Albuquerque Restaurants

Providence

Address: 5955 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Providence
$$$$
Inspired by coastal living, Providence in Mid Wilshire offers diners an assortment of the world’s finest wild seafood and shellfish presented in a pure and simple form. Chefs Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto have developed a menu of exceptional quality influenced by the treasures of the ocean. In addition to noteworthy cuisine and excellent service, an excellent selection of wine graces Providence's walls, showcased in an elegant glass cellar in the restaurant. Diners can order a la carte, a tasting menu, as well as the chef menu. For those looking to sample the tasting and chef menus, be aware that …

Il Piccolino

Address: 350 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90048
Il Piccolino
$$
Sparkling lights line the welcoming patio at Il Piccolino Trattoria where the atmosphere is cozy and romantic. The menu offers a range of both casual and exquisite Italian fare, and the service is some of the most gracious around. The kitchen utilizes organic, local, and sustainable produce when possible. The house bread is vegan and the only cooking oil used is extra virgin olive oil, be it for dressing, cooking or frying. Other fine attentions to detail include Balsamic vinegar aged at least a decade, natural gray sea salt, daily fresh seafood, and house made salad dressings. With an eye …

Osteria Latini

Address: 11712 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Osteria Latini
$$
One of Brentwood’s premier Italian restaurants, Osteria Latini offers an expertly executed and eclectic array of Northern Italian cuisine. Head chef and owner Paolo Pasio brings his extensive knowledge from years as a restaurateur to this, his grandest achievement. The bistro-style of the restaurant, with it’s pine walls and dark wood floors, sets an intimate setting perfect for a quiet dinner with the family, or a romantic dinner with that special someone. A wide range of daily specials such as the Suckling Pig, Homemade black and white linguini with Lanostinos, and Osso buco with saffron risotto assures that regular diners …

Sam's by the Beach

Address: 108 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Sam's by the Beach
$$ Recommended Editor's Pick
With nearly every new restaurant offering some sort of fusion cuisine today, Sam’s by the Beach rises above the rest and delivers fresh, smart food in an intimate neighborhood setting just off Pacific Coast Highway. The seasonal menu includes traditional California basics that seem familiar until the taste reveals unique Mediterranean details. The unassuming outside belies the quiet romance waiting inside. Dedicated staff members cater to your every dining need, implementing a special menu if requested and treating each patron as a regular. Visit this surprising getaway to relearn all your old favorites.

Pitfire Pizza Company

Address: 108 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Pitfire Pizza Company
$$ Editor's Pick
After seven years of success in the North Hollywood Arts District, Paul Hibler and David Sanfield took their Pitfire Pizza concept downtown in 2005. Across from St. Vibiana’s Cathedral and in the shadow of skyscrapers, office workers flood this modern Italian café at lunch for thin-crust pizzas, hearty pastas, and market-fresh salads. At night and on weekends, the rush subsides and Pitfire offers a more relaxed dining experience with the same value. Order at the counter, where a board lists seasonal specials and fresh-baked desserts are on display. To drink, there’s fresh sangria and watermelon lemonade, plus wine and beer.

The First Cabin

Address: 1221 West Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92663
The First Cabin
$$$
The First Cabin, located in the Balboa Bay Club and Resort, perfectly captures the essence of the Newport Harbor with its panoramic bay views. The menu offers classic Californian cuisine, with dishes such as creamy lobster bisque and beef tenderloin. Complimented by a wide selection of more than 600 wines, including vintages from around the world, The First Cabin received praise for its wine collection with awards from both Wine Spectator and the Distinguished Restaurants of North America. Chef Josef Lageder uses only the freshest ingredients the season has to offer for the menu, and even offers a special wellness …

The Golden Truffle

Address: 1767 Newport Boulevard, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
The Golden Truffle
$$
The Golden Truffle is a unique bistro known for its innovative fusion menu, which includes a mixture of Asian, French, Spanish, and Caribbean-influenced dishes from Chef Alan Greeley. The menu changes daily with whatever the freshest ingredients available are, but favorite items include Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad and Rosemary Roasted Spring Lamb Loin with Vegetable Soufflé and Mushroom Meat Juices. With such a wide array of dishes to choose from, The Golden Truffle keeps its clientele curious. An extensive and award winning wine list featuring French and Californian selections to compliment the exciting menu.

