Top Restaurants of 2008

Anyone interested in food in LA must know of the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, Jonathan Gold.
I listen to him on Good Food (KCRW, Saturdays at 11:00am) with Evan Kleiman, and he does the food column for the L.A. Weekly.
"Anyhow, these are his top 10 food picks for 2008. There are some interesting choices. I've been hearing a lot of buzz about "Animal" Restaurant on Fairfax and Palate, right on Brand in Glendale. And Korean blowfish hot pot anyone?

Slideshow and article.


Another top 10 list from Los Angeles Magazine:

Top New L.A. Restaurants
Patrick Kuh is the restaurant critic for Los Angeles magazine, which recently named L.A.'s top new restaurants of 2008:

1. Palate, 933 S Brand Blvd, Glendale. 818-662-9463, Octavio Becerra's place that also has a wine shop attached.

2. Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice. 310-450-1429. Chef Travis Lett makes magic with his wood-fired oven.

3. Nickel Diner. An authentic-looking, real diner. 524 S Main St, downtown LA. 213-623-8301. Every morning each table gets donut holes. It has a classic diner repertoire.

4. Anisette. A brasserie opened by chef Alain Giraud. Farmers market produce is featured in a perfect brasserie setting. 225 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica. 310-395-3200.

5. Comme Ca. A brasserie by David Myers, owner of Sona restaurant across the street. 8479 Melrose Ave. 323-782-1104.

6. Little Dom's. Italian wedding soup and freshly made pastas in leather booths. 2128 Hillhurst Ave, Los Feliz. 323-661-0055.

7. Animal. Pork-intensive, artisan grains and lots of bacon. 435 N Fairfax Ave, LA. 323-782-9225.

8. BLT Steak. The steakhouse from Laurent Tourondel has fare that goes beyond the usual steak house. Diver scallops with meyer lemon vinaigrette, crepe souffle and a nice wine list. 8720 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood. 310-360-1950.

9. Loteria Grill. The full service restaurant from the Farmers Market stand. Fresh tortillas go along with the Mexico City fare in a Hollywood Blvd spot. 6627 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood. 323-465-2500.

10. Brix @ 1601. Fundamentals done right like the split pea soup with country bread. Not the showiest restaurant but an example of delicious basics. 1601 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach. 310-698-0740.