The Spanish Kitchen

(Image credit: The Spanish Kitchen)

826 N. La Cienega Blvd., (310) 659-4794, thespanishkitchen.com

Alexis had her birthday party here a couple years ago, and we brought in a giant cake from Sweet Lady Jane, and the kitchen apparently kept most of it. But we won't judge it based on that incident. Actually, TSK (not to be confused with STK just across the street, which we are unlikely to visit) really defies expectations, just not in a completely good way. Given the club/bar milieu of the stretch of La Cienega on which it's situated, it would be natural to assume that this would be a place with killer drinks but barely-okay food. So it's a bit surprising that the food is really quite good but the margaritas are... well, mostly water with a little lime flavoring and no discernible tequila. The insistence of the waitstaff on upselling you to a more expensive tequila isn't exactly endearing, either. (In my view, the house margarita is the standard by which a place should be judged. If it isn't good, you shouldn't be serving it.) On the plus side, TSK is perfectly good for either lunch or a booze-free dinner, and they do accommodate large parties easily (just keep an eye on your cake).