Laurel Tavern
WHY A well-edited lineup of scrumptious bar food, including skewered chunks of pork belly so succulent they’ll make you weak in the knees. WHAT The Valley’s coolest gastropub is a long, streamlined...
View ArticleRed White + Bluezz
WHY The menu focuses mainly on updated American classics, and includes a wide selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie for sampling with the wines. WHAT Quality live jazz is at the heart of this...
View ArticleOlive & Thyme
WHY Café fare of a quality never before seen in the Valley, at prices that are more Brentwood than Burbank. WHAT This spacious place from neighbors and restaurant investors Melina and Christian Davies...
View ArticleOsteria Mozza
WHY The mozzarella tasting plate, grilled octopus with potatoes, celery and lemon, orecchiette pasta with sausage and swiss chard, pan-roasted sea trout with Umbrian lentils—in fact, pretty much...
View ArticlePorto’s Bakery
WHY The ornate tiered wedding cakes are award winners, and the Cuban sandwiches are worth driving across town for, as many do. WHAT This huge, gleaming café and bakery, founded by Cuban immigrants in...
View ArticleCheese Store of Beverly Hills
WHY A selection of cheeses that is unmatched in Southern California. WHAT Since 1967, this tiny shop has purveyed the world’s finest cheeses to the world’s pickiest customers. An oasis of funky, cheesy...
View ArticleHuntington Meats & Sausage
WHY A vast array of homemade sausages, Nancy Silverton’s hamburger blend and Wagyu (Kobe-style) beef. WHAT The Huntington sells Harris Ranch beef, American lamb and an impressive selection of pork...
View ArticleYamashiro Garden Market
WHY Yamashiro’s view, fun prepared foods, and a bar. WHAT It’s not a certified market, and it’s more about the prepared foods and the fab views than the produce, but it’s worth knowing about for a...
View ArticleMantee
WHY For mantee, of course (it’s an Armenian specialty), along with many other Middle Eastern dishes. WHAT This little place serves all the usual suspects, and very well, too (fattoush salad, made with...
View ArticleRaphael
WHY Because Studio City needs a civilized, elegant spot for lunch and dinner. WHAT Raphael is an intimate bo’te with an eclectic yet traditional menu from chef Adam Horton, formerly of Saddle Peak...
View ArticleElena’s Greek-Armenian Cuisine
WHY Terrific homemade stuffed grape leaves, gyros and kebabs for cheap. WHAT How can a tiny restaurant in an out-of-the-way Glendale location with no parking thrive for more than three decades? By...
View ArticleBacaro
WHY Because you’re bored with most wine-bar offerings and tired of paying through the nose for a glass of wine. WHAT On a funky block between Pico-Union and USC is a tiny haven for wine lovers, where...
View ArticleCarousel
WHY Lebanese mezzas (small plates) galore, including creamy hummus, spicy muhammara, fattoush salad and frogs legs with lemon and garlic. Plus, it’s just steps from the Alex Theatre. WHAT Delicious...
View ArticleRed White + Bluezz
WHY The menu focuses mainly on updated American classics, and includes a wide selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie for sampling with the wines. WHAT Quality live jazz is at the heart of this...
View ArticleHuntington Meats & Sausage
WHY A vast array of homemade sausages, Nancy Silverton’s hamburger blend and Wagyu (Kobe-style) beef. WHAT The Huntington sells Harris Ranch beef, American lamb and an impressive selection of pork...
View ArticleWP24
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...
View ArticleSalt’s Cure
WHY Carefully sourced meats, poultry and fish, smoked and cured by hand. WHAT Salt’s Cure does its own thing. In fact, it does virtually everything: smoking its own fish, curing its meats without...
View ArticleBricks & Scones
WHY House-baked pastries, good sandwiches, Intelligentsia coffee, Lupicia teas and tomb-like quiet for working. WHAT With a no-talking upstairs study area and a quiet downstairs lounge, plus a leafy...
View ArticleStand, The
WHY The ‘Loaded’ dog, or any of the specialty hot dogs, such as the Chicago and the Downtown L.A. WHAT An alternative to Century City’s pricey restaurants, the Stand has become a lunchtime mainstay for...
View ArticleSon of a Gun
WHY Because you never know when the urge for a terrific, if Lilliputian, lobster roll (creamy and a bit spicy, stuffed into a warm, butter-grilled roll) will hit. WHAT This seafood-centric spinoff of...
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