Dining details: Westside Tavern

Westside Tavern ** LOCATION

10850 W. Pico Blvd.(at Westwood Boulevard), Los Angeles; (310) 470-1539; www.westsidetavernla.com.

AMBIENCE

Handsome California "tavern" at the Westside Pavilion with a 50-foot mahogany bar and roomy black leather and wood booths just steps away from the escalators to the AMC movie complex. Cheerful and fun, Westside Tavern features chef Warren Schwartz's (ex-Saddle Peak Lodge and Whist) take on seasonal, affordable food.

SERVICE

Nice and friendly.

PRICE

Appetizers, $9 to $13; soups and greens, $9 to $19; sandwiches, $13 to $15; main courses, $17 to $24; desserts, $7 to $9.

BEST DISHES

Fresh-cut salt and vinegar chips; crispy blue lake green beans; California cheeses and cured meats board; mussels with chorizo; spit-roasted chicken Cobb salad; James Ranch lamb French dip; Nueske's ham and fried egg sandwich; ale-battered halibut with salt and vinegar; beef short rib pot roast; spit-roasted lemon and mustard chicken; grilled prime flatiron steak with fresh-cut fries; brown-butter apple pie; lemon meringue pie.

WINE LIST

Quality cocktails, plus affordably priced wines by the glass and carafe, mostly from California producers, some of them their second labels. Corkage fee, $15.

BEST TABLE

One of the big, roomy booths along the wall or windows.

DETAILS

Open for dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; bar stays open an hour later. Lunch begins July 7. No reservations. Full bar. Complimentary parking in lot in back.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.