Chowhound's 99 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles

[ipsedixit]

Ok, motivated by these two threads bashing(?), and maybe even whining(?), about Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential Restaurants 2010:

Here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/746506?tag=boards;topic-746506#comments
and
Here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7464...

How about we stop the negativity and we 'Hounds compile our own 99 Essential Restaurants list?

Not the "Best" (that's maxzook's balliwick), but your list of essential restaurants for Los Angeles.

I think 99 would be difficult for even the most intrepid of 'Hounds.

So how about we limit the choices to 10 per 'Hound.

And, if I've got time, I'll actually complie a list of the 99 most mentioned restaurants from the post.

Deal?

Have it at ...

[TonyC]

ips, we're still waiting for CH's own essential 99 of 2010.

[emosbaugh]

Bay Cities
Soot Bull Jeep
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Quality Seafood
Big Mista
Al & Bea's
Jitlada
Langers
Musso & Frank
Fathers Office (Santa Monica)

-----
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA

Ricky's Fish Tacos
1400 N Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[jesstifer]

Original Tommy's
El Cielito Lindo
Langer's
Carney's
Providence
El Chavo
Philippe's
Beverly Soon Tofu
Sushi Gen
Taylor's Steakhouse

I narrowed down my list by keeping it in the City of Los Angeles, not just the Greater LA area. Too hard otherwise!

-----
Taylor's Steakhouse
3361 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005

El Chavo
4441 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant
2717 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

[Will Owen]

As nobody has seen fit to mention Pann's, all these lists are obviously suspect if not bogus. The last original-owner Googie place - a uniquely and specifically LA phenomenon - serving genuine food made from actual ingredients, as they have since 1958. It's as essentially LA as Musso & Frank, PDC, the Original Pantry and Clifton's. Long may they wave.

[bulavinaka]

And wave that patty melt high - with great anticipation...

[orythedog]

Agree! As I have had wings and a waffle in the last 24 hours!

[westsidegal]

<<serving genuine food made from actual ingredients>>

as opposed to what? phoney food using phoney ingredients?

[Will Owen]

As opposed to opening a package from Smart & Final and heating it up, or using frozen mystery meat for the CFS, or gravy from a carton, or serving biscuits that arrived on a truck. Even their boring "chef's vegetables" are prepared from raw. This is not common to eateries of that genre, not around here, and a lot of the funkier ones don't even try to pretend it's otherwise. At the Way Station in Newhall, the guy cooked me a very good hamburger, then topped the plate with a scoop of potato salad from a First Street carton!

[westsidegal]

i'd guess that all that prepared stuff you disdain was made from the same "raw" materials that Pann's uses. . . . .
commercial cheese product from one company often tastes very much like the commercial cheese product procured from a different company.
commerial white bread tastes amazingly similar from purveyer to purveyer.
are you saying that Pann's makes it's own bread from some special flour?

i do admit that Dreyers ice cream tastes better than some of the other commercial brands (maybe a higher quality of phoney flavor or more mystery-fat content), but Pann's doesn't use Dreyers nor any ice cream in it's league, so no need to discuss that here. . . .

if the big bar to you is that they use real beef instead of phoney beef, that seems like setting the bar REALLY low to me. even the burger joint i went to in college used real beef and they mixed it with real ground lard.. . . . .

[Will Owen]

Okay, so you're not a "Farm to Table" sort of person; I only sort of am, but I also prefer that a restaurant do the sort of cooking they all used to do, not that long ago. They didn't grind their own peanut butter, and there was canned soup if you wanted it, but the soup of the day was made back in the kitchen, and when they ran out they were out. For this reason I tend to get kinda happy when I ask for something and they tell me they ran out of it, as opposed to, "We'll have more in a while, but it's not thawed yet."

I don't know where you got the beef thing - the only burger I mentioned was the Newhall guy, and his burger was good in spite of its being a pre-made commercial patty, just not as good as if he'd formed it from fresh-ground.

There are many imperfections in Pann's execution of things: the bread, as mentioned; the waffles, which I find bland in the extreme; the boring, boring Chef's Vegetables, which aren't from frozen but they're almost that sad. I can't speak for ice cream, since I don't usually eat that anywhere but home or Fosselman's. But, ya know, we're talking about a good, solid diner here, not La Côte Basque. Yes, I am more inclined to like it because of its history, and its refusal to change most of its ways, but that sure isn't enough to make me go to Pink's.

