Excerpts from The Economist's Travel Guide :
Perfect weather, a magnificent coastline, rugged mountains and a good chance at spotting a celebrity, Los Angeles has traditionally suffered from only two things; bad traffic and a lack of fine dining. But over the past few years L.A. has become home to some of the newest and hippest culinary heavy hitters; from Suzanne Goins to Mario Batali and most recently Tom Collicchio-these chefs are changing Southern Californian’s culinary landscape and making Los Angeles the next food mecca.
A few general pointers for dining here: Service can be a problem since waiters and waitresses are usually unemployed “actors” miffed that they must do such lowly work as “wait” on you. Your options are to prepare yourself and be pleasantly surprised when (if) it doesn’t happen or pretend you’re a producer and trick them into wanting to impress.
Be sure to make reservations-the city is early to bed, early to rise so very few places serve after 10PM. The dress everywhere is casual-it is said that you can tell the movie star by the one wearing jeans and a baseball cap so you, too, can play the part.
Whist
1819 Ocean Avenue (at Pico)
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-260-7500
http://www.viceroysantamonica.com/
Recently rated one of the "top 50 hotel restaurants” by Food & Wine magazine, Whist, located in the Viceroy Hotel, serves Modern American cuisine with a twist.
Snag a seat poolside and dine al fresco. Each table is draped in rugged sailcloth that serves the dual purpose of providing total privacy and making you feel like you’re eating inside a decadent colonial tent-the kind of place Hemmingway or Lawrence of Arabia would feel at home.
The menu, like the décor, is both classical and fun with the likes of Duck confit salad Lyonnaise sharing space with shrimp po’boys and an ”LA” cheese steak with grilled flank, queso fresco and arugula. The service is excellent and accommodating. The only problem arises after you pay the bill: with inviting cabanas flanking the sides of the sparkling blue pool and chic hotel rooms right upstairs, you may feel an overwhelming desire to stay, putting an early end to your workday.
Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave. (at Highland)
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: (323) 297-0100
http://www.mozza-la.com
Another Batali/Silverton/Bastianich revelation with executive chef Matt Molina in the hot seat-this place exceeds the hype leading up to its recent opening.
In an unusual twist for a place that takes it’s food and wine so seriously-the bar has a surprisingly whimsical cocktail menu which is always a nice place to start. The restaurant itself is dominated in the center by a Mozzarella Bar-behind which Silverton reigns, creating ridiculously delicious concoctions like Mozzarella in carozza, Burrata with bacon, marinated escarole & caramelized shallots and a Burricotti with braised artichokes, pine nuts, currants & mint pesto.
Grilled octopus with lemon, celery and fingerling potatoes and figs wrapped in procuitto are two stand-out appetizers. Must-have secondi’s include the bavette- a simple pepper and pecorino pasta and the egg ravioli-a single ravioli with a barely cooked egg in the middle which you are instructed to scramble so that it melts into the browned butter sauce. The Orato is wrapped in banana leaves and both smells and tastes like you are eating it on a tropical island. The pork and the beef are both perfectly cooked, simply prepared and delicious. You’d be hard pressed to find a better (all Italian) wine list anywhere.
Incredible food, excellent service and the perfect ambiance-if they sold Mozza postcards at the door, you’d write home about it.
Bay Cities Italian Deli
1517 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2776
Phone: (310) 395-8279
http://baycitiesitaliandeli.com/
A small gourmet grocery store, Bay Cities is that perfect blend of old and new world-the aisles are narrow and crammed with so many delectables that it is almost impossible not to get distracted when browsing and young, old, and everyone in-between shops here. Italian cookies and crackers, high-quality olive oils and vinegars, a nice cheese counter and a small selection of kitchen wares and wine are perused by the daily line of loyal locals waiting for their sandwiches-a favorite is The Godmother-piled high with mortadella, prosciutto, salami, ham, provolone and hot peppers on a fresh-baked hoagie.
Brick Lane
1132 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (San Juan)
Venice, CA 90291
310.392.2525
info@bricklaneuk.com
A tiny gem of a shop located inside a Craftsman home on the hip street of Abbot Kinney in Venice, Bricklane is an Anglophile’s dream. Offering edgy, mod London brands like Oliver Spencer, Fred Perry, Ted Baker and Pringle 1815, the shop enjoys the kind of customer loyalty that connotes an owner who not only owns the shop, but lives in the neighborhood as well. A small selection of ties, belts, wallets, money clips and cufflinks by Simon Carter and Babette Wasserman are also available. Look for the big red phonebooth in the front yard.
Goodform
725 N. Fairfax (Melrose)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-658-8585
http://www.goodform.com
A boutique sized salon with an art deco feel, Goodform’s room has the kind of buzz that feels at once busy and relaxed. The 16 stylists on hand are young and knowledgeable and willing to cater to clients who might need to come in early or stay late. Additionally, one of the salon’s owners are always on hand to provide the kind of attention you will not find at the larger salons like making sure that you are matched up with the proper stylist. With a male client list as strong as their female, this is a fine place to come when you want to feel taken care of at not- over-the-top prices. Goodform is what happens when cool kids grow up into cool adults.