Sundried Tomato Cafe

Address: 361 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Sundried Tomato Cafe
$$
Sundried Tomato Café serves fresh café food with a California twist. Nestled in a Laguna Beach shopping center, this classy but casual restaurant provides guests a healthy dose of appetizing treats. True to its name, this American bistro adds a sundried tomato zest to classic dishes. Starting from Sundried Tomato Butter with bread to their signature Creamy Sundried Tomato Soup, diner’s palates are consistently wowed. This bowl of deliciousness can be served a la carte, or part of the “Sundried’s Comfort Combo” complete with Grilled Asiago Cheese and Tomato Sandwich. Heartier options are also available in the form of seafood, …

Oliver Cafe

Address: 9601 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Oliver Cafe
$$
Every aspect of Oliver Café in Beverly Hills represents top talents in the fields of design, business management, and innovative cuisine. Combining the culinary talents of Chef Francisco Ochoa with the restaurant acumen of Mario Oliver and the genius of interior designer, Dodd Mitchell, Oliver Cafe offers an irresistible and contemporary backdrop for breakfast, lunch, chill-out hour, or dinner. The menu features health conscious dishes, with certain items endorsed by the house “Register Dietician” to fall within a certain specified caloric range. For those in Beverly Hills looking for something light to nosh on, give Oliver Café a try.

Mori Sushi

Address: 11500 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Mori Sushi
$$ Recommended
Mori Sushi exudes an elegance and class that sums up the Los Angeles dining scene, but brings eastern culinary traditions to brilliant life with their selection of dishes. Serving up fresh, quality sushi daily, plus premium lunch specials based on traditional Japanese recipes. Mori Sushi also features a private dining venue for special events and private parties. Though sushi is plentiful in Los Angeles, Mori Sushi boasts a certain simplistic confidence and variety, all of which make this establishment unique.

Crustacean

Address: 9646 S. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Crustacean
$$$$
Crustacean in Beverly Hills offers award-winning Euro-Vietnamese cuisine in a stunning atmosphere. Entering through the cocktail lounge, guests first experience the restaurants famous “walk on water” as they follow a weaving path atop a floor-level aquarium to the main dining room. Seated amid French-Colonial décor, the menu entices the senses with selections such as Shaken Beef flambéed in Chardonnay and Rice Ravioli in a soy-sesame emulsion. Dishes “From An’s Secret Kitchen” are especially enticing; although the entire menu, down to the desserts, demonstrates a talented mastering of unique fusion cuisine. The excellent wine menu contains recommended pairings listed beneath each …

Clementine

Address: 1751 Ensley Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Clementine
$$
Clementine bakery and café in Century City bustles with the activity of patrons who make regular appearances at this sidewalk café. Sensory overload hits guests the moment they cross the threshold into the restaurant. A display case greets patrons with freshly baked cookies, cupcakes, bars, and mini key lime pies. Just when a sweet tooth might surrender to making a meal of just pastries, the smell of homemade soups, fresh sandwiches, and seasonal salads wafts by. Curbside pickup and a take-out dinner menu round out this charming, breezy, bistro like gem. With a new menu every season, highlighting the freshest, …

Papa Cristo's

Address: 2771 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Papa Cristo's
$$
Located in a Greek Market that has been open since the 1940’s, Papa Cristo’s Greek Restaurant has been serving South Los Angeles authentic culinary delicacies for more than 20 years. Using imported seasonings, cheeses, olives, olive oils, as well as other ingredients to prepare the culturally true plates featured at Papa Cristo’s, it is no wonder people rave that this is some of the best Greek food available in Los Angeles. A full menu with items like Sizzling Feta & Tomato, Dolmades, Tabouli, Gyro, and Rack of Lamb just to mention a few, will satiate any desire for tasty Greek …

