WHY High-quality Chiu Chow dim sum, and lots of it. Don’t miss the taro and the exceptionally juicy sui mai. WHAT This vast and grand restaurant is famed for the incredible range of its dim sum—60 choices most weekdays and 80 on weekends—and its Chiu Chow expertise also extends to dishes like the whole perch [...]
February 5, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY To break the hummus-and-kebab stalemate of most L.A. Middle Eastern places, in a handsome, hardwood-floor bistro setting. Also for the late-night menu, which includes half-price wines. WHAT A farmers’-market sensibility permeates the small and large plates made by Craft alum Micah Wexler: pizza-like flatbreads topped with trendy produce, veal mantee (baby tortellini), quail in [...]
January 24, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The crispy portobello fries with truffle aioli. Did we mention the fries? WHAT Veteran Rose City restaurateur (Bistro 45) Robert Simon moved his St. Helena restaurant, AKA, to One Colorado in Old Town, and Pasadena is stoked to have a local boy making good in the midst of the chain eateries. The eclectic menu [...]
December 31, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For a fantasy French bistro experience when your ship has come in. WHAT Chef Thomas Keller, he of the French Laundry, Per Se and Ad Hoc, has at last come to Los Angeles. It’s supposed to be a branch of the original Bouchon in Yountville, but this is pure Beverly Hills, large and lavish [...]
December 8, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY South of France—inspired dining morning, noon or night in a pretty Côte d’Azur setting. WHAT Hollywood’s glitzy W Hotel may seem an improbable place to find a bright brasserie seemingly transplanted from Cannes, but this bustling, white-tiled, marble-floored spot is good for business meetings, visitors touring Hollywood and post-clubbing late meals. The menu is [...]
November 30, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Innovative creations from Ricardo Zarate, Food & Wine’s best New Los Angeles chef, 2011. WHAT The new descendant of Zarate’s ultra-modest Mo-Chica is a trend-setting cantina whose robata bar items look Japanese but taste Peruvian (skewered grilled scallops painted with aji amarillo pepper) and whose ceviche bar garnishes flash-marinated fish and sashimi-like tiradito with [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY WeHo chic in old-money Pasadena. WHAT This glam white-on-white restaurant doesn’t look one bit like Pasadena, and we admire the Langham Huntington for pushing the envelope. (It’s always entertaining to see San Marino men in Brooks Brothers blazers trying to figure out what to do with that precious morsel of lobster that appears to [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY L.A.’s passion for cheese spreads eastward, into a spacious gourmet shop facing Shopper’s Lane. WHAT A solid collection of imported and domestic cheese is kept in a temperature-controlled cold room, so shoppers tell the counterfolk what they’re in the mood to sample or choose from the cheese menu. Wine and cheese tastings are held [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Chinatown restaurants can seem all too similar, but JR stands out for hot pots, lobster specials and well-prepared standards. ; WHAT The same owners’ JR Restaurant was one of the westside’s top Chinese restaurants, and faithful customers will find many of the same favorites at this slightly slicker updated spot with white tablecloths, beer [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY It’s a special occasion. Or your boss is paying. Or you’re coming before 7 p.m. for the light $24 three-course meal, great for pre-theater. WHAT Glide through the Ritz-Carlton lobby, ascend 24 floors heavenward, make your way through the hubbub of the lounge and prepare to enjoy some of the best food ever served [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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