Best of LA: 2012
Animal
435 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
323-782-9225
At their still-unmarked Fairfax enclave, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo have maintained—even honed—their knack for rejiggering comfort food into balanced, thoughtful dishes that leap with spurts of acid and fat.
Website: http://animalrestaurant.com
Neighborhood: Fairfax, Hollywood, Los Angeles
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, New American, Restaurants
Antique Rug Co.
928 N. La Cienega, Los Angeles, CA, 90069
310-659-3847
“Restoration requires not only technical ability—it’s an art,” says Barry Amiri, co-owner of the Antique Rug Co.
Website: http://www.antiquerugco.com
Neighborhood: Beverly Grove, West Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Fix, Best of LA 2012: Shop, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Fix, Best of LA: Shop, Housewares, Shopping
Arcana: Books on the Arts
8675 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90232
310-458-1499
Scrambling for a last-minute gift to satisfy the boss’s Ruscha fetish or scouting inspiration for your nine-figure blockbuster…
Website: http://arcanabooks.com/
Neighborhood: Culver City
Category: Best of LA 2012: Shop, Best of LA: Shop, Books and Magazines, Shopping
Audio High
605 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90036
323-939-3000
When your former best bud, DJ Sticky Fingers, has split with your cans and you need a pair quick, run to the Turntable Lab in the Fairfax District for gear that can cost as little as the change in your couch or as much as several Franklins.
Website: http://audiohigh.com
Neighborhood: Mid-City
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Shop, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Shop, Musical Instruments, Shopping
Automobile Driving Museum
610 Lairport St., Los Angeles, CA, 90245
310-909-0950
If you want to understand why cars end up in museums in the first place, motor to the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo, where docents take guests for a Sunday spin in one of the 130 restored vehicles from the collection.
Website: http://www.automobiledrivingmuseum.org
Neighborhood: El Segundo
Category: Arts & Entertainment, Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Do, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Do, Museums
Avenue of the Palms
Stadium Way and Academy Rd., Los Angeles, CA, 90012
For decades Elysian Park’s Avenue of the Palms near Dodger Stadium has been home base for the city’s lowrider scene.
Neighborhood: Echo Park
Category: Automotive, Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Do, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Do, Recreational Vehicles
Baco Mercat
408 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA, 90013
213-687-8808
Josef Centeno’s umlaut-bedecked flagship has all the Moroccan bistilla and Provençal brandade you could want, and the menu weds Catalan, Italian, and Abkhazian ingredients.
Website: http://www.bacomercat.com
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Latin American, Restaurants, Spanish/Tapas/Basque
Baxter-Northup Music
14534 Ventura Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 91403
818-788-7510
At Baxter-Northup Music, an L.A. institution since 1906, owner Ed Walker can hook up tone-deaf parents with name-brand vintage instruments.
Website: http://baxternorthup.tumblr.com/
Neighborhood: Sherman Oaks
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Shop, Best of LA: Shop, Musical Instruments, Shopping
Bea’s Bakery
18450 Clark St., Los Angeles, CA, 91356
818-344-0100
Part cookie, part cake; sort of Jewish but kind of Italian—the black and white is a New York deli favorite that has enthusiastic fans in the west.
Website: http://beasbakery.com/
Neighborhood: Tarzana
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Dessert/Ice Cream/Yogurt, Restaurants
Beach Yoga with Brad
Marine St., Los Angeles, CA, 90405
310-826-6958
Watching the waves crash during a session of Beach Yoga with Brad, you’ll forget you’re on the busy border between Santa Monica and Venice.
Website: http://www.bradkeimach.com
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Do, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Do, Sports & Recreation, Yoga Studio
Beachwood Canyon
Between 2872 and 2882 Belden, Just before 2795 Woodshire, Los Angeles, CA, 90068
Build granitelike glutes and take in the landscape as you hike the public staircases notched into the city’s hillsides.
Website: http://www.secretstairs-la.com
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Do, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Do, Family Fun, Sports & Recreation
Between the Sheets
370 North Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90048
(310) 854-0001
It’s pretty fancy-schmancy, and lots of interior designers shop here, but don’t be intimidated by Between the Sheets. Unlike at big-box or department stores, the staff is happy to clarify such mysteries as thread count and cotton types.
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Shop, Best of LA: 2012, Fabric, Quilting & Needlework, Shopping
Bottega Louie
700 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90017
213-802-1470
Downtown’s most popular breakfast, lunch, and dinner destination is an Italian restaurant, high-end patisserie, and cocktail dispensary rolled into one.
Website: http://www.bottegalouie.com
Neighborhood: Downtown, Los Angeles
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Italian, Restaurants
Bridge to Nowhere
Camp Bonita Rd., Los Angeles, CA, 91702
Few hikes in Southern California make one feel as intrepid as the five-mile haul to the Bridge to Nowhere.
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Do, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Do, Family Fun, Sports & Recreation
Carousel
5112 Hollywood Blvd # 107, Los Angeles, CA, 90027
(323) 660-8060
Only at the original Carousel will you find such an authentic take on this Middle Eastern salad—a mélange of snappy vegetables and fried pita bread.
Website: https://carouselrestaurant.com
Neighborhood: East Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Middle Eastern, Restaurants
Chili John’s
2018 W. Burbank Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 91506
818-846-3611
At Burbank’s family-run Chili John’s, the generous bowls of red are of the most elemental Texas variety: nothin’ but high-quality beef suet, garlic, and a proprietary spice blend that favors cayenne’s stiff kick.
Website: http://chilijohnsca.com
Neighborhood: Burbank
Category: American, Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Restaurants
Cliff’s Edge
3626 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, CA, 90026
323-666-6116
Silver Lake’s candlelit grotto recently brought on James Beard-nominated chef Benjamin Bailly (Fraîche, Petrossian), whose farm-fresh menu is tasteful but doesn’t punish the pocketbook.
Website: http://cliffsedgecafe.com
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2013: Eat, Best of LA 2014: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: 2013, Best of LA: 2014, Best of LA: Eat, Cafe, Restaurants