DATE NIGHT: THE FRENCH BISTRO

The school

The Gourmandise School

Downtown Santa Monica school for hands-on baking, technique classes and date nights

The Gourmandise School has taught in downtown Santa Monica since 2011. It sits on the third floor of Santa Monica Place, at the end of Third Street Promenade, and calls itself the Westside's largest recreational cooking school. Most classes run three hours and are hands-on, and you usually work in a pair with one other student. You get printed recipes in class and a copy by email afterward.