• Santa Monica Pier and amusement parkpier image by Byron Moore from Fotolia.com
  
  Located just west of Los Angeles, Santa Monica is the epitome of a west coast resort town. The city is famous for its expansive beaches, surfers, skateboarders, and tourist culture. The upscale community's proximity to Hollywood has attracted movie studios, talent agencies and a seeming endless parade of famous citizens.Tourists and locals alike seek out fine restaurants, and Santa Monica is home to several excellent dining establishments that serve French cuisine.
  
  

Cezanne

• Located in Le Merigot Hotel, and a short stroll from Santa Monica Pier and downtown, Cezanne is popular with locals, business executives and tourists. The upscale dining room features a sophisticate palette of warm oranges, ochres and ivories, with comfy, sculpted banquettes and sleek lines. The menu draws heavily on local meats and produce, with more than half the menu changing daily. Typical menu choices include medallions of naturally-fed veal with a ravioli of sweetbreads and crêpe mushrooms, as well as John Dory Provençale style with fennel, tomatoes and Niçoise olives. A menu of healthy alternatives is available, and a tasting menu can be prepared based on your favorite ingredients.
  
  Cezanne
  Le Merigot Hotel
  1740 Ocean Avenue
  Santa Monica, CA 90401
  310-395-9700
  lemerigothotel.com
  
  

JiRaffe

• Located at the corner of 5th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, JiRaffe has been packing in foodies and tourists since it first opened in 1996. The bright, airy dining room features two dining levels, each decorated with understated furnishings, marble floors and dramatic chandeliers. The bistro-influenced menu features such items as pan-roasted fillet of beef served with warm fingerling potato salad and wild arugula with a shiitake mushroom sauce. On Monday evenings, the restaurant hosts a popular "Bistro Night" with a special prix fixe menu and wine pairings.
  
  JiRaffe
  502 Santa Monica Blvd.
  Santa Monica, CA 90401
  310-917-6671
  jirafferestaurant.com
  
  

Anisette Brasserie

• Located on Santa Monica Boulevard between the beach and 3rd Street Promenade, Anisette Brasserie is a faithful recreation of a Parisian neighborhood restaurant. Tile floors, small cafe tables, distressed mirrors and mismatched lighting fixtures create an authentic, if somewhat over-designed, experience. The restaurant is open 17 hours each day, attracting surfers for breakfast each morning, tourists at lunch and film executives in the evening, with an eclectic menu designed to cater to each group. The dinner menu includes such regular brasserie choices as duck confit served with baby turnips and potatoes as well as steak frites served with your choice of a pepper sauce, Bordelaise or Bearnaise. The dessert menu provides many reasons to stray from your diet.
  
  Anisette Brasserie
  225 Santa Monica Boulevard
  Santa Monica, CA 90401
  310-395-3200
  anisettebrasserie.com