Address: 8479 Melrose Avenue

Tel: 323-782-1104

Chef David Myers takes the idea of the modern brasserie and layers it with every French allusion it can carry—beginning with the striped awning (très avenue Montaigne) that marks its spot on Melrose. Inside are white banquettes, a stocked raw bar, and a cheese counter to rival the best-stocked fromagerie. Blackboard-sheathed walls are scrawled with a tangle of French phrases, and the hip staff wear short-sleeved plaid shirts and thin ties. Myers has climbed the gastronomic ladder—Boulud and Trotter are among his mentors—and practices haute cuisine at his austere first restaurant, Sona. Here, he loosens up stylistically, but the food remains exceptional: spectacular moules frites flecked with tarragon; roasted marrow bones accompanied by a profoundly rich oxtail jam; and beef paleron, a traditional French cut, braised to spoon-soft consistency in red wine. Myers may have come up in the strictest of kitchens, but Comme Ça captures the relaxed style and tumultuous atmosphere that may have fascinated him all along (entrées, $24ý$28).