WHY For vividly flavorful food that’s full of L.A. style, with good party management to boot—and if you want something funkier, they’ll send their taco truck. WHAT Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have been L.A.’s culinary divas since they founded City in the ’80s; their Border Grill restaurants are both showcases of modern California-Latin [...]
WHY Outstanding modern American party food, as organic as possible, with particularly memorable desserts. WHAT Before she opened her oh-so-hip bakery, café and store, Terri Wahl was a caterer specializing in production shoots. Nowadays she also feeds the cognoscenti at commitment ceremonies, 50th-birthday celebrations and publication parties all over the L.A. area. WHO Party-throwing Occidental [...]
WHY Belgian endive salad with Roquefort, whitefish fillet with brandade and a great roast chicken with frites, all served in a place right out of the 8th arrondissement. WHAT Pinot Bistro is the oldest and most reliable of Joachim Splichal’s Patina spinoffs. Avant-garde when it opened, this handsome, artfully lit bistro has evolved into a [...]
WHY The country-rustic, ultra-atmospheric setting, not to mention the seared foie gras, elk tenderloin and a wine list bulging with trophy cabs. WHAT Decorated like a rustic hunting lodge and set in the spectacular mountains that divide Malibu from the Valley, Saddle Peak is that rarest of birds: a special-occasion restaurant that has remained special [...]
WHY With its California-dream patio and organic, market food, Wilshire is bucking to be the Michael’s for the new millennium. It’s not that, but we appreciate the effort. WHAT Wilshire has a too-cool country-club vibe, complete with leather club chairs and a cover-charge scene at the bar after 9:30, but it’s not just the latest [...]
WHY The seasonally inspired and hard-to-resist four-course tasting menu; at $105 without wine, it’s a serious indulgence, but one you’re not likely to forget. Believe it or not, it’s worth the extra $30 for the roast chicken, which is not like any roast chicken you’ve ever had. Beautiful vegetarian tasting menu, too. WHAT Mélisse is [...]
WHY Not that you’d regret shelling out for dinner, but the best deal in town is lunch at Joe’s, where for $19 you get a superb three-course meal—perhaps parsnip-fennel soup, shrimp risotto-sofrito and chocolate crunch cake. Great brunch, too. WHAT Before Abbot Kinney was the coolest place in L.A., Joe Miller gambled and opened a [...]
WHY Owner Maureen Vincenti’s contagious laugh and doting attention to each guest, plus the house-made porchetta, spit-roasted until it’s a perfectly charred, juicy hunk of pure pork bliss. WHAT Step inside the elegant dining room, with its marble counters and slick leather banquettes, and it’s clear this isn’t your average homespun trattoria. Chef Nicola Mastronardi [...]
WHY Such exquisite French-influenced small plates as shrimp-mousse-filled ravioli with shiitake sauce, grilled hearts of romaine salad, filet mignon with Roquefort butter and foie gras with Japanese eggplant. WHAT After running Franco-Japanese restaurant Shiro in South Pasadena for many years, chef Hideo Yamashiro flipped the name and opened the smaller and more casual Orris on [...]
WHY Servers who make you feel like Trump, special-occasion food (veal sweetbreads with kumquats, rabbit saddle with wild cherries) and a Wall Street atmosphere for those times when laid back L.A. just won’t do. WHAT Part of Tom Colicchio’s New York—based mini-empire, this elegant place has a design-your-own menu where everything is a la carte—at [...]
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