Nirvana Grille

A Californian casual gourmet restaurant run by a husband-and-wife team. Lindsay Smith-Rosales grew up in Laguna Beach in a vegetarian household with a mother who worked as an Ayurvedic naturopath, and although she now eats meat, she still uses organic produce and carefully balances her ingredients so that they aren't overwhelmed by heavy sauces. The 50-seat restaurant is simply furnished: white tablecloths, ceiling-to-floor curtains, tiled floor. New chairs and a patio are forthcoming. Worth a try: Nirvana green salad ($3.95-$6.95), lump crab cakes ($9.50), pistachio-crusted Chilean seabass ($26.95), sun-dried tomato-crusted rack of lamb ($28.95). Opened in July 2006. (Jit Fong Chin, Oct. 2006)