Brasserie Laurel

An expansive patio, high ceilings and plenty of seating all around set the stage for a tight menu of French classics that most kitchens have long since forgotten. On sparkling Bernardaud porcelain, Chef Michael Beltran delivers a hefty dose of nostalgia with escargot drenched in garlic butter, foie gras with berry gastrique and lobster with veal sweetbreads. Though rich, the cooking - and the environment, for that matter - manage to feel decidedly of the times.