Commissary is a great choice. Meets all criteria. Another good choice would be Inn of the 7th Rey. Have not been in a long time but was recently told the food is outstanding and the venue is one of a kind - if you are willing to drive through Topanga.
Wow, thanks for all the quick and very helpful responses (and yes, I did post on CH but figured I’d try here as well after reading a “CH is dead in LA and FTC replaced it” article. 
)
I looked around a bit at reviews/menus of the places that were recommended, and it seems like Gjelina, Commissary, and AOC are all good potential options, plus maybe Broken Spanish? They’re all so tempting (and different) that we might end up at more than one over the course of the trip - so if you’re not already tired of giving advice, of those 4, which seems like it would be the most special-occasion-appropriate?
AOC, or Broken Spanish
With AOC, you’ve also the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood to explore, if you’re still interested in that. Within walking distance is The District by Hannah An (of Crustacean fame), Petrossian, and a few other places. A quick Uber/Lyft can take you to the Rodeo section of the city where Spago, Georgie, Bouchon, and a few others reside.
In a newspaper?
Hi @rovingfoodie,
Welcome to FTC! 
Glad you found us.
Yes, the L.A. Board here is where most of the former Hounds ended up.
Search for the many posts on those restaurants suggested (upper right corner, magnifying glass icon). I posted some pics and thoughts about Gjelina in this thread:
And Broken Spanish here:
I agree with @ipsedixit that the nicest of those 4 for “special occasion” are probably AOC and Broken Spanish.
Gjelina’s vegetable dishes are outstanding though (I’m not vegetarian, but after eating their vegetable dishes I could be, seriously. ;)). You can also walk around Abbot Kinney afterwards (lots of cute shops, and Venice Beach is nearby).
Enjoy!
Go see Mad Max owner of Tacos Quetzlacotl!
Best Veggie Taco in LA!!! Get the Omega 2 Taco! (Pictured on the left)
It might be one of the more underrated taco operations but is up there with the best of the best (Tire Shop/Salon Shop, El Momo, Guerilla, Leos/Tamix, Rickys, etc)
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There is no atmosphere or walking around, you eat on a crate with Downtown skyline views and chat up Mad Max.
That is authentic Los Angeles!
I like Happy Family.
Vegetarian is it’s own thing in Chinese cuisine not a side dish or an afterthought. A lot of Chinese people are Buddhist, more appropriately Buddhist-Taoist, so many go the veggie route. Monks dine here too.
The food is unique, probably hard to get outside of LA/SF/NY.
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I agree with @Bigmouth. If you’re sure your party is 10 then Le Comptoir is perfect. You have the whole place to yourself, it’s vegetarian w/meat supplements, presentation is like theatre, music is cool. If you’re careful, it hovers around $100. pp. Plus it’s in a cool hotel and upcoming 'hood. I could go on, but most on this blog have read my blathering about how much I love this place.
[quote=“JeetKuneBao, post:23, topic:3767”]
I like Happy Family.
[/quote]Awww… Be still my 
. Me too. I had my vegetarian sister’s bday there.
I would narrow it down to AOC or Gracias Madre
Have it on good authority that Plant, Food And Wine is your huckleberry And that ain’t no fucking joke.
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Plant Food and Wine is pretty good, but they have two things going against their success. Location and target market. Competition is so stiff on that street, and the majority of folks on the street are tourists who are either unaware of the place because Plant F&W is so far from the epicenter of COOL ( think Gjelina as the epicenter), and/or Plant F&W is above the pay grade of many of these tourists.
The good thing for the OP is that if they choose this place, they should be able to get their party in there. It’s a smaller space bisected by the staircase, but reserving one side should be doable. But Plant F&W is not a place for carnivores.
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For those who are recommending places like this – i.e, vegan or vegetarian, only – what of the OP? Who is not vegetarian (or vegan)?
Lest we forget it is the OP’s birthday.
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I’m having my vegan birthday, for my vegan or vegan loving friends tomorrow at PFW. Not a place for meat-craving folks, as they have none of the meat-like products that, for example, Crossroads does. Their vegan cheese on the other hand is really good, and they have Lodge bread you can ask for ($8). What I like about this place is the quiet on the patio, and the tablecloths and good and interesting wines. It’s like going to a real restaurant.
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Sorry @Novelli. I agreed w/@Bigmouth about Le Comptoir. I’m used to agreeing with Bigmouth 
. But it was you who gave the recommendation. Anyway, I concur!
P.S. Zinc in DTLA is also a cool spot, with a definite California atmosphere. I’m not a vegetarian, but didn’t miss not having meat at this place.
???
Don’t think that was me… or was it?
The back outdoor area is pretty generous in size (given the pricey real estate) and evokes a Euro-Med feel. It is really nice back there. Starting a meal as the sun is going down and sipping wine into the transition to evening would be great.
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