I might try to revive the old "Sunday Tryout" tradition that never really became a tradition but always sounded like a good idea. Anyway, today I went with the mighty infamous Reader #3 to check out Melgard Public House. Situated in the old Louise's Trattoria building, it's a decent space with good prices and solid food. The flank steak and fries were good and I was a big fan of their calamari. Also, there's a rumor that the Happy Hour deal is free pizza with the order of a beer. Even without that deal, Melgard makes "The List"

Now, my List is a pretty particular one since I have an absolutely horrific diet (I'm basically a pasta lovin' carnivore) and like most of my food plain so fine dining is lost on me. However, I do know how to find good grub in the Hollyhood. I'm sure I'm forgetting some places but, for now, here's "The List" (in no particular).

The Grill: A bit pricey but this Beverly Hills eatery has an outpost upstairs at Hollywood & Highland and it's got great food.
New York Pizza & Pasta - Not the best pizza in LA but it's pretty damn good. Also, get an order of the garlic knots. You won't regret it. Unless you're on a diet.
Vito's Pizza - James Spader approved! OK, I'm not really sure about that but I was behind him in line and he was singing the praises of the place to the guys working the register. This might just be the best pizza in LA. At the very least, it has the best rumor: in order to protect his secret dough recipe, the owner takes all of the dough home with him at night.
Tender Greens: A surprise entrant on the list since it's mainly a salad place but they have a solid flank steak and chicken option and the mashed potatoes are good.
California Chicken Cafe: I usually get the 8 piece of dark meat meal. It basically gives you enough for lunch and dinner at a nice price.
Zankou Chicken: Immortalized by Beck in his song "Debra", this Armenian eatery is good food at good prices. Hell, even the t-shirts are only like 3 dollars.

Bossa Nova: This Brazilian eatery was one of my favorites when I moved out here but it's been hit or miss lately.
Micelli's: Unlike Musso and Frank's, this is an old school eatery that actually delivers solid food. Good pizza, solid pasta, and the best bread in Hollywood. Every time I go there, I find myself having to remind myself to not eat too much bread and save some space for the actual entree. Then I usually order more bread.
Big Wang's: Yeah, the place is kind of a dump but it has some of the best bar food in LA. Go there and order the boneless Teriyaki wings meal with fries. Get an extra side of teriyaki sauce and pour it on your fries (or dip your fries in it). Delicious!

Places that aren't really on my list but are places that every tourist should check out are: Yamashiro, Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, and In and Out.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some places but that's a decent start. Bon appetit!