With their delicate crusts and intriguing toppings—think Alfredo sauce, goat cheese, and portabella mushrooms—the pizzas at Abbot's are some of the best in the West. This bite-sized storefront's location—on the main drag in bohemian Venice—is an added bonus. Inside, rock music blasts from speakers, and convertibles, bicycles, and "Peace and Love" are advertised on a bulletin board. You can sit among the tattooed and pierced customers at a stainless-steel counter, but takeout is the big thing here. And why not, when Venice Beach beckons?

Helmed by entertainment-biz caterer Akasha Richmond, this eco-friendly restaurant, bar, and bakery in Culver City serves healthy, surprisingly tasty, organic grub to members of L.A.'s growing green scene. Inside, the construction is sustainable, the appliances are energy-efficient, and the servers wear organic cotton T-shirts and Levi's Eco jeans. Standout entrées range from an earthy bowl of Punjabi Mung beans to a hearty slab of flatiron steak paired with organic fries. Belly up to the bar with the rest of the eco mafia for a signature cocktail mixed with organic lemon vodka, or order earth-conscious takeout from the counter: The containers are all biodegradable, and the cutlery is made from wheat.

Restaurant open Mondays through Thursdays 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 5:30 to 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 5:30 to 11 pm, and Sundays 5 to 9 pm. Bakery open Mondays through Fridays 8 am to 5:30 pm, Saturdays 9 am to 5:30 pm.

Gino Angelini's sophisticated comfort-food restaurant is where other chefs go when they're off duty—Mario Batali, for instance, tends to drop by when he's in town. It's not that Angelini's menu is particularly nouveau or showy—, but his takes on ordinary-sounding dishes use the highest-quality ingredients and are somehow transcendentally delicious. The menu includes antipasti, thin-crust pizzas, pastas, salads, and roasted meats; his lasagna Nonna Elvira—layers of spinach pasta with béchamel, buffalo mozzarella and Bolognese sauce—is sheer perfection. Angelini also runs La Terza in the newly redecorated Orlando hotel on Third, which is a little more formal (8384 W. Third St.; 323-782-8384).

Closed Mondays.

Feeling nostalgic for a time gone by (and the low prices that went with it)? Head to this white clapboard shack, opened in 1947 and now surrounded by boxy storefronts that seem about to swallow it whole. Inside, wood paneling and red-and-white plaid wallpaper flank 26 counter seats, for which devoted fans are happy to wait. The rewards are ample, including steak burgers piled high with fixings (everything you'd expect, minus the tomato—they don't like them here) and hickory burgers drenched in barbecue sauce. Whatever you do, save room for the gooey homemade pie.

Closed Mondays.

Maybe it's that the outside of Barbrix, located in hip Silver Lake, looks like a burnished version of the 1940s-era house it once was; or that owners Claudio Blotta and his wife, Adria Tennor, have a way of waving hi to every diner as if they've known them forever. But some say that the overwhelming success of this 50-seat wine bar has more to do with the fact that the neighborhood has long needed a spot that serves good food and affordable wine. Either way, as the sun set the other night, it seemed that half the community's residents began threading their way down the hill towards Barbrix as if by mass decree, primed to enjoy the clean, distinct flavors of chef Don Dickman's seasonal menu. We loved our small—but not still-hungry small—plates of delicate Sicilian veal meatballs; a Turkish salad of diced vegetables and tangy dabs of Greek yogurt; and grilled New Zealand lamp chops with mint pesto and eggplant purée. Blotta, whom locals know as the Argentine charmer from Campanile and La Terza, has a way with personal touches: He helped pour the cement in the front dining patio, showed the landscaper where to plant the lemon and olive saplings that will someday grow into fruiting trees, and made sure customers wouldn't have to spend more than $50 for a bottle of wine. "We want Barbrix to be a home away from home," beamed Blotta. "We had regulars the first week we opened."—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Open Sundays through Thursdays 6pm to 11pm, Fridays through Saturdays 6pm to 12am.

This place opened without signage, making it a bit tricky to track down, but word quickly spread and BLD (short for "breakfast, lunch, and dinner") soon became an L.A. favorite. Regulars love the exotic charcuterie plates, the construct-your-own-meal option from a mix-and-match protein and vegetable menu, and the to-die-for yellow cake slathered in chocolate butter cream. It's all served in a minimalist, loftlike atmosphere where T-shirt–clad writers are as welcome as Prada-decked execs—that rare sort of spot (especially in L.A.) that effortlessly straddles the divide between casual lunch and elegant date night. Thanks to the ricotta blueberry pancakes and brioche French toast, BLD is always popular for weekend brunch, but be prepared for the 20-minute wait.—Audrey Davidow

Open Sundays through Wednesdays 8 am to 10 pm, Thursdays through Saturdays 8 am to 11 pm.

In this monastery-like building that was once owned by Charlie Chaplin, chef-owner Mark Peel serves up top-notch rustic Mediterranean cooking. A perennial lunch favorite is the crisp baked chicken paillard flavored with lemon and garlic and served with mashed potatoes; a dinner standout is the prime rib, which comes with an olive tapenade, bitter greens, and flageolet beans. Peel keeps himself amused and challenged with nightly specials: on Wednesdays he offers special tasting menus based on that morning's finds at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market; Thursdays are grilled-cheese sandwich night, and Fridays feature wine and small-plate pairings. The adjacent La Brea Bakery (Peel and his ex-wife Nancy Silverton started the hugely successful bread company, now used by many L.A. restaurants) sells baked goods, cheeses, olives, and cured meats.

Closed for dinner on Sundays.

Marrakesh meets MOCA at this sleek French-Moroccan treasure. The design of the place is a breath of fresh harissa in a neighborhood not exactly known for novelty; the entryway is blue-lit and the small dining room's walls are decorated with colorful, futuristic-mod patterns. The crowd is refreshingly diverse (young, old, hip, not), and the room pulses with the hum of happy feasters. Many start their meals with tangy preserved-lemon dip, olives, and bread, before moving on to tagines, grilled merguez sausages with grilled onions and caperberries, and dorado stuffed with peppers and leeks. You know you're in for a serious treat when the chef makes couscous from scratch.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Americans love the idea of a second chance, of watching someone persist until they get it right. So there's something especially thrilling about the successful rebooting of Church & State, a French bistro in downtown L.A. that opened to sullen reviews back in 2008. The place always had a great look—carnival lights, antique mirrors, brick floor, and a great location in the vintage Nabisco building—but it wasn't until the talented chef Walter Manzke (formerly of Bastide) arrived earlier this year that the food began to match the charming atmosphere. For lunch we had a moist, bacon-y roasted chicken à la Bourgeoise with pearl onions and carrots, and a croque-monsieur so light and fluffy it could have doubled as a tea sandwich. After a summer job at a cannery in Alaska many years ago, I thought I never wanted to see a shrimp again, but a plate of sweet Santa Barbara spot prawns, accompanied by garlic aïoli and topped with a handful of English peas and fresh wild arugula from Manzke's parents' garden, had me rethinking my boycott. The place was noisy, the tables full, the prices reasonable. Church & State is in a somewhat dicey neighborhood, but who doesn't want to support a comeback, especially in this town?—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Open Mondays through Thursdays 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6pm to 10pm, Fridays 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6pm to 11pm, Saturdays 5:30pm to 11pm, Sundays 5pm to 9pm.

It's the classic L.A. dining conundrum. You want some good grub, but you don't feel like dropping an entire week's salary on some paparazzi-infested scene and the shirt you're wearing is too nice to waste on the IHOP. Comme Ça, a neighborhood brasserie courtesy of Sona chef David Myers, is Hollywood's happy medium. It's a chic French bistro with an easygoing vibe, and nothing on the menu—a flavorful potpourri of French favorites such as steak frites, coq au vin and duck confit—that will cost you more than $30. For maximum good times, let the bartender mix you a Dealer's Choice. Tell him the spirit of your choice and he'll whip up a potent surprise with his stash of fresh ingredients.

Open Mondays through Thursdays 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 5 to 11 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 5 pm to 12 am, Sundays 5 to 11 pm.

Regulars were disturbed when longtime west-side restaurateur Bruce Marder bought this tiny coffee shop; it had remained virtually unchanged since its inception in the 1920s. But patrons needn't have worried, as the upscale comfort food on the new menu isn't all that much pricier than it was, —and it's much better. Breakfast here is worth making a trip for: The orange-infused blueberry pancakes, frittatas, huevos rancheros, and a delicious Caprese omelette are all stellar. There are salads and sandwiches at lunch, and dinner includes pastas and entrées. Service is so friendly you'll feel like a regular even before you become one.

This mod-style diner in Santa Monica serves fun burgers with grown-up appeal. Choose a beer or wine chaser, customize the toppings to your liking, and get ready for a sloppy mess—you won't be able to resist overstuffing your burger with So-Cal options like sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and avocado. Kids get their due as well, with mini sliders, thick milkshakes, and great shoestring fries. (Adults: Dip yours in garlic aïoli.)

Angelenos love a buzzy restaurant almost as much as they love being celebrity sightings. Craft, star chef Tom Colicchio's 300-seat restaurant on the first floor of power agency CAA, delivers on both counts. The seasonal fare (bar and dining room menus change twice daily) offers an almost overwhelming selection that covers just about every conceivable category of foodstuff, including an entire section devoted to mushrooms (roasted Trompette Royale champignons, anyone?). Food is served family-style and servers do everything in their power to please. Sure, locals love to feel like they're getting a taste of New York sophistication, and that's certainly part of the draw at this chic Manhattan import, but the walk-in-only Craft Bar on the terrace, decked with canvas cabanas, fire pits, and agents trying to impress their clients, is pure Hollywood.—Audrey Davidow

Open Mondays through Thursdays from 5:30pm to 10pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30pm to 11pm, Sundays 5pm to 9pm.

With its old-school Italian waiters, red leather booths, and checkered tablecloths, Dan Tana's ought to be just another Rat Pack–themed tourist trap. But somehow, this local landmark, serving martinis and red sauce since 1964, remains one of a kind. A baby Drew Barrymore had her diaper changed in one of the booths. The Eagles wrote the lyrics to "Best of My Love" here. Phil Spector left a $500 tip the night he allegedly committed murder. These days, hungry stars and starlets are known to drop in for a steak or the chicken parmigiana.

Don Dae Gam, a brand-new offshoot of L.A.'s esteemed beef-centered Park's Barbeque, is a restaurant that takes the original's reputation for grilled prime-meat selections and focuses that same level of attention on the pig. Located in a Koreatown strip mall and patterned after the pork-and-soju joints that are the latest rage in Seoul, Don Dae Gam is all about lean pork neck meat, marinated deboned pork ribs, ribbons of pork belly, and pork intestine (spiced just seconds before hitting the grill, it's so delicious it should be given a different name so as not to be passed over by the innards-phobic). You cook your meats on gas-powered charcoal braziers set into the small, round tables that somehow give the place an air of late-night cafe cheeriness. (Long tables for larger parties dot a separate room.) A Combo #1—three types of pork for grilling, a nightly selection of banchan (customary little side dishes), kimchi jigae (a bubbling, bright red stew), and a choice of soju or beer—costs $39.99 and can feed two to three people. "There are so many all-you-can-eat places in Koreatown right now, but they don't serve high quality," says owner Jenny Kim. "That's who I'm targeting."—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

L.A.'s roving food trucks are popping up all over the city—from Hollywood to Malibu—and are proving to be a big hit with foodies and night owls looking for tasty dishes for only a few bucks. Twitter has played a major role in helping Angelenos track down the latest on the mobile gastronomic scene (when we don't give an exact location, check Twitter to see where these trucks will be on any given day). Here's a guide to our current food-truck favorites.

Kogi serves Asian-Mexican fusion. The Korean BBQ short-rib taco and kimchi quesadilla are so good, people don't mind standing in line for over an hour.

Dosatruck's amazing South Indian street food with a twist is prepared by Brooklyn-born chef Leena Deneroff. Try the masala fries with tomato chutney.

FishLips is located outside the chic shopping mall Malibu Lumber Yard, where two sushi chefs slice up your favorite California, spicy tuna, and rainbow rolls.

Flying Pig Truck has been a trial run of sorts for Cordon Bleu grads Joe Kim and James Seitz's Asian/Pacific Rim-meets-French restaurant (scheduled to open in 2010).

Border Grill's taco truck sports a similar design motif as Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's upscale Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica. Their award-winning tamales are also on board.

Baby's Badass Burgers has made its name for gourmet burgers served up from a hot pink truck by even hotter women in sexy uniforms. Order the half-pound Cougar with aged beef.

Let's Be Frank parks in Culver City across from the old Helms Building. The delicious hot dogs are grass-fed, organic beef—and guilt-free.

Dogtown Dogs also serves gourmet dogs, but offerings here include a "trailer trash dog," with chili and crushed Fritos.

The Grilled Cheese Truck usually parks by the Brig in balmy Venice. Chef David Danhi's Harvest Melt with roasted butternut squash, sautéed leeks, and agave syrup is typical of the tasty combos on offer.

The Buttermilk Truck, a 1950s comfort food diner, is also a regular at the Brig most nights. Try the chicken and waffles, one of its big crowd-pleasers.

Green Truck, which runs on vegetable oil rather than gas, is where to go for all things organic, gluten-free, and veggie. Try the meatless burger on a toasted whole-wheat bun with goat's milk feta and tomatoes.—Carole Dixon

Culver City is one of those up-and-coming L.A. neighborhoods that always scores points for its buzzy galleries, cool artists' lofts, and newfound luster. But until Fraîche opened its doors in early 2007, few Angelenos were really willing schlep over to this small city just south of Beverly Hills. It's an appealingly casual, open space with large windows and a welcoming patio lit with twinkling lights. Chef Jason Travi, a Spago alum, turns out Mediterranean-influenced dishes like lamb stew with ricotta gnocchi and Kurobuta pork chop with potato and chive puree, while his wife, Miho (the two met in the kitchen at Spago), handles breads and desserts. Best of all, the restaurant's away-from-the-fray location means you'll shell out only half of what a similar meal would cost a few miles up the freeway.

Open Mondays through Saturdays 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and 6:30 to 11 pm, Sundays 6 to 10:30 pm. Bar open daily until 1 am.

The minimalist decor featured in the second, much larger Hatfield's space does nothing to distract from Quinn and Karen Hatfield's innovative American cuisine—and that's a good thing. The Hatfields (he's the chef, she does desserts) honed their skills in the kitchens of Spago, Jean Georges, Bouley, and Gramercy Tavern; here, their ever-changing menu emphasizes local fresh ingredients and slow cooking. Appetizer choices might include smoked trout with apple and avocado in a grainy mustard dressing; entrées might be along the lines of past dishes such as duck with creamy Bengali rice and roasted porcini, and Arctic char with Dijon-infused sweet potatoes. For dessert, you might choose a chocolate ganache tarte with espresso cream or a baked lemon-custard tartlet with a wild huckleberry compote.—Updated by Audrey Davidow

Open Mondays through Thursdays 6