Madeo Restaurant

Martha Burr

Citysearch

The Scene
The excellent Beverly Hills people-watching scene is straight out of "The Player." Hollywood heavy-hitters, who are coddled by the effusive owners, pack the place for both lunch and dinner. Attractive black-and-white photos of old Italy grace the walls. The vast booths are equally appropriate for romantic tete-a-tetes or top-secret business deals.

The Food
With a menu that can be extravagantly overpriced, this Northern Italian hangout offers an interesting, though sometimes pretentious, selection that alternates from mouthwatering to downright awful. The eggplant parmigiana floats, light and ethereal, melting in the mouth, while a tough baccala (dried salt cod) is overwhelmed by tomato sauce. Another culinary riddle: A pedestrian linguini strewn with Manila clams is fishy and bitter; but the veal roast, carved from a huge, gorgeous hunk of meat, is tender, heightened by a light but complex brown sauce.