"If your name isn’t on the list at R+D by 5:30pm, there’s a good chance you’re going to be waiting on Montana Avenue for a few hours. That’s how competitive things get at this walk-in spot in Santa Monica from the people behind Hillstone. Thanks to the dense residential neighborhoods that surround it, the dining room is packed with people who seemingly walked to R+D from their house, meaning crowds arrive early and stay late as they wrecked on martinis and pinot grigio. Unlike most Hillstone locations, there’s a true bar scene here with wealthy divorcées rubbing shoulders with Gen X crypto dads. Dinner should be their location-specific dishes like decadent meatloaf, rotating sandwich specials like cubanos and carnitas, and the glorious Dip Duo with guacamole and jalapeño queso that’s really just cold pimento cheese (but still delicious)." - Brant Cox
