Best of LA 2012: Eat
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
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
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
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
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
Eagle Rock Brewery
3056 Roswell St., Los Angeles, CA, 90065
760-471-4999
We’re pleased as pilsner that we can grab beer on the go from a bevy of local craft beer makers. Eagle Rock Brewery elevates the growler experience to an art.
Website: http://eaglerockbrewery.com/
Neighborhood: Eagle Rock
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Brewery/Bistro, Restaurants
El Rocoto
11433 South Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90703
(562) 924-1919
At El Rocoto, Inca-worthy recipes use traditional tubers, Andean grains, and the fragrant lúcuma fruit, while standards including ceviche, lomo saltado, and papas huancaina are artfully executed.
Website: https://elrocoto.com
Neighborhood: Gardena
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Restaurants, South American
Falafel Arax
5101 Santa Monica Blvd # 2, Los Angeles, CA, 90029
(323) 663-9687
The unsung gem at this wee spot is the hummus, which the owners will describe only as a blend of garbanzos and olive oil. Unlike the bland, gummy, or overly acidic versions found in tubs at your grocer, this one—creamy, with a sprinkle of ground red pepper—has a devilishly satisfying finish.
Neighborhood: East Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Middle Eastern, Restaurants
Fat Dog
801 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90046
(323) 951-0030
No doggie? Adopt one at Tailwaggers, located next door to the Fat Dog gastropub, then spoil your new friend (and yourself) at brunch. He gets a choice of three bowl sizes for water; you get a farmers’ market frittata and a craft beer.
Neighborhood: Los Angeles
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Gastropub, Restaurants
Got Kosher?
8914 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90035
310-858-1920
From Thursday afternoon through closing time Friday, customers file steadily into Got Kosher?, stopping at the racks where shiny two-pound pretzel challahs are on display.
Website: http://www.gotkosherinc.com
Neighborhood: Pico-Robertson
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Kosher, Restaurants
Huntington Meats
6333 W 3rd St # 350, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
(323) 933-8577
Sausage is having a moment. On display at Huntington Meats is a rotating selection of more than 20 pork, lamb, and chicken links free of nitrates and preservatives.
Neighborhood: Beverly Grove
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Food, Shopping
Jongewaard’s Bake-N-Broil
3697 Atlantic Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90807
(562) 595-0396
A flaky crust, the dense sweetness of vanilla pudding, a billowing crown of whipped cream, and the rush of tropical fruit come together in the banana cream pie at Jongewaard’s Bake-N-Broil in Long Beach.
Neighborhood: Long Beach
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Dessert/Ice Cream/Yogurt, Restaurants
LAMILL Coffee
1636 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90026
323-663-4441
LaMill is still the only place in town to enjoy siphon-brewed estate-grown coffee while sitting on a faux crocodile-skin chair.
Website: http://www.lamillcoffee.com/
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Silver Lake
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Coffee/Tea, Restaurants
Le Petit Bistro
631 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90069
310-289-9797
Step off La Cienega into this red-walled cocoon and through the smoke haze of the enclosed patio, and you’ll feel a lot closer to Paris.
Website: http://lepetitbistro.us
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, West Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, French, Restaurants
Little Dom’s
2128 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90027
323-661-0055
At this spin-off of the West Hollywood fixture Dominick’s, Los Feliz locals come for high-end basics with northern Italian and California influences.
Website: http://littledoms.com
Neighborhood: Los Angeles, Los Feliz
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Breakfast/Brunch, Californian, Fusion/Eclectic/Global, Italian, Restaurants
Santa Monica Seafood
1000 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90401
(310) 393-5244
Santa Monica Seafood is an official partner of Seafood for the Future, the Aquarium of the Pacific’s sustainability program.
Website: http://smseafood.com
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Alternative Medicine, Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Emergency Medical Services, Floor Coverings, Home & Garden, Restaurants, Seafood
Scoops
712 North Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90029
(323) 906-2649
Life’s tough when you’re a kid who can’t have milk. The original Scoops gets it, dishing out a funky array of ice cream flavors that are lactose free and delightful like Oreo, salty chocolate, Cracker Jack, and more.
Neighborhood: East Hollywood
Category: Best of LA, Best of LA 2012: Eat, Best of LA: 2012, Best of LA: Eat, Dessert/Ice Cream/Yogurt, Restaurants