Last updated Winter 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA
A behemoth of a city whose food scene sometimes feels impossible to conquer. Here’s my work in progress.
★ - All-time favorite / ✸ - Changing menu / Must-orders are bolded
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A flirtatious Parisian Bistro and wine bar in the burgeoning neighborhood of Melrose Hill. Complexity and simplicity coexist on this contemporary menu which offers French classics and more original, timely dishes. If one of Bar Etoile’s parents is French, the other is a generational Angeleno.
Order notes: Cheese tart, snap peas, caesar beef tartare, polenta, steak frites, chocolate tart.
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A charming shoebox of a restaurant in Cypress Park serving delightfully authentic Portuguese small plates. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear a Lisbon tram climbing up a steep, cobblestone hill.
Order notes: Tuna crudo, Maria's bacalhau fritters, charred cabbage, piri piri chicken.
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Bestia has been open for 10 years, which is a near-impossible hallmark of success in Los Angeles. Subtlety isn’t in their vocabulary; every dish screams with flavor and intensity. It’s the dinner party you don’t want to leave but when you do, you leave buzzing.
Order notes: Endive & apple salad, beef tartare crostino, ‘nduja pizza, chestnut & mushroom agnolotti, pumpkin tortellini, slow roasted lamb neck, mascarpone rice pudding, warm pear ricotta tart.
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Rasarumah plays by the Last Word Hospitality restaurant playbook of intimate, imaginative, and polished, but it’s a concept all its own. Chef Johnny Lee of the late Pearl River Deli brings Asian diasporic cooking to life with creative Malaysian-inspired dishes.
Order notes: Achar, sour sambal, ayam berempah, rojak, char kway teow, wagyu beef cheek rendang, cendol sundae.
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An Italian restaurant in Melrose Hill with a strong streak of cool. The menu draws from different regions of Italy and California’s seasonal bounty. The room is moody and lively, where everyone can be anyone under the orange-tinted lights.
Order notes: Tuna crudo, chicories, scampi, rigatoni al pesto, pork chop, eggplant.
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A restaurant that has garnered a great deal of attention, both good and bad (IYKYK). Regardless, I think Horses is outstanding in almost every department, even if it’s a little pretentious. For more insight, read Jason Stewart’s piece on Taste.
Order notes: Bread and butter, amberjack with soy and brown butter, cornish hen, off-the-menu pasta, sheep’s milk cheesecake.
