The elevator at Santa Monica Place has a dedicated button for the Redwood Grille, and I am deposited directly into the restaurant foyer. It’s no food court. I’m surrounded by sleek wood and glass, big brown leather banquettes, and windows that stream in light through palm trees. Stephen Francis Jones is sitting at a table inside, but we head to the back patio, which has a nautical vibe, thanks to dark blue cushions and sail-shaped awnings that provide both shade and drama.

Jones explains that the restaurant’s Canadian owners didn’t want diners to feel that they were on the third floor of the mall (though I personally like the view of the Third Street Promenade from up here). He tells me that once the sun goes down, the birds of paradise in planters around the patio cast shadows on the sails above us. The sails wink at the proximity of the ocean, and Jones adds that the design is also inspired by the contoured, curved ceilings at the new Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

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