Hello all- I am another LA resident new to egullet. I am sad to see that this fascinating discussion about the local restaurant scene has dropped off! Maybe now that the new Top 10 has been published in LA mag, there will be more discourse. I was raised in NoCal (Berkeley & SF) and lived in NY for 8 years before moving to LA about 4 years ago. I must say I can see merit in the views of both lizziee & hollywood. I think LA has some great places to eat ethnic food of all kinds, and many mid-range places that are more than passable. We can be very proud of our Japanese cuisine, for sure. But I have to agree with lizziee when it comes to the really great restaurants. My significant other & I only go to high end places on special occasions, and have not had the diverse, global experiences you all have been discussing. But when I lived in NY, and it was time for a big, fancy dinner out, there were always a plethora of options that did not disappoint. Perhaps it is the choices I've made since I've been here, but I have been let down by all of the "best" places here. (Most recent was an unimpressive meal at Valentino made worse by a waiter who was obviously ready for us to leave so he could end his shift. Other let-downs have been the now defunct Citrus, inconsistent and often boring Jozu, inconsistent Matsuhisa, Spago BH & Chinois--maybe I expected too much.) Thinking that perhaps the culinary genius in LA could be found in hipper, trendier places, we tried Jar, Linq, Little Door, Reign, Mr Chow, Eurochow, Les Deux Cafes, and Falcon, and found them all very sceney and totally lacking in any inspiration in the food department (some were just plain awful). Moomba, on the other hand, has actually turned out very well-prepared, interesting, and delicious meals on several occasions. I have had a few outstanding meals at Trouquet in the super-plastic South Coast Plaza--a tasting menu was particularly good. We went to Cienega once before it closed, and were quite happy with that experience. Zax has also provided several very good (though more casual) experiences. All of these places were kind of uncool, not particularly well decorated, and lacking in celebrities, but the food, wine, and service were top-notch. (We need more like this!) I suspect that when Angelenos go for a big night out, they want to see stars in a fancy room, and maybe eat something with the sauce on the side. Maybe that is why this town has driven away some talent. And maybe a good reason to focus on the wide variety of off-the beaten-path places that hollywood recommends. In any event, I would be very curious to hear what you all thought of LA Mag's most recent darlings. Thanks!
