Top-rated California Restaurants, 2023, per OpenTable users

[Smithy]

This article from KTLA crossed my news feed this morning. It says that a dozen California restaurants made this year's Top 100 USA restaurants according to OpenTable users. It includes a link to each restaurant's booking site on OpenTable, with comments, photos and ratings. Where possible there's a link to the restaurant's menu. The ratings are from OpenTable users.

 

https://ktla.com/news/california/these-are-the-top-rated-restaurants-in-california-according-to-opentable/

 

It's fun for me to browse. I used to live in the L.A. Area and when I see lists like this I almost (almost!) wish I still did. When I was a broke college student or recent graduate, my friends and I made good use of a book titled something like "The Best Little Restaurants in L.A." whose purpose was to include little-known, and inexpensive, restaurants along with the better known places like Lawry's Steak House.

 

Thanks to that book, we discovered the Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood and loved it. It appears from time to time in Michael Connelly's books. But I really thought it had closed down...and here it is, still listed in the top tier!

 

The L.A. Arts District and Newport Beach areas have more than one interesting listing in this article. 

 

I'm going to enjoy looking through menus and photos. Maybe I'll even get some ideas for things to try cooking.

[blue_dolphin]

Interesting that Ori Menashe & Genevieve Gergis have THREE of the eight LA area restaurants on the list: Bavel, Bestia and Saffy's.

I have their Bestia and Bavel cookbooks and have cooked from them quite a lot but have never been to one of their restaurants. 

 

Tangent:  The Kindle version of Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). is currently $2.99 on Amazon.

[FrogPrincesse]

I was happy to see Jeune & Jolie on the list. It is my favorite restaurant in San Diego (and a one-Michelin star since 2021). It has exquisite food and the ambiance is very California-relaxed. I have only had memorable meals there. 

 

In San Diego, Youngblood is also listed but it is a bar, not a restaurant, and they do not serve food.

[weinoo]

So basically unless a restaurant uses the open table platform (like, if it uses Resy), it can't be considered one of the best? 

 

Which is just ridiculous.

 

[liuzhou]

I never pay attention to lists compiled from anonymous 'customers' (or reviews from same 'customers'.)

 

Too many fakes, too many vested interests, too many scores to settle, too many trolls, too many clueless diners, etc.

 

"The curry was spicy! I don't like spicy food!"

 

"The ice cream was COLD!"

 

"The soup was too wet and the spaghetti was too long."