Beer garden, Asian-style

On a hot evening, it's nice to know there's a beer garden in Little Tokyo.The New Otani Hotel's famous Japanese roof garden -- a half-acre of trees, ferns, bamboo and gurgling waterfalls on the hotel's third floor -- serves beer and Korean-style barbecue after 5:30 every weekday through Sept. 14.

You get a mug of draft (Bud, Sapporo or Kirin) for $5.50 and pick what you want to cook on your tabletop gas grill. Choices include beef ribs, calamari, pork sausage, chicken and thin-sliced beef sirloin, priced at $5 (vegetables) to $12.50 (Kobe beef), and everything comes with a bowl of edamame and a soy and sesame dipping sauce. It' really just an elegant snack, but you can expand it with side dishes such as rice, kimchi, California rolls or bibimbap. If you have a hungry group, there's an all-you-can-eat deal for parties of six or more. It's all quite pleasant, particularly when a fresh breeze appears -- as a number of people have discovered. It's worth calling for a reservation.

Beer garden, New Otani Hotel, 120 S. Los Angeles St., (213) 253-9200.

-- Charles Perry

Photo by Charles Perry