THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe des Artistes

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Cafe des Artistes Restaurant Review:

Accomplished chef Jean-Pierre Bosc is now at this bustling bistro full-time after closing its sister property, the much-loved Mimosa on Beverly Boulevard. Café des Artistes is set in a quaint Hollywood Arts and Crafts bungalow with wood-topped tables and the kind of high noise level that seems to be the norm these days. The café is sequestered behind tall hedges of ficus trees, with a trellised front patio, and a back patio with banquette seating and large mirrors that give the diners with their backs to the patio much the same view as if they were seated facing the patio. Overall the atmosphere is casual and chic, with conversations in French filling the air late into the night---the Café is open until 2 a.m. on weekends. Most importantly, the kitchen turns out mostly topnotch bistro fare, and we think the food is noticeably better when Bosc is in the kitchen. There's an earthy quality to the menu, as exemplified in such dishes as the combination of three marrow bones served in a richly flavored bœuf bourguignon, or the spicy merguez sausages. Bosc turns out a delicate Alsatian tarte flambée and a wonderful tomato tarte Tatin. The seafood is always reliable, and nothing beats a grilled hanger steak or cassoulet on a cool night.