WHY AOC has an NYC bistro feel with excellent wines by the glass and perfectly ripe cheeses—and staff members who know more than just their name. The Cal-Mediterranean food is always reliable, if a smidge less so than at sister restaurant Lucques. WHAT Anything vegetable (or animal, for that matter) is coddled by the cooks [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Rich oxtails, braised artichokes, green lasagne and other delicious pastas, and wonderful branzino. WHAT There are fancier Italian restaurants in town, but few with better food than this one (and chef Gino Angelini’s other restaurant, La Minestraio). The minimalist storefront is packed a little too tightly, and the room’s a little too loud, but [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For celebrity cachet and hearty, South Beach—friendly Tuscan meals of salads followed by delicious bistecca fiorentina, flattened chicken or veal chops with rustic beans. WHAT The star power burns bright at this manly (and pricey) Tuscan trattoria, where the ingredients are good and the plastic surgery is better. WHO With co-owners like Robert De [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A hip scene with respectable noodles and a fun communal table for solo diners. WHAT This minimalist modern setting offers communal tables (for groups and singles) and a shelf of intellectual tomes to peruse while eating. The menu’s also minimalist, with vegetarian and fish noodle dishes hailing from southern Vietnam, Vietnamese coffee and restorative [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Dungeness crab salad, grilled yellowtail collar, simple and ultra-fresh sushi and rolls. WHAT Find your way to this all-but-hidden space off a gritty loading dock in the warehouse district east of downtown, and you’ll be transported into an almost cinematically perfect loft/gallery scene (huge paintings, exposed brick walls, Frank Gehry—designed cardboard chairs) with impressively [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Fresh beer, tasty English pub fare and a gregarious and interesting crowd. WHAT L.A.’s best-known pub has grown over the decades, now boasting two pub rooms and a dining room stretching between the Promenade and the shore. It’s touristy as hell, but it’s saved by the quality of food and the 20-some beers on [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Something for everyone, served into the wee hours, and convenient to the Arclight and the Hollywood club scene. WHAT A handy place to know about, whether you want a Cobb salad for lunch, crab cakes and cosmopolitans before an Arclight movie, or a burger after making the club scene. The food isn’t remarkable, but [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because the food is much better than at most Hollywood scene restaurants. Extras are the good bar menu (tater tot fondue!) and the live jazz. WHAT Owner/chef Eric Greenspan may be rumpled, exuberant and sometimes annoyingly loud, but his cooking is elegant. He set out to create a destination restaurant that combines serious food [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Killer french fries and sweet potato fries, a suave croque madame, interesting fish and steak entrées, and desserts as comfy as grandma’s lap. WHAT Located where way-cool Abbot Kinney meets the more prosaic Washington, Beechwood is rich in Venice style but free of hipster attitude—and its bar menu is one of the best values [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For the best fast food on the Boardwalk. WHAT Now found in markets across the country, Jody Maroni’s sausages were first served at this little stand in the late ’70s. There’s nothing like a brat with grilled onions and peppers on a sunny summer day. WHO The circus of humanity that prowls the Venice [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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