Senior guest writer Marie O’C, San Bernardino CA: To celebrate a special family occasion, we dined at one of the most famous restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Spago, owned by famed celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, boasts a superior and well-deserved reputation.

We made reservations for dinner on a Sunday night, and upon arrival, were greeted warmly by a formally-dressed maitre d. As we were then escorted to our table in the main dining room, we observed the sparkling decor. Totally redesigned recently, the restaurant is all stainless steel and white tiles, with a side wall of floor-to-ceiling glass-windowed shelves of wine bottles. The room's rear wall was also mostly glass. It allows diners perfect views of chefs preparing meals, as well as black-clad waiters scurrying along with platters and drinks.

Before dining, we sipped wine, and while reading the menus, scanned the room for movie and TV stars. We saw several famiiar faces. Then, Wolfgang Puck himself stopped by to shake hands and exchange a few words of friendly greeting with each of us.

The extensive menu emphasizes fresh, farm-to-table California-grown products, and features seasonal American cuisine. The main dishes we chose were Maine scallops, grilled veal chop, Garganelli lobster pasta, Dover sole and broiled short ribs. Each was accompanied by fresh vegetables, with choices including Brussels sprouts, Maitake mushrooms, potato purée and eggplant.

The steaming-hot dinners were brought promptly, along with a delicious selection of breads, flavored butters and pastas. The attentive waiters described the ingredients as they served us, and then returned frequently to check with us.

We followed our enjoyable dinners with chocolate-based desserts. One, called black bowl, was a tasty crumble parfait, flavored with a touch of espresso and topped with a brûlée cookie. We'll always treasure our Spago memories.

Spago: 176 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, lunch noon to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. Dinner hours 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday - Friday and 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekends. wolfgangpuck.com