Literati 2

Critic's rating

2.5 of 4 stars

Average User Ratings

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Neighborhood: Brentwood
12081 Wilshire Blvd., Brentwood, CA 90025
310-231-7484
http://www.literati2.com/

Hours:
Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-11 p.m.,
Sat.-Sun. 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
Price Range: $$ ($6-$11)
Cuisine: Healthy, Desserts, Bagels, Organic, Sandwiches

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Parking: On Site
High Energy, Cozy, Celeb-Spotting, Laid Back Casual

Literati 2 brings a novel idea to West L.A. -- great food from a talented chef at reasonable prices.

Everything about this new restaurant feels right -- the proportions of the room, the wooden shutters that filter the light, the way people settle in with their friends, leaning in to talk, more intent on visiting than checking out any scene of which there is none.

The design, which includes spines of books set into the wall by the bar, plays off the literary conceit without turning it into a fetish. A table lamp wears an alphabet lampshade, a giant wooden pencil is mounted high on one wall and a fountain pen gushing ink is painted on the floorboards.

And [Chris] Kidder's one-page menu is almost haiku -- it's so concise. Everyone at the table falls silent, actually reading it, because many of the items are so original and wonderfully quirky. They're not copycat anything, though they do share a sensibility with Campanile's rustic Mediterranean cuisine.

S. Irene Virbila 6/15/05