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 Upscale Mexican cuisine with a beautiful Long Beach view. WHAT A centerpiece of the redesigned and rebranded Hotel Maya, Fuego delivers a Mexican menu focused on coastal cooking. That translates to dishes like citric ceviches of shrimp and lobster scooped up with plantain chips, YucatÂn-style pork two ways (presented as an achiote-glazed fillet and [...]
December 3, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because you need a rooftop bar Downtown that isn’t overpriced and played out (like The Standard). WHAT This multi-story bar and restaurant boasts wraparound patios with gorgeous views of Pershing Square on one side and Bunker Hill on the other. The décor is art deco, the food is French (coq au vin, onion soup), [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Downtown-style cocktail chic in a formerly frumpy Pasadena landmark restaurant. WHAT It was a stroke of genius for the owners of the Raymond, a pricey restaurant in a circa-1886 cottage, to turn space over to cocktail guru Aidan Demarest (of Edison and Seven Grand fame). The drinks are terrific, the cozy interior has a [...]
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 For a ‘real’ restaurant with good modern American cooking and a worthy happy hour, smack in the middle of the USC campus. WHAT For proof that college campuses are now luxury resorts, check out this sleek place in the lavish new student center at USC. With a cozy bar, a chic dining room, a [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Some of L.A.’s most original and inspired cocktails in an atmosphere that oozes discreet charm. WHAT The mellow ambience belies the rigorous attention to detail bestowed on every cocktail by Allan Katz and his crew. The location doesn’t make it easy to find (you have to walk through the Doheny’s parking lot), but once [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because people need somewhere to drink in Brentwood. WHAT Situated next to longstanding Italian restaurant Toscana, this swank, nominally Italian bar goes heavy on the Amaro, Cynar, Campari and Fernet. The cocktails are a few bucks more expensive than they deserve to be, but the décor is pretty and clever. Suitable for a happy-hour [...]
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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