Decent Proposals

When you’ve got marriage on your mind.

Geoffrey’s, 27400 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (213) 457-1519. Style: Costly California cuisine on a cliff top. Setting: A Rod McKuen sort of place. Recommended: Steak in peppercorn sauce; rack of lamb: grilled salmon. Cost per person: $25-$75.

L’Escoffier, Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (213) 274-7777. Style: Old-fashioned French with star dust. Setting: A Maurice Chevalier sort of place. Recommended: Oysters Rockefeller; grilled whitefish with lemon butter; steak Diane. Cost per person: $45-$60.

Maria’s Ramada, 1064 N. Kingsley, Los Angeles (213) 660-4436. Style: Mexican with privacy--you are served in your own individual thatched grass shack. Setting: A Dolores Del Rio kind of place. Recommended: Carne asada; chile rellenos; carne adobada, spicy pork. Cost per person: $5-$10.

Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas. (818) 340-6029. Style: Mountaintop retreat serving good game. Setting: A Bret Maverick kind of place. Recommended: Roast venison; rack of lamb; carpetbagger steak. Cost per person: $35-$50.

Valentino, 3115 W. Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (213) 829-4313. Style: Haute Italian served in haute splendor--ask for the curtained table. Setting: A Marcello Mastroianni sort of place. Recommended: Fried squid and ricotta fritters; black squid risotto; sweetbreads in Cabernet. Cost per person: $40-$60.

Rex Il Ristorante, 617 S. Olive St., Los Angeles. (213) 627-2300. Style: Nuovo cucina in Lalique luxury. Setting: A Nick and Nora Charles kind of place. Recommended: Smoked salmon with caviar; tagliolini with tomato and basil; penne with eggplant, tomato and provolone. Cost per person: $40-$80.