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Some of these restaurants made their debut this year, and some are perennial faves. Some are wallet-breakers, and some are low-budget. So we didn't make it there this year...maybe this can be our restaurant resolution list for 2-0-0-7. (I can, however, say I have eaten at any given listed location if anyone wants to volunteer to take me there for my 30th birthday, which so conveniently happens to take place just before 2006 comes to a close.)
1. Providence
I keep hearing and reading that this place is "the best." Well, dammit, I want to go there to see for myself.
2. Spago
For the tasting menu.
3. AOC
Small plates are the most fun with big groups. So who's in?
4. Mozza
Let's just see what all the fuss is about for this recently-launched pizzeria.
5. Cut
This ultra-posh steak-perience drew raves and flak upon its opening this year. I have no objection whatsoever to indulging in dry-aged prime cuts of meat that run upwards of $40/lb. I just don't want to pay for it myself.
6. Sushi Tenn
I will confess to being geographically lazy when it comes to my sushi-exploration of L.A. I get stuck in the Valley--and why shouldn't I, when the Valley has such stellar sushi? This is why I need to get dragged over to the Westside to see what they've got.
7. Soot Bull Jeep
I've had a wicked craving for good Korean BBQ since I last had some this summer in NYC's Korean 'hood, and Soot Bull Jeep is rumored to be the best.
8. New Concept
Dim Sum is best done en masse, with a someone who knows a lot about it at the helm and doing all the pointing and picking from the mysterious carts. And while I'm adventurous, I'm not that person. I'm willing to be taken underwing and to the SGV. Am I willing to try chicken feet? The jury's still out.
9. 25 Degrees
This summer I showed off the city to my charming and celeb-obsessed out-of-town cousin. We roamed the Hollywood Roosevelt, but for some reason she didn't feel like having lunch there, despite the amazing wafting aroma of hamburgers stealing out of 25 Degrees. Why is it so hard to convince someone to spend $20 on a burger with me? Were big bucks burgers the food fad of 2006?
10. Hotel Bel Air
I have this fantasy of having lunch at the Hotel Bel Air with Diane Keaton (I know, weird...). We order shrimp Caesar salads and drink lots of wine and talk about men, photography, art, preserving local landmarks, and film. Since this isn't likely to happen anytime soon, I'll settle for having high tea at the hotel.
