Best: valley restaurants, nightspots gain recognition.

Aura Nightclub

12215 Ventura Blvd. Ste. 209

Studio City

(818) 487-1488

How cool can a club that sits on the top level of a strip mall be?

Aura's unlikely location has not stopped it from quickly acquiring a rep as the place to be seen in the Valley.

BEST PLACES TO DINE

Alessio Ristorante & Bar

6428 Platt Ave.

West Hills

(8181 710-0270

Readers give the quaint Italian restaurant high marks for good food, good service and good prices.

The West Hills location is the independent operator's first, but there are also branches now in Northridge and Westlake Village.

Salt Creek Grille

24415 Town Center Drive #115

Valencia

(661) 222-9999

It would be hard to find a Santa Clarita resident who doesn't sing the praises of Salt Creek Grille.

Co-founders Pete Truxaw and Tim McCune have won accolades from their patrons as well as the industry for their classic American fare served in an elegantly appointed Frank Lloyd Wright-style setting.

Las Fuentes

18415 Vanowen

Reseda

(8181 708-3344

Most readers don't seem to mind that the restaurant is totally no frills. The good, cheap food and generous portions at Las Fuentes seemed to make up for what it lacks in decor.

Tuscany II Ristorante

968 S. Westlake Blvd. #4

Westlake Village

(805) 495-2768

Don't let its shopping center location fool you, Tuscany II Ristorante is pricey. But there are plenty who say the food is worth the freight. Tuscany also gets a corporate crowd from around the area.

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade

6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Ste. 1360

Woodland Hills

You can find a Ruth's Chris location in just about every city in the country, but that's probably because these steak houses are so popular.

The Woodland Hills location, the only one in Los Angeles, opened about three years ago.

Pinot Bistro

12969 Ventura Blvd.

Studio City

(818) 990-0500

Perhaps the only celebrity chef restaurant in the Valley, Pinot Bistro gets a crowd on just about every night of the week.

Brandywine

22757 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

(8181 225-9114

Intimate is an understatement at this tiny, elegant Woodland Hills restaurant where the Continental menu runs to foie gras and sweetbreads.

BEST PLACES FOR MUSIC LISTENING

Cozy's

14058 Ventura Boulevard

Sherman Oaks

(818) 986-6000

Delta blues, urban blues, rock and blues, Cozy's features blues six nights a week.

Open since 1996, Cozy's does not look like much from the outside, but inside patrons find a broad menu, well-stocked bar, pool tables, even a lounge area, along with a live performance stage.

The Baked Potato

3787 Cahuenga Blvd.

Studio City

(818) 980-1615

The jazz ranges from Latin to traditional and the potatoes at this long popular spot are equally eclectic.

The club has a no-frills atmosphere, which is fine by the jazz aficionados who frequent it.

Spazio

14755 Ventura Blvd.

Sherman Oaks

(818) 728-8400

Spazio's unlikely location, above a furniture store overlooking SavOn in the neighboring strip mall on Ventura Boulevard, apparently has not deterred patrons, and the supper club that features jazz seven nights a week and on Sundays with brunch, has developed a loyal following since it opened several years ago.

Concerts in the Park

Warner Center Park

5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

Woodland Hills

(818) 704-1358

More than a few Business Journal readers report they like to pull up a blanket for the free concerts put on by the Valley Cultural Center. The concerts run from June through August, and the performers range from 50s rockers to classical and jazz.