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This chic new wine bar destination at the Four Seasons Hotel matches cocktails and wine with small dishes that evoke the flavors of Italian street food with an upscale twist.
Website: culinarestaurant.com/vinoteca
Address: 300 S. Doheny Dr.
Phone number: 310-273-2222
Number of seats: 58
Entrée price range: $3-$15
Popular dishes: Piccante Pizzette: Fried pizza dough topped with sopressata, buffalo mozzarella and pepperoncini; Gnocchi Malfatti: potato gnocchi, Parmesan and chef’s braised sugo of the day; Raviolacci al Pomodoro: Ricotta-stuffed egg pasta, Parmesan, tomatoes and basil crumbles
What others say: “There’s a new star spending time at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, and its name is Vinoteca. The burgeoning wine bar concept only just opened at the tony hotel space on Doheny Drive, but the place has a promising future ahead of it.” — Farley Elliott, Eater Los Angeles
Gnocchi
Raw bar
The recent Santa Monica addition to the Plan Check concept, with three other locations in Los Angeles, makes good on its architectural laurels (the name Plan Check refers to a process by which architects get their plans checked by city officials) and creative small-plate concoctions.
Website: plancheck.com
Address: 1401 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, Calif.
Phone number: 310-857-1364
Number of seats: 65
Entrée price range: $13-$28
Popular dishes: Nashville Hot fish sandwich with crispy mahi mahi, kaffir lime slaw, spicy pickles, and cayenne; lobster roll and fries with kewpie mayonnaise, gochujang, shallot, key lime and chives; lobster pot pie with curried lobster bisque, beets, green beans, corn, carrots and potatoes
What others say: “The restaurant is very hip like a bar. The design is modern.” — Yelp comment from Yelp
Interior
Nashville hot fish sandwich
Expanding on a beloved Bacari L.A. location near the University of Southern California, this wine bar with rustic, earthy Mediterranean small plates draws drinkers and diners to an outdoor mall in Glendale.
Website: bacarigdl.com
Address: 757 Americana Way, Glendale, Calif.
Phone number: 818-696-1460
Number of seats: 58
Entrée price range: $10-$18
Popular dishes: Oxtail with dukkah spice, roasted garlic, toasted buckwheat and micro herb blend; banana prawns with pipelchuma (a Libyan hot sauce), farro and parsley salad; ricotta and beet gnocchi with chèvre fondue, chimichurri and micro bulls blood herb
What others say: “Small plates of wood-fired, freshly-made dishes from local ingredients, impeccable yet relaxed service, and a bar you won’t believe welcome you to your new favorite spot in town.” — Elizabeth Dahl, The Manual
Bacari Burger
Pizza
Elaborate low-lit speakeasy vibes commune with artfully updated historic French cuisine in this favorite post-music-performance spot near the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Website: boardroomla.com
Address: 135 N Grand Ave.
Phone number: 213-972-8556
Number of seats: 57
Entrée price range: $4-$25
Popular dishes: Escargot shooters with herbed garlic butter and puff pastry baked in porcelain shot glass; Black Market Burger with course-ground patty, Comté cheese, foie gras, red wine caramelized onions, truffle aïoli and arugula on butter brioche; uni deviled eggs with Santa Barbara sea urchin; French dip with carved rare roast beef, au jus, horseradish and pickled beets on a French roll
What others say: “The brand new bar in downtown Los Angeles is creatively steeped in the past, filled with literary craft cocktails, decadent French bites, live music, and an arts-inspired cocktail tasting-menu. Your late night watering hole just got a lot cooler.” — Elizabeth Dahl, The Manual
Escargot shooters
French dip
In Sherman Oaks, Aaron Robins, the chef-operator behind the Valley’s eclectic Boneyard Bistro, took over a former restaurant space and transformed it considerably into this lavish, extravagant destination with a well-appointed homey feel and food that tends toward Latin and Mediterranean flavors with a nod to Asia.
Website: soca-la.com
Address: 14015 Ventura Blvd.
Phone number: 818-301-4300
Number of seats: 70 inside, 28 on the patio
Entrée price range: $27-$55
Popular dishes: Kurobuta Butt, Belly, & Bone: char siu roasted pork butt, belly, bone-in chop, charred shishito peppers and crispy sun choke and yuzu gremolata; tea-smoked duck breast with crispy shiitake rice cake, roasted baby turnips and carrots and hoisin cherry chutney; grilled lamb chops with chermoula-marinated American lamb, white bean hummus, quinoa tabbouleh and za’atar flatbread
What others say: “Step inside the wood-steeped interior, and you’ll find the sort of adult dinner destination more commonly associated with Beverly Hills or West Hollywood. But this is Ventura Boulevard, which is leading the most recent culinary charge for folks on the other side of the hill.” — Farley Elliott, Eater LA
Filet mignon
Interior
