Let Napa have French Laundry and New York City keep Per Se. Thomas Keller’s first Southern California outpost of the famed restaurant suits us Angelenos just fine.
Owner Joe Reynolds transformed a strip-mall Romanian restaurant into a cross between an old-school Hollywood haunt and a gussied-up basement rec room with a basic Italian menu and some sort of entertainment (comedy, dramedy, live music) six nights a week.
Big Mediterranean flavors rule in this sprawling restaurant with several cozy dining areas, including a lush secret-garden-like patio.
Move over, Lords of Dogtown. Venice Beach has a new king: Part beach house, part art gallery, the latest boutique lodge from design-conscious Joie de Vivre offers travelers a comfy place to crash with fresh, seasonal American fare and cocktails from Hash restaurant and spectactular views from rooftop bar High.
When life hands you lemons (or a shell of a restaurant that’s been abruptly vacated due to irreconcilable culinary differences), make lemonade (as in a new chef and team creating a special test menu that changes its offerings, wines, and cocktails every week until things setttle down).
Pucker up and give the to-stay/to-go restaurant a big kiss for hot or cold sandwiches, freshly made soups, veggie-centric sides, sweet treats, and four kinds of seasonal lemonade.
Top Chef winner Ilan Hall took over the cafeteria-style backroom at the Alexandria Hotel for The Gorbals, a no-frills, all-flavor restaurant where his Jewish and Scottish heritage battle it out on plates of lamb rarebit and bacon-wrapped matzo balls.
Photo: Courtesy of The Gorbals
Stella! There you are. On the enclosed patio of the favorite French wine bar and breakfast (morning buns), lunch (frisee aux lardons), and dinner (escargot) restaurant.
Photo: Getty Images
It really is. The over-the-top Starck-designed restaurant, bar, lounge, and patisserie mash-up is a perfect fit for José Andrés’s molecular gastronomic adventures.
Pucker up and give the to-stay/to-go restaurant a big kiss for hot or cold sandwiches, freshly made soups, veggie-centric sides, sweet treats, and four kinds of seasonal lemonade.