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 It’s like escaping to Florence right there on Sunset Boulevard. WHAT While the rest of the Sunset Strip screams for attention, this doll house of a ristorante is happy to be invisible—its clientele cares more about food, service and charm than being noticed. Couples and friends reminisce about their last trip to Italy while [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Macrobiotic, organic, vegetarian and/or vegan cooking that’s better than you might think is possible. WHAT Shigefumi Tachibe, founding chef of the late lamented La Petite Chaya and executive chef of Chaya Venice and Chaya Brasserie, became an avid student of macrobiotic cooking years ago, and his studies finally paid off with this chic little [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For the farm-fresh ingredients that shine with just the right amount of chef behind them. The beloved family-style Sunday Supper brings gorgeous home-style cooking for $45 per person. WHAT Relaxed and beautiful, homey yet elegant, with just-attentive-enough service that’s never pretentious, Lucques is the reigning Chez Panisse of Los Angeles. It’s one of the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For Mark Peel’s mastery of simple grilled meats, for the desserts, for Thursday grilled cheese night and for the handsome, old-L.A. setting that makes everyone happy. WHAT Lucques may be the Campanile of the new millennium, but that doesn’t mean Campanile peaked in the ’90s. It remains the perfect L.A. restaurant, the sort of [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For A-list service, a beautiful setting and elegant, thoughtfully prepared seafood. Splurge on the chilled seafood platter if you can afford it. WHAT Although the Water Grill’s cooking no longer has foodies in New York buzzing, it’s still very, very good. Chef David LeFevre makes things like striped bass ceviche with mint, pineapple, candied [...]
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 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 For fine dining in the French Laundry style, but in the dazzling Walt Disney Concert Hall instead of the Napa Valley. WHAT Seafood is a focus at this elegant Joachim Splichal flagship restaurant, with dishes like diver scallops carpaccio with kumquat liquid sphere and black truffle, or a Mediterranean loup de mer with spring [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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