Once upon a time, two hippies got together and made a lovechild.

Okay...not the most original story, I'll admit. But what if the parents just so happened to be nightlife legends Ivan and Suzy Kane and the baby their brand spankin' new bohemian rhapsody of a restaurant, Café Wa s? Now we're talking Los Angeles fairytale.

It's a precocious baby, this Café Wa s. No one would necessarily guess its genius from the outside. Only the few who know the story behind the funky Vegas-salvaged sign out front or the inner workings of Kane's soul might guess at the boldly bohemian heart beating brightly within. Like most everything truly worthwhile in this world, the truth lies hidden inside.

The interior is a feast for the senses; an artist's bawdy paradise. Red velvet booths in candy apple red beckon starry eyed revelers down from dainty balconies and into sumptuous repose. One can visit the authentic absinthe drip fountain upstairs and then wander lucidly through hidden chambers, tripping happily up and down shifting levels to encounter a myriad of tender little details. Even in a champagne haze, it's easy to see that someone put a whole lot of time into this place. And it's even easier to wish to spend a whole lot of time yourself.

As opulent as the décor may be, Café Wa s is also somehow a quiet, introspective place. A gleaming 1924 Mason and Hamlin piano forms the centerpiece of the dining room, imperceptibly rotating through its 360 degree cycle. An ebony and ivory oasis, the piano is home to one or another gentle player nightly, the duo issuing forth delicate, internal ballads so crystalline in sound quality they could make an angel's soul look sullied.

You can lose yourself in the music here, along with everything else, but if you have even the tiniest weakness for authentic French cuisine, your undoing will most likely come in the form of one of Chef Alex Reznik's masterpieces.

Crisp skinned duck leg confit finds its ultimate complement in a succulent berry gastrique, while a heavenly fluff of milk, egg, champignon, and morbier cheese disguises itself in casual title: quiche. Beware fellow small bite lovers: you may not make it past the assorted canapés and charcuterie: lovely discs of salami, rounds of milky cheese with honey, tartar trios. The salty sweetness of bacon- wrapped dates and soft simplicity of burrata and roasted red pepper crostini offer tantalizing glimpses into the sheer excellence of Reznik's classic French Bistro fare.

If you've ever wondered what happens when an expertly trained technician reaches the height of his craft and is then set free to unleash his creativity on the world: this is it. Absinthe sorbet. Delicate coquille saint jacques with pork belly. Pumpkin spiced beignets with cranberry marmalade. A filet to die for.

At last, a place for poets and pleasantries, a soulful port in the storm of cookie-cutter clubs and banal binge drinking. Ivan and Suzy Kane, true to their inherent artistic spirits and in keeping with their famous ingenuity, have once again given us something we didn't even know we needed but desperately do: a place that celebrates creativity, cultivates community, and relishes the culinary. Born of their noble desire to entertain while evolving, there's no question that Café Wa s is a blessed child indeed.

THE DETAILS: Café Wa s
1521 N Vine Street
Hollywood, CA
323-466-5400

Story by Alyssa Lloyd.

STILL HUNGRY? TRY DINING IN THE DARK.