Situated in view of Chris Burden's Urban Light sculpture at LACMA, this place has the elegance of a destination restaurant and the energy of an urban boite. Chef Kris Morningstar sears his scallops so deeply, they acquire an almost meaty intensity. Lamb's tongue with beans and nicoise olives is a crunchy evocation of carnitas. There are flaws in the Renzo Piano-designed space, but not enough to detract from Morningstar's mastery of robust flavors.

 

The Top Ten Best New Restaurants: No. 10, January 2012

Kris Morningstar sears his scallops so deeply, they acquire an almost meaty intensity that's set off by a garnish of mushroom-strewn grits. His lamb's tongue with beans and niçoise olives is a crunchy evocation of carnitas, while his farro salad is spared the vegetarian blahs by a dice of turnip and crushed pistachio. The peregrinations of the 33-year-old chef have led him from a downtown boutique loft building to a Hollywood watering hole. Anchoring one side of the courtyard, Ray's has the elegance of a destination restaurant and the energy of an urban boîte. There are flaws in the Renzo Piano-designed space (what is that stale smell by the entrance?) but not enough to detract from Morningstar's mastery of robust flavors. You sit in the glass-enclosed room like a character in Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, only without the alienation. Here comes a freshly made peach financier, satisfying and warm.