[echoparkdirt]

As for Pann, i tried their fried chicken and waffles along with the food at Serving Spoon. I found Serving Spoon amazing -- fluffy, tasty, interesting, etc. The food at Pann was quite underwhelming IMHO

-----
The Serving Spoon Restaurant
1403 Centinela Ave, Inglewood, CA 90302

[Dommy]

The serving spoon is great! But I go there for different reasons... at the Serving Spoon, I know I know it's going to be an indulgent breakfast/lunch no matter what I order... At Panns because they use a lot more fresh ingredients, I can get a few chicken wings and a bowl of spinach and not feel so weighed down. The Serving Spoon also has limited hours...

-----
The Serving Spoon Restaurant
1403 Centinela Ave, Inglewood, CA 90302

[westsidegal]

WO:
you're a more loyal customer than i am.
when the chile relleno omelet that i used to get at Dinah's went downhill, despite having been loyal to the omelet and loyal to the restaurant for decades, i left and didn't look back.
i was sad about it, but not so sad that i'd actually eat another one.

you're made of tougher, more loyal stuff.

[Will Owen]

If the Pann's items I love got nasty, or even bland, I'd have to bid them a sad bye-bye. Hasn't happened yet. But, see, I used to be able to go there at least once a month, and I can't do that anymore, so my evaluation of their food has to be based on maybe two lunches a year. The last couple of times the chicken has looked darker - on other people's plates, because I had my own agenda - and my gravy had a touch of bouillon-cubishness to it that ran counter to my recollections. I'm going to pursue that more next time I go; my aim here is not (as some have suggested) to extol Pann's no matter what they do, but to keep track of how they're doing and report candidly on it. I'm sort of making old diners my beat, as I like the food so much and cook a lot like that myself. I'm loyal to the food, and that's pretty much it.

And as for your chile relleno omelets, anyone who likes those is okay in my books. I've never encountered one in a restaurant; in fact, I thought I'd invented them! Split green chile warmed in butter with cheese melted on top, dropped onto a one-egg omelet then rolled; two of these on a plate, smear of sour cream, drizzle of Pico Pica. How were Dinah's done?

[westsidegal]

they had a ranchera sauce on them for decades.

then something terrible happened to the ranchera sauce: it turned into a semi-solid glop of brown something with some caramelized onions in it.

i ordered it on two different occasions hoping that the first time was just a nightmare and that i would "wake up" and that the sauce would return to normal. it continued to be a brown glop.
it didn't return to anything resembling a ranchera sauce.
i cried.

[Will Owen]

Damn. They probably thought they'd improved it, too.

One of the best reasons I've found for learning to cook is the crappy things people do to good, plain food in too many restaurants, and the way that learning how to make something you really like gives you a measuring stick to judge other versions by.

[westsidegal]

that omelet was one of my mainstay dishes for a long time--for well over 20 years.
i don't think they thought they were improving it. i think the brown glop was something that was on a steam table too long that, in the old days, they would have thrown out.

[la tache burger]

Langers
Apple Pan
Pizzeria Mozza
Lucques
In N Out
Gjelina
Ludobites
Cut
The Stand
The Larder at Tavern

-----
Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

[BSW6490]

Dan Tanas

Il Picolino

The Brentwood

Mr Chow

Sasaboni

Baronis Pizza

Spago

Barney Greengrass

Langers

Water Grill

Mastroes

-----
Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Chateau Marmont
8221 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Dan Tana's Restaurant
9071 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Vibrato Grill & Jazz
2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel Air, CA 90077

Capo
1810 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401

Barney Greengrass Restaurant
9570 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Sushi Sushi
326 1/2 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Saam at The Bazaar
465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

[Ashibi]

Zankou Chicken
Sushi Don
Chosun Galbee
Madeo
Il Pastaio
Ruth's Chris
Mr. Chow
Giorgio Baldi
Pizzeria Mozza
Sasabune

-----
Pizzeria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Ruth's Chris Steak House
224 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Chosun Galbi Restaurants
3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Sushi Don Sasabune
4816 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607

Giorgio Baldi Ristorante
114 W Channel Rd, Santa Monica, CA 90402

Madeo Ristorante
8897 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90048

Sasabune
12400 Wilshire Blvd Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Mr. Chow
344 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Zankou Chicken
10760 Riverside Dr, North Hollywood, CA 91602

[raizans]

107 restaurants so far.

