"This Michelin-starred restaurant is tiny, sitting only 24 lucky diners per night. Featuring concrete floors, and lots of illustrations, paintings and photos in mismatch frames that hang from the subway tiled walls, the dining room feels relaxed and welcoming. Chef Curtis Stone and his team focus on the best of SoCal's fresh ingredients, from sea and land. Each course, which arrives in the kind of dainty little plates you might find in your eclectic great aunt's home, is a thoughtful and well-executed homage to the season's bounty and flavors; offerings might include standouts such as abalone with koshihikari rice, seaweed, and oyster mayonnaise; a delicate buñuelo stuffed with blue cheese and macadamia nuts. Dessert takes place upstairs in a temperature-controlled room (in essence, the wine room) that's decorated with cozy sofas, upholstered armchairs, and bric-a-brac. The tasting menu can be accompanied with the "classic wine pairing," ($155) that leans towards California vintages, with a few standouts from Rioja and the Loire Valley—or spring for the "reserve wine pairing" ($255)." - Hugh Garvey, Celeste Moure, Krista Simmons
