Laurel Grill looks like someone crossed the DNA of a Hillstone restaurant with the soft, gold lighting of a luxury spa. And threw in a grand piano for good measure. We mean all this as a compliment, of course. In a once-quiet dining neighborhood that’s now home to an over-the-top tasting menu, high-end omakase, and historic bakery revival, Laurel Grill adds something else: an impressively gorgeous "neighborhood grill" that’s useful for just about any occasion. Downtown Culver has been waiting for a restaurant like Laurel Grill since The Wizard of Oz cast was hanging out at The Culver Hotel. It's a sleek, streamlined spot where picky studio execs, couples on double dates, and families wrangling a celebratory dinner can gather in a cushy booth to catch up over steaks, caesar salads, and fancy-but-not-too-fancy fries. Unlike its sceney Weho sibling Laurel Hardware, where the bar is consistently packed with people pretending to not recognize someone they matched with on Raya, things move slower at Laurel Grill. You’re here to eat, ask the server to take a few group photos, listen to someone tickle the ivories, then sip an Old Fashioned by the fire pits on the patio. The menu is filled with familiar dishes you’d find at any upmarket American concept (*ahem*), but focus on the ones that come straight from the kitchen’s roaring hearth, like the gooey mozzarella bread, the seared ribeye that’s seasoned just right, and baby back ribs that fall off the bone but are charred enough to have some bite. You won’t find many surprises here (except maybe a gimmicky $22 wagyu hot dog), but Laurel Grill is a great suggestion to throw into your group chat of friends who order a burger at every restaurant but still want a nice dinner.