Lido di Manhattan

Address: 1550 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite G, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Lido di Manhattan
$$$ Recommended
A South Bay fixture since 1991, laid-back Lido di Manhattan occupies a commanding corner site. The restaurant is bright and open, with artwork by local artist Monica Farrell. The cuisine is California-Italian, with a heavier lean towards the latter. Signature dishes such as lobster won ton tacos, angel hair pasta with jumbo scallops and tiger prawns and charbroiled filet mignon showcase fresh ingredients. The sweet selection of Desserts are all made in house. Wine buffs will find plenty to please, while cocktail lovers can work their way through the lengthy list. A calendar of cooking classes and events keeps things …

Asanebo

Address: 11941 Ventura Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91604
Asanebo
$$$
Asanebo dishes gourmet Japanese cuisine to the crowds of Studio City. Tucked into a strip mall, the exterior of Asanebo mirrors the surplus of similar restaurants around town, yet hidden behind the window blinds awaits a luscious Japanese sushi experience. This classy and engaging restaurant differs vastly from other places, from its simple but creative food presentation, to its sophisticated décor. While the menu features signature pieces such as Seared Toro with Fresh Seaweed Sauce, and a selection of cooked and raw dishes, it is the Omakase option that makes Asanebo a top rated spot. This Japanese version of a …

Taste

Address: 8454 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Taste
$$
Taste in West Hollywood offers diners a California spin on down home American comfort food. Lunch features soups, salads, pizzettas, sandwiches and burgers, as well as pasta entrées. Dinner pares down the overall menu options, but expands upon main courses to include items such as Lobster & Brown Butter Risotto, Grilled Salmon, and Crispy Parmesan Chicken Paillard. Brunch, served on the weekends, offers a la carte items like Huevos Rancheros and Brioche French Toast, while a Prix Fixe menu allows diners to choose from a two-course menu for a flat fee. Every Thursday, Taste offers the “Farmers’ Market Dinner,” where …

JiRaffe

Address: 502 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
JiRaffe
$$$
Opened in 1996 by Raphael Lunetta, JiRaffe quickly became a favorite in Santa Monica. Well over ten years later, this restaurant still remains one of the hottest restaurants in town. JiRaffe serves nightly specials using only the freshest produce, seafood, and meats, and maintains high standards in all aspects of its service. The menu changes constantly with the whims of Chef Lunetta’s creativity and the seasons, and straddles the line between traditional American cuisine and classic French fare. Bright spaces and large windows give JiRaffe a welcoming elegance reminiscent of Europe.

Catch

Address: 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Catch
$$$
Santa Monica Beach sprawls out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows that surround Catch’s elegant dining space, and serves up awe-inspiring sunsets nightly. The restaurant’s crisp décor incorporates colors one might find along the beach, and marries them seamlessly with the glistening mother of pearl sushi bar that invites diners to stay a while and indulge on the exquisitely fresh seafood selections Executive Chef Michael Reardon proudly showcases. Land and sea converge on the menu to offer an invigorating array of flavor. The Octopus Salad is and ode to the sea’s vibrant fare and the Hand Made Ravioli are a hearty gesture …

Cafe Montana

Address: 1534 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Cafe Montana
$$$
Whether you are out on the town for a lively night of entertainment or you’re settling in for a lazy Sunday with the morning paper, Café Montana is eager to suit the occasion with its subtle SoCal charm and distinguished California cuisine menu. Weekend visitors may savor the thoughtful brunch menu that caters to multiple palates and diets. Dishes like the Lox Benedict and the Montana Angus Beef Burger are worth getting out of bed for. The evening menu is equally eclectic and satisfying with highlights like the Seared Scallops, the Pumpkin Ravioli, and the Blackened Prime Rib. And did …

Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen

Address: 1119 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401
Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen
$$$
Rustic Canyon Wine Bar & Seasonal Kitchen in Santa Monica offers patrons a regularly changing menu utilizing dishes motivated by Farmers’ Market ingredients sourced from local ranchers, farmers, and fishermen who practice sustainable agriculture. With a wine list centered on boutique wineries from around the world, offerings are handpicked by proprietor and owner Josh Loeb. With twenty options of wine by the glass, rotated on a regular basis, guests can expect something new to try with each visit. Food, plated with the intention of sharing, allows restaurant goers to order for the table and embark on a tour of tastes. …