Arclight food: Charcoal is a restaurant.

Unlike other restaurants in the Adolfo Suraya empire (Lodge Steakhouse, Sushi Roku), Arclight neighbor Charcoal isn't looking for boldface names; it's looking for the people who look for them. The menu is an unappealing hodgepodge (sashimi, burgers, spinach-artichoke dip); the decor is a more-appealing hodgepodge, one that seems comprised of his empire's leftovers. The net effect: Dolce meets Applebee's. That said, skirt steak and a vegetable soup were good. Charcoal is a post-movie option; more than that, you're on your own.

Charcoal, 6360 Sunset Blvd. (323) 465-8500

(Photo: The 1897 patent drawings of the charcoal briquette by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer, with thanks to creativepro.com)