[sammycakes]

Providence
Jitlada
Spicy Thai BBQ
Yu Chun Chic Naeng Myun (Olympic location)
Soowon Galbi
Pizzeria Mozza
Umami Burger
Pollo a la Brassa
Guelaguetza
Papa Cristo's

-----
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Papa Cristos
2771 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[trolley]

Sushi Gen

[aching]

Bay Cities
Wurstkuche
Zankou Chicken
Umami Burger
Father's Office
Din Tai Fung
Joan's On Third
Mozza
Gjelina
AOC

-----
Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

AOC
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Joan's On Third
8436 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Father's Office Bar
1618 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

[jadekarrde]

26 Beach
Jose Andres the Bazaar
Bite bar and bakery
Bay cities deli
Joe’s pizza of bleeker street
The Foundry
Portos
Jin patisserie
Lou’s on vine
Black cow café

-----
26 Beach
3100 Washington Blvd., Venice, CA 90292

[silence9]

Hello... I believe that an essential restaurant should also have a uniquely memorable name, almost as if it is the punchline to a joke. Case in point: Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles...

[carter]

Well, that is its defining feature!

[OCAnn]

Langer's
Philippe's French Dip
Caioti Pizza
The Original Pantry Cafe
Frank & Musso
Water Grill
Providence
Quality Seafood
Spago
Matsuhisa

-----
Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Matsuhisa
129 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Caioti Pizza Cafe
4346 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

Original Pantry Cafe
877 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA

[echoparkdirt]

Luscious Dumplings
Bay Cities
Al Noor
Zam Zam
Bollini's
Jitlada
Marouche
Casa Bianca
Vito's

-----
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Al Noor
15112 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260

Luscious Dumplings
704 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776

[rworange]

1. The restaurant you pass every day and never step in the door

Repeat the above nine more times.

Yes this thread is useful and I'll bookmark it. However, there are so many places that never get mentioned that we pass every day and we never step in the door because ... no one mentions time. There are a lot of hidden gems there ... especially if you look for the unusual on the menu.

[ipsedixit]

rw,

Simply because the journey is endless, does not mean that it is not worth embarking upon.

Sisphysian? Yes, perhaps. Enjoyable nontheless? No doubt.

[ramenbound]

Sushi Zo
CUT
Animal
The Bazaar
Park's BBQ
Sea Harbour/Elite
Sapp
Shin Sen Gumi/Santouka
Langer's
Umami

I wonder how much resemblance we'll see between this and this year's LA Ultimate (Hi maxzook!)

-----
Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave, Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

M Restaurant - Hotel Metropole
205 Crescent Ave, Avalon, CA 90704

[sushigirlie]

The one thing I know from these posts is that when my parents visit for the holidays, I'm going to insist they eat the pastrami sandwich at Langer's, though I don't eat pastrami and find the stuff I have ordered from Langer's just passable.

[martyR]

Langers
JTHY
Sea Harbor
Babita
Birrieria Apatzingan
Bahooka (for the experience rather than food)
Dal Rae
J n J's Ribs and Burgers
Sapp's
The actual original Tommy's on Rampart

-----
Dal Rae
9023 E. Washington Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA 90660

Birrieria Apatzingan
10040 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91331

[rickym13]

langer's
father's office
elite
santouka
drago centro
melisse
water grill
al & bea's
daikokuya
can't decide which sushi joint...

[sushigirlie]

Question about Elite: Are you guys rating it so highly because of its dim sum, its dinner, or both? I'm more interested in dinner than dim sum.

[ipsedixit]

Like Sea Harbour, Elite is much better for dinner than dim sum.

[yogachik]

Gjelina
Musha
Tacos por Favor
Spago
Rustic Canyon
Fathers Office
Jar
Mozza
Bar Pinxto
A-Frame (but it wasn't open when Gold compiled his list, it is now, in 2010)

[yogachik]

I forgot Bottega Louie, one of my favorite restaurants in LA

-----
Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017

[Mr Grub]

Soot Bull Jeep
Langers
Noshi Sushi
Oki Dog
Spago
Guelaguetza (Olympic)
Sea Harbour
Taylor’s
Quality Seafood
Babita

-----
Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005

Oki Dog
860 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA

Noshi Sushi
4430 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004

[wienermobile]

Langer's
Park's BBQ
Sea Harbour
Gjelina
Pizzeria Mozza
Brent's
Bay Cities
Spago
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Matsuhisa

-----
Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave, Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Matsuhisa
129 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, USA

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Ricky's Fish Tacos
1400 N Virgil Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[mollyomormon]

Mori Sushi
Spago
Jitlada
Park's
La Casita Mexicana
Father's Office
Langer's
Elite
Animal
Can I count a visit to a food truck court one??

