Pace

It's hard to say exactly what part of town the Italian restaurant Pace is in, but their slogan, "Peace in the Canyon" somewhat gives it away. On the strip of Laurel Canyon between Sunset and Mulholland you'll mostly only find residences (and pricey ones at that), but those residents are blessed with having one amazing restaurant reserved almost exclusively for them. Pace is a small little place underneath the Canyon market store on Laurel Canyon. It's really best to go with a reservation, but if you don't mind waiting for a spell, then stop by any time. There's really no cheap way to do Pace, but there are definitely frugal ways to spend here. Griffin and I like to order a pizza (the Aphrodite pizza with potato and green beans is the best!) and then we'll have a second dish, something like the filet mignon, to share. The pizzas are relatively inexpensive (about $15) and filling, so they help balance out the expensive entrees (the filet is the most expensive at $43). As far as appetizers, the steamed mussels are delectable. I don't believe we've ever had dessert here, but based on the quality of the rest of the food, I'm quite sure it'd be terrific. As I mentioned, the space itself is pretty small, but there is a cozy outdoor patio with space heaters that provides a few extra tables. If you'd rather not wait for a table, I've seen the Pace delivery car driving around the area, though I'm not sure the parameters they'll deliver to. Even if you're just having pizza, it's hard to leave Pace spending less than $30 a person, and depending how much you are going to drink, that price just gets higher.

http://www.peaceinthecanyon.com/main.html