Crazy views and fusion eats high above Santa Monica

Grand, sweeping views are classic LA, but unless you're feasting on churros on top of the ferris wheel, there's no Westside spot to drink and dine while enjoying a loin-tightening sunset. To the rescue: The Penthouse. Like the same-named magazine before it, The Penthouse offers breathtakingly wide-angle views -- and miraculously, The City as seen from the top of the re-modeled Huntley Hotel looks even better than a woman on a leopard-print trundle bed. Semi-private booths/cabanas line the whitewashed walls on either end of the central bar, and the smaller, fireside lounge is replete with loveseats perfect both for cuddling couples, and solitary fatties in repose. On nice days, they open two huge skylights, letting the sun pour in as you enjoy crystal-clear views of Catalina and downtown -- and even on foggy days you can still enjoy crystal-clear views of...fog. Though the restaurant's menu is still under development, expect the cuisines of France, Brazil, and Asia to join forces, in a fusion that will hopefully be called Frazilsian. So as you enjoy the urban tableau and global gorging, you're left to ponder another classic LA issue: how to beat traffic back to your apartment in time to stop the thieves you can even now see stealing your Penthouse collection?