-----
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

La Casita Mexicana
4030 Gage Ave, Bell, CA 90201

Mori Sushi
11500 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Father's Office Bar
1618 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA

[ipsedixit]

Can I count a visit to a food truck court one??
__________________________________

You can do whatever you want Molly, just make sure to specify the food truck court. Don't want to be accused of (mis)counting hanging chads or anything.

[RicRios]

Please define "essential".

[mc michael]

Defining essential takes away all the fun.

[RicRios]

Petitio principii!

Got to go.
Taquitos dorados in the oven, to be washed down with a Langhe Rosso from Luigi Baudana.

I'm out.

[mc michael]

au contraire. it's metaphysical. the restaurants chosen by the peeps define "essential." now, start pickin'.

[RicRios]

I'd rather say, it's more practical than metaphysical.
I'm sure pretty soon we'll have maxzook's "ultimate" list brewing.
I need to know at least what's the difference, as far as this board is concerned, btw "essential" and "ultimate". If we can't separate the concepts, what's the purpose of compiling two lists?

[mc michael]

America loves lists.

[ipsedixit]

As I see it, RicRios, the essential restaurants are those that you consider to be part of what makes Los Angeles unique and different from every other major metropolitan city.

These are the restaurants that represent (maybe even define?) the quiddity of Los Angeles, if you will.

Cheers my friend!

[mc michael]

In other words, essential means "what it is." It being Los Angeles.

[RicRios]

That being the case, it must include Pink's.
And I refuse.
Period.
Now back to my taquitos. This time, the emulsifying medium being a 2007 Savigny-les-Beaune from Hospices de Beaune. Wow!

[mc michael]

i like your pairings

[OCAnn]

examples:

Essential: Philippe's French Dip
Ultimate: Houston's French Dip

edit: While Houston's *may* have a superior french dip, I find myself going to Philippes more often...for atmosphere, nostalgia, history, etc.

[ns1]

I suppose I can agree to this. Essential =/= best.

[ipsedixit]

Here's another one:

Essential: Din Tai Fung XLB
Best / Utlimate: Dean Sin World XLB

-----
Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Dean Sin World
306 N Garfield Ave # 2, Monterey Park, CA

[westsidegal]

i find myself going to Houston's more often for the free corkage.. . .
since i eat more meals out in restaurants than i cook at home, free corkage turns into a tidy savings for me over the course of time.

nostalgia, to me, is a top dog at Berkeley and the smell of my hair and my clothes being permeated by hot dog grease after every shift.. . .

[mc michael]

Cut
Drago Centro
Langers
Jitlada
Loteria Grill
Sea Harbour
Elite Restaurant
Mori
Newport Seafood
R23

-----
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Cut
9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Langer's Delicatessen
704 S Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Elite Restaurant
700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Mori Sushi
11500 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Loteria Grill
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

R23
923 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Drago Centro
525 S. Flower St., Suite 120, Los Angeles, CA 90071

[Ogawak]

Dean Sin World: Shanghai dumplings
26 Beach: California Roll Burger
Get Shaved: Best shave ice not in Hawaii
Antojitos Carmen: Mexican street food
Bite: Best croissants
Kagura: millefieu tonkatsu
Big Mista: brisket and pork ribs
Donut Man: outrageous strawberry donuts
Sea Harbor: Dim sum
Bulgarini: unmatched gelato

Honorable Mention:
Park Korean BBQ
Jongewaard's: pies and cakes
Fab Dogs:
Pizzeria Mozza:
Langers:
Brents
Bludso's
Flossie's
Bay Cities
Vito's
Porto's
Chego

-----
26 Beach
3100 Washington Blvd., Venice, CA 90292

Donut Man
915 E Rte 66, Glendora, CA 91740

Dean Sin World
306 N Garfield Ave # 2, Monterey Park, CA

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Antojitos Carmen
2510 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Chego
3300 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

[carln]

Urasawa
Providence
Sushi Zo
Asanebo
Elite
Nanbankan
101 Noodle Express (for the beef roll)
Park's BBQ
Quality Seafood
Eva's Lechon

-----
Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave, Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Asanebo
11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

101 Noodle Express
1408 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk, Redondo Beach, CA

[A5 KOBE]

I can't believe I forgot Bludso's.

[raizans]

ooooh, for shame!

bludso's
the park's finest
jim dandy's
new chong qing
kingburg kitchen
pailin thai
ricky's fish tacos
al watan
handel's
l'artisan du chocolat

[yoyo]

Love New Chong Qing

-----
New Chong Qing
120 N San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91775

[echoparkdirt]

when's the last time you went? I have chronicled steep decline....

[yoyo]

I was there last weekend. The hot pot is not as spicy and everything was salty. The dan dan noodle was too salty for me. i thought it was just an off day. I hope it won't go downhill. I love this place.

[echoparkdirt]

keep us posted. in the meantime, check out taste of chongqing on valley -- it's a contender.

[sushigirlie]

Jitlada
Urasawa
Water Grill
Spago
Mori Sushi
Zelo
Renu Nakorn
Yoma
Lemonade
Al Noor

-----
Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Al Noor
15112 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale, CA 90260

Mori Sushi
11500 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Yoma Restaurant
713 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA

Renu Nakorn Restaurant
13019 Rosecrans Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650

[A5 KOBE]

This is actually a lot harder narrowing down a list. Honorable mention has to be The Hat. Wish I could put it on the list. : (

Sea Harbour
Luscious Dumpling
CUT
Wolfgang's
Mama's Lu
Langer's
Brent's
Mozza
Animal
Santouka

[westsidegal]

mariscos chente in inglewood on imperial highway near yukon.

shamshiri grill on westwood blvd near santa monica blvd.

rahel's on fairfax near pico for ethiopian food

-----
shamshiri
1712 Westwood Blvd, Westwood, CA 90024

[westsidegal]

since i'm not sure what they mean by 'essential," i'll just go with my regular rotation:

mariscos chente's on west imperial highway
la cachette bistro on ocean
(these two, although very different from each other have the best fish. la cachette bistro also has some supurb desserts)

fig (best cheese and very good food--ate there for dinner tonight. had a large cheese flight along with ther fresh-from-the-oven terrific crusty french bread)
hosteria del piccolo (great pasta and starters and fabulous desserts)''

gjelina, going about 2pm to avoid the annoying wait and to avoid the annoying abbreviated menu that they serve between 3pm and 5:30 and after 10pm

stella rossa (best westside pizza even though it only is open during drinking hours)

and, although i no longer have the funds for this to be in m regular rotation, i did eat there recently and the fish is still terrific: sushi zo. ( i know, a matter of controversy on his board, but i, personally, have only have had lovely experiences there.)

[mc michael]

I'm sure your choices are excellent. But you might want to try some fish at Orris, Mori, Providence, Water Grill, (I'm moving Eastward) Shiro, Full House, Seafood Village, Newport Seafood, Sea Harbour and so on.

-----
Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Shiro Restaurant
1505 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

[westsidegal]

i've tried the fish at Orris.
it was fine,
but the "no reservations" policy coupled with no comfortable place to sit or stand while waiting for a seat, took away my motivation to learn the game for timing my meal there.

Gelina (which i mostly go to for their take on vegetables and salads has the same problem, but since it's closer to my home, i was willing to spend some time to figure out the game. my Gjelina approach, btw, is to go about 2pm or so for a late lunch).
providence, of course, serves superb food, but too costly to be on my regular rotation.
mori is fine, but if i'm spending that kind of money, i prefer the way the fish tastes at sushi zo (controversial position, i know).

have yet to try your other recommendations.
probably won't try water grill because of the location (at this point, getting off the freeway downtown is a minus for me), but will definitely put your other recommendations on my list.
thanks

[carter]

Bit of advice - seek out ABC Seafood in Chinatown, as the owner, Danny Lam, was formerly with Full House, and thus many of the customers have now moved over a few blocks.
ABC was completely remodeled, changed ownership, and is now busier than you might expect.
Tried it today - see an earlier post.

-----
ABC Seafood Restaurant
708 New High St, Los Angeles, CA 90012