We filled two cabanas and a long table on Whist‘s candlelit, poolside patio at the Viceroy. A couple people on the tour said Kelly Wearstler’s design reminded them of “Alice in Wonderland.”

Whist honored the occasion with a surprise cocktail, The GPS. It was an unusually warm and muggy night in Santa Monica, and the mix of Grapefruit juice, Prosecco and St. Germain was especially refreshing.

The affable chef walked from table-to-table to introduce himself and explain the dish, a Roasted Beet Salad with baby lettuces, truffle panna cotta and hazelnuts.

Our next stop on the walking tour was at The Dining Room at Hotel Shangri-La, a recently revamped property along Ocean Avenue.

Dakota Weiss lavished guests with a crisp-skinned Arctic Char that she plated with cauliflower puree and golden raisin compote.

We ended the night on the mezzanine at Anisette Brasserie.

Anisette’s mezzanine overlooked the zinc bar, towering shelves of alcohol and a late-night Promenade crowd.

Anisette’s MYSTERY DESSERT turned out to be a sampling of almost every dessert on the menu, including chocolate gateaus, lemon tarts dotted with torched meringue and a profiterole tower.

After people started devouring desserts like kids on Halloween, chef de cuisine Josh Smith said hello. He started working for executive chef Alain Giraud three months after Anisette opened. Before that, he spent four years working for the Michael Mina Group at Seablue, one of my favorite Las Vegas restaurants.