Brooke poses on Marilyn Monroe's hand and footprints

The Ivy is one of L.A.'s leading celebrity hangouts, attracting a virtual Who's Who of Hollywood stars and moguls. Since it is an open, patio restaurant, there are often paparazzi camped out across the street, hoping for photos of arriving celebs.

In September of 2003, after Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had postponed their wedding, they showed up at The Ivy together, and the paparazzi got plenty of photos. Some reporters interpreted this appearance as a deliberate move by the couple to put to rest rumors that they had broken up.

The Ivy even starred in a scene in the 1995 movie "Get Shorty," in which Danny DeVito takes a meeting with John Travolta at the Ivy, orders an enormous amount of food, and then leaves before it arrives.

And if you take a close look at the 1992 hit "The Bodyguard", you'll note there is a scene where Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston are coming out of a Beverly Hills restaurant, when they are stopped by a little girl and her mother asking for an autograph. Kevin, the bodyguard, tries to prevent this, but Whitney signs the autograph and poses for a photo before getting into a white stretch limo. The patio restaurant in that scene was, of course, the Ivy.

A casual look around on a typical day might be rewarded with sightings of Demi Moore (it's her favorite restaurant), Kiefer Sutherland, Anjelica Huston Tori Spelling, Kevin Sorbo, Rachel Hunter or Tim Burton doing lunch.

The Ivy may well be the only restaurant in Los Angeles surrounded by a white picket fence. There's an enticing patio outside, framed by (what else?) ivy. Inside the country cottage, its busy dining rooms are filled with rustic antiques, lots of flowers, and folksy touches. The menu is American, but with a strong emphasis on Louisiana/Cajun specialties and good desserts (the restaurant began life as "L.A. Desserts" catering). Expect a lot of schmoozing and table hopping during from the players during lunch.