Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema has been doing the same trick since 1999 and the trick still works: seasonal Californian cooking served in a courtyard where classic films play against the back wall. Walk the red-carpeted hallway, pass under the string lights and heat lamps, and the novelty of watching Lawrence of Arabia mid-meal never quite wears off. The dining room holds its own too, with headlight chandeliers and seatbelt-webbed chairs that could read as gimmick anywhere else but feel earned here.

The kitchen matches the setting more often than not. Service runs warm and attentive on a good night, and the food lands as genuinely good, sometimes excellent. The exception is real: plates can slip into unevenness, and a restaurant that's been running this long occasionally coasts on the room instead of the cooking.

That inconsistency keeps it from the top tier, but the batting average is strong enough, and the courtyard experience distinct enough, that it earns the trip regardless. Five James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist nods across more than a decade confirm what regulars already know — this one has staying power most restaurants never get close to.