WHY Funky wine bar meets art gallery space, with a laid-back neighborhood pub vibe and a terrific happy-hour menu. WHAT The vibe is great, with rotating art on the walls, a lounge-type atmosphere and a friendly staff. We’re happy to report that the once-dismal beer list has improved, and we still like the classic cocktails [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY This New York import is known for its fusion sushi, like hamachi with jalapeño, and you can get it at slightly lower prices than in the main dining room below. WHAT This elegant mezzanine cocktail lounge with a handful of small tables becomes a standing-room only hot spot on the weekends. WHO Scene hoppers [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Food that’s much, much better than it has to be, given that it’s a tribute to Chicago’s Rush Street, a strip known for its bar scene, not fine dining. Order the truffle asiago fries while you peruse the menu. Good happy hour, too. WHAT In an enormous, barn-like room in the heart of Culver [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because if beef tongue is the must-have dish, when tarte flambé and amazing sweetbreads with mushroom fricassée are also on the menu, chef Ray Garcia must be on to something. WHAT If you didn’t have to walk past the spa, you’d never guess this is the Fairmont Miramar’s bistro. The food is top-notch, the [...]
Type: Restaurant
Region: West of the 405
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Features: Breakfast, Cocktails, Dinner, Lunch, Patio Dining, Private Room, Quiet, Romantic, Vegetarian
Price Range: $17-$24, $25-$33
Cuisine Type: French, Modern American
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY One of the best Mexican restaurants in Southern California, and superb margaritas, too. WHAT Jimmy Shaw may look like an Irishman, but he cooks like the Mexico City native he is, and after building a rabid following at his little Farmers Market stand, he’s hit the big time with this Hollywood restaurant and his [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Meticulously prepared Italian classics in a charming spot near the ocean. WHAT This funky pocket beach neighborhood in Playa del Rey is a well-kept secret, as is its surprisingly upscale Italian restaurant with a silly name (penguins not exactly being associated with SoCal surf towns). There’s a romantic patio, a cozy dining room, attentive [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Good, honest Argentinean cooking and wines at modest prices. WHAT This friendly Argentinean, with its comfortable booths and tasty, affordable Argentinean wines, serves well-prepared classics at more-than-reasonable prices: empanadas, matambre (rolled meat stuffed with vegetables and herbs), garlic fries, handmade pastas and such hearty entrées as grilled short ribs (great flavor but too chewy), [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY First-rate Argentinean wine and food: beef empanadas, matambre, sausages, remarkable french fries and, of course, the baked garlic to squish over your bread. WHAT Less showy than the Brazilian churrascarias that are currently the rage but every bit as devoted to delicious grilled meat, Gardel’s has been L.A.’s go-to Argentinean restaurant for years. Good [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For the eternal Hollywood scene. WHAT You’re probably not cool enough to come here—we’re certainly not—but you might want to come anyway, just to check out the never-ending scene, have an overpriced cocktail and taste the rustic food (oxtail bruschetta, burger with bacon, avocado and onion rings, roasted halibut with garlic sauce), which is [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For Nobu Matsuhisa’s Peruvian-influenced Japanese cuisine, which came to fame here and later swept the food world. WHAT The Nobu craze started here, in a restaurant far simpler than its overwrought Beverly Hills neighbors, and while the Nobus in Malibu, New York, Aspen and beyond may be a bigger deal these days, we still [...]
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