By food standards, 2012 was a very good year. We rode the cupcake wave, gorged on artisanal franks, and fell hard for Mexican snow cones.

Hundreds of bread baskets and one pair of control-top panty hose later, we present you with the best new restaurants to …

Fake a British accent with a mouthful of fish and chips: The Parish

Give your carb-free diet the middle finger: The Sycamore Kitchen

Blow off steam with a Divine Brown (i.e., the house cocktail, not Hugh Grant’s former lady friend): The Pikey

Pucker up to bivalves: L&E Oyster Bar

Venture outside your culinary comfort zone (trust us, chicken cracklins taste just like chicken): The Hart and the Hunter

Toast your three-picture deal with Sony over a $140 plate of white truffle pasta: Spago

Find decent delectable Tex-Mex in L.A.: Bar Amá

Order an artisanal cocktail that’s better looking than your date: Pour Vous

Fall in locavore love: Cortez

Photo: Thomas Barwick / Getty Images