The Hungry Cat

Tucked in a passageway behind the Borders bookstore at Sunset and Vine and next door to Schwab's restaurant (which re-creates the fabled lunch counter in name only), Hungry Cat has an edgy, urban vibe.

The kitchen consists of [David] Lentz and his sous-chef, Kris Longley, with the occasional helper...Hungry Cat is smart and different, a combination of straightforward, impeccably sourced seafood and more inventive dishes that sing because they're both delicious and well-executed. It's easy to see why it's catching on fast with a young and eclectic Hollywood crowd.

Lentz always has great oysters on the half shell, and a dynamite Chincoteague Island oyster chowder, in a light broth loaded with clams, potatoes and swatches of greens. The heat that lingers after each bite adds an interesting dimension. I like the clams braised with chorizo and garbanzo beans too, served with thick rafts of toast to soak up all the juices.

And I can't get enough of the meaty peel 'n' eat shrimp. They're $16 per half-pound if you peel 'em, $2 more if you want the kitchen to do it. But why would you? They're gloriously messy and fun to eat and these are so good, they make every other version around town taste like sawdust.

S. Irene Virbila