Los Angeles

RED

Like your hook-slice golf game, post-links dining's a study in extremes: hit the grill for a Ralphs-bunned burger, or the formal dining room for a fat bill and the company of the even fatter Morris and "Mitzi" Osterman. Strike a balance at RED, just open yesterday.

RED's a waterfall-abetted lounge/bar/resto helmed by a former L'Ermitage sous chef, and housed in the 15-miles-past-Downtown resort Pacific Palms -- home to Golf Digest's only 4-star course in LA County (suck on that, Trump National). RED goes upscale casual in the leather booth'd dining room, serving up the likes of Oysters Rockefeller, Black Bass w/ bok choy & crispy calamari, and various steak: an 8 oz filet, 18-oz rib eye, or the John Daly Appetizer Special, a 22-oz porterhouse. Meanwhile, the cobalt-blue, bottom-lit bar slings high-end snacks like Blackened Lobster Tacos and Lambsicles (mini chops w/heirloom tomato & leikiki salsa), as well as 17 specialty drinks and 12 draughts including Fat Tire and Arrogant Bastard -- neither of which are strangers to the "sport".

For entertainment, RED sports a slew of flat-screens and a stainless-steel pool table -- where no matter how bad you suck, at least you'll never have to go find your ball.

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