Mega-Money, Mega-Cool

What they must have had in mind was a beautiful place for beautiful people to show off their beautiful jewels. And Val’s, 10130 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, (818) 508-6644, is that--a cool beige monument filled with comfortable chairs and rugs and stone lions and giant urns filled with what looks like thousands of dollars worth of flowers. Mega-money, clearly, has been spent.

The menu is continental. No surprises here, except perhaps for the prices: $14 for shrimp cocktail (containing, I might add, four shrimp). It is pretty much your standard continental fare--steaks, squab, sand dabs (which the waiter described as “baby sole”). Desserts tend to the chocolate souffle persuasion. I understand they’ve hired a great sommelier, but at the moment, he has no wine to serve. (They have yet to get their license.)