 but there is a good chance you are not familiar with it. It is a small restaurant but between breakfast, lunch and dinner, they do 800 covers a day. So, if you are not aware of 208 Rodeo, it is time to get to change that. 208 Rodeo The restaurant is set atop the stairs on Via Rodeo's cobblestone street on Rodeo Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills. There is an intimate indoor dining area but the majority of the seating is on the outdoor patio that overlooks the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel. This is the ideal place to sit as it is a great spot to enjoy lunch and people watch. Or head there for dinner and enjoy a meal under the stars. People Watching from 208 Rodeo Open for twenty-five years, 208 Rodeo offers a menu focused on California cuisine with pan-Asian and French influences. 
The Little Door restaurant is like a little secret hideaway, but it's not a secret. The space on 3rd Street in West Hollywood has been known as a romantic French restaurant since it opened in 1996. It seems  to be tucked away but it's actually on a busy street and easy to find, if you are looking for it. In September (2014), The Little Door opened a second location, tucked out in the open on 26th Street, just south of San Vicente, in Santa Monica (across the street from the Brentwood Country Mart). The Little Door Santa Monica With ornate wrought iron fencing covering the entrance on 26th Street, it is easy to miss The Little Door Santa Monica, if you are not looking. There are no signs that pop out as you drive by. But, located in the former space of Mimi's, enter the "little door" and you are in a large open patio area. To the right is indoor dining and bar and there are two private rooms in the rear [who hadn't been to a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday lunch in those spaces when it was Mimi's?]. But what the Little Door Santa Monica offers is lots of outdoor dining space that will make you feel like you have been transported to a French Mediterranean village.....white washed walls with blue accents and lots of fresh greenery. While the space may be a perfect romantic destination at night, it is an ideal spot for a weekend brunch.
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