Los Angeles

A playful "Dark & Stormy" gelee with ginger beer foam and other amuses-bouche may precede a beautifully presented plate of fluke, rhubarb, burdock and shiso. — Gayot

The flagship of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's food empire, sophisticated Spago is among LA's most famous restaurants. — Insight Guides

Breakfast and lunch from a damn good jam-maker. — Not For Tourists

This always-mobbed trattoria in Downtown's Arts District offers an impressive selection of house-cured charcuterie and handmade pasta, but the noise level makes intimate conversation impossible. — Condé Nast Traveler

Nancy Silverton is the most dogged of chefs, dedicated to perfecting the most elemental of foods through sheer strength of will. — LA Weekly

Patina's exquisitely wrought dining room in Disney Hall is the most important restaurant space in California, and Tony Esnault is a master of modern global cuisine. — LA Weekly

Avocado cocktails smeared with sweet, pink dressing and frigid bowls of chilled consommé; great naked planks of boiled finnan haddie and dainty plates of crab Louie; kidneys Turbigo. — LA Weekly

Serving simply prepared dishes inspired by the sustainable bounty from local farmers, ranchers and fishermen, this restaurant grew out of the monthly dinners its founder once held in his home. — Frommer's

In her veggie-intense contemporary American cooking, Goin uses finesse to balance tradition and invention. — Fodor's

Great Jewish deli in MacArthur Park. Try the pastrami sandwiches. — Not For Tourists

At Water Grill, the raw bar rules. Always has. — Los Angeles Times

The rewards are ample, including steak burgers piled high with fixings (everything you'd expect, minus the tomato—they don't like them here). — Concierge

Fans simply “can't go wrong” with a “varied” menu featuring the “freshest, finest” seafood prepared in both “inventive” and traditional “East Coast” styles. — Zagat

Three separate kitchens spill out into the restaurant’s main dining space, creating the energy and feel of a marketplace in a French courtyard. — The Infatuation

An "exploration of everything carnivore" where the "superbly prepared" snout-to-tail plates are bound to entice you "out of your comfort zone". — Zagat

The truth is that Petty Cash works. It works partly because of its components, and partly in spite of them. — LA Weekly

L.A.'s oldest restaurant (1908), Philippe claims that the French dip sandwich originated here. — Fodor's

In a dreary mini-mall, but the spicy chicken, squid, oxtail curry, papaya salad, and fishball and other seafood curries more than make up for the setting. Affordable prices, too. — Rough Guide

The sheer level of cooking in this modest bungalow eclipses what you find in grand dining rooms whose chefs appear in national magazines. — Los Angeles Times

The wine list is impeccable and the staff knowledgeable. And for the food? Well, it’s refined. It’s good. Very good, in many cases. — The Infatuation