ylwjacket -

Here's some restaurant suggestions if you haven't planned any specific out any reservations. Since you have kids with you, I've tried to give you some good choices where you can take the kids too, but still have excellent food.

Santa Barbara

Sojourner Cafe for lunch, reservations probably not necessary for lunch.

Santa Monica

Chaya Venice - excellent Asian-French fusion food. Celebs wil wonder in on occasion. Go early if you have the kids.

Border Grill - Mexican influenced dishes. Kid friendly during early evening.

Typhoon - a high end Asian fusion restaurant with every type of Asian cooking under the sun (chinese, japanese, thai, vietnamese, korean, filipino, etc.) Only place in L.A. that serves cooked insects!

Pasadena - all of these are within 5-10 min of the Ritz-Carlton Pasadena.

Bistro 45 - French American food, very small classy restaurant off the beaten trail. My personal favorite in Pasadena.

Saladang and Saladang Song - best Thai food in LA bar none. It's so popular they had to build 2 restaurants side by side. Very kid friendly at all hours. Great for either lunch or dinner. There is usually a line forming at 6:30 PM at both restaurants, they are that good.

Burger Continental - (The name is a misnomer, they actually have Middle Eastern food, great kabobs, kid friendly, probably a better choice for lunch instead of dinner, belly dancers at night)

Il Fornaio - it's a chain, but has the best pasta in LA IMHO. kid friendly if you reserve a private room.

El Cholo - Standard mexican food but well done. Very kid friendly.

Barn Burner - Texas style rib joint located next door to El Cholo. Picnic benches and butcher paper table cloths. Very kid friendly.

Marston's - for breakfast only, kid friendly, best bowl of oatmeal ever.

The best soft tacos in L.A (carne asada, carnitas, al pastor, lengua, sesos, cabeza) are sold off a taco truck on Fair Oaks Ave. 1 block north of California St. between 7PM and 2AM. Great for a midnight snack - just look for the truck with a long line of people.

Have a great trip.