Main Courses

A smart new Austrian restaurant from former Patina chef de cuisine Bernhard Mairinger, who turns out polished contemporary cooking from a small open kitchen. Location: 9669 Little Santa Monica Blvd. (between Bedford and Roxbury), Beverly Hills, (310) 271-7274; http://www.bierbeisl-la.com Prices: Appetizers, $12 to $18; soups, $7 to $9; main courses, $19 to $36; desserts, $8 to $11; sausages, $7 to $10. Details: Open noon to midnight Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays.

Ombra Ristorante Rating: two stars 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. LOCATION 3737 Cahuenga Blvd., Studio City, (818) 985-7337, http://www.ombrala.com. PRICE Antipasti and snacks, $11 to $14; pasta and risotto, $12 to $19; main courses, $21 to $29; desserts and cheese, $7. Corkage fee, $8. DETAILS Open for dinner 6 to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Alma Talented young chef Ari Taymor is making the transition from pop-up to real restaurant. This could be the start of something big. LOCATION 952 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 444-0984, alma-la.com. PRICES Snacks, $5-$6; starters, $9-$13; main courses $15-$25; desserts, $9. Tuesday prix fixe menu, $45. DETAILS Dinner Tues.-Sat., 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. AE, MC, V accepted. BYOB. Lot parking just north of restaurant. Vegetarian options available.

The opening of the Staples Center puts the spotlight on downtown. It just may encourage Angelenos who haven't ventured there in years to discover that there really is life in the city center. Music. Theater. Architecture. And restaurants. For those who need a quick update of the dining choices, here's a list to give you an idea of the possibilities near the Staples Center. There's everything from posh steakhouses and seafood restaurants to places for a bowl of noodle soup or a quick bite.

Two young Brits have quietly opened a little place called Perroche on Ventura Boulevard just east of Laurel Canyon and it's already, at just 3 weeks old, one of the most promising restaurants to debut in the Valley in quite some time. Walking into this modest space, decorated only with paintings of lavender fields, to find such considerate service and understated, elegant cooking made my entire week.

Flexibility will be the hallmark of two new restaurants scheduled to open later this year. The Edgemar Grill in Santa Monica will, as a matter of basic philosophy, go out of its way to satisfy customers' special wants and needs. "We're going to really try to accommodate people's special diets and whims," says Peter DeLucca--former chef at the Darwin (now defunct) in Santa Monica and a 72 Market Street alumn--who will head the Edgemar Grill kitchen. "We'll offer a good choice of low-calorie, low-fat dishes on the menu--but beyond that, if somebody wants this or doesn't want that, we'll do our best to give them what they want."