The outdoor patio at Fraiche.
photo: Alen Lin
The upscaling of Downtown Culver City picks up momentum with the April 26th opening of Fraiche (9411 Culver Blvd.; 310-839-6800), perhaps the most elegant of the area's culinary revivalists – a glass-fronted rustic Mediterranean with Jason and Miho Travi in the kitchen, and Thierry Perez running the front of the house. In addition to the requisite outdoor patio (every restaurant in the new Culver City has an outdoor patio), there's a spacious bar with a wine list that rivals BottleRock around the corner.