La Brea Avenue

Pulod Davlatnazarov was a new employee at Limelight Liquor store on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood when the man with the wire-rim glasses walked in. Davlatnazarov, 39, an immigrant from Tajikistan, was working in the tiny storage room in the back of the store amid soda bottles, cans of beer and stacks of goods. His co-worker, Vladimir Akkerman, 69, was in front at the counter.

Even if you're not a foodie, you know Nancy Silverton's work. As the pastry chef and co-founder of Campanile, she created a restaurant that still stands as a culinary landmark on La Brea Avenue. The bakery she started next door to provide rustic bread, La Brea Bakery, now distributes her loaves around the country. After 15 years of success, Silverton says she finally has some free time -- but hardly knows how to utilize it.

When Gerard Santana was a bass player in an English rock band called Zodiac Mindwarp, he used to shop at British designer Lloyd Johnson's signature men's store on London's Kings Road in search of iridescent silk suits and ruffled "Vegas" shirts that would give him a mod look all his own. Over the years, Santana became enthralled with Johnson's retro fashions, which have been sold to rockers such as Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones under the La Rocka label.

Something strange is happening on La Brea Avenue. Here and there, in between the car lots and synagogues that occupy large chunks of this classic Los Angeles thoroughfare, people are out walking the street--and having a surprisingly good time. "I feel like I'm in SoHo or the Left Bank," said Bel-Air resident Jani Baldridge, who was wending through the shops along the wide avenue on a recent afternoon, as the taped voice of a French chanteuse drifted from one of the businesses.

My cab driver informed me that an awards show was scheduled at the Kodak Theatre. The Hollywood/Highland intersection was closed, and traffic on La Brea Avenue was immobile. The ensuing delays would cost us both hard cash, so we quickly formulated alternative routes. Zigzagging through the streets south of Fountain Avenue, I cursed the planners who had made the Kodak the central diadem of the Hollywood Boulevard renaissance. Hindsight makes city planners easy targets for curses.

Ten years ago it was nothing but a dusty strip, dotted with carpet stores and car dealerships. Even as recently as five years ago it was more a hope than a promise. But this spring, a walk along La Brea Avenue would convince the most diffident critics. The street has been transformed. The first signs of serious change came in 1985 when American Rag, which sells new and vintage fashions, and City, the elegantly informal restaurant, opened just a few doors and a few months apart.

The only way to brave the crowded malls and boutique-littered boulevards is to reward yourself with a delicious meal. Here are some shopping-adjacent restaurants in Los Angeles and Orange counties. * Beverly Hills If you're strolling down Beverly Drive, stop by Il Fornaio and try the antipasto della casa ($8.95), a sampling of Italian cheeses, stuffed eggplant, a grilled artichoke and more. For a main course, have the ravioli di verdura ($13.

While these days it seems that any company related to the Internet grabs headlines and investors' attention, a little Los Angeles company is hoping to go big-time with one of life's staples: bread. In an effort to capture a larger slice of the $6-billion specialty bread market, La Brea Bakery of Los Angeles is in the midst of a major expansion--after raising $10 million from a private institution--to become the largest artisanal, or specialty, bakery in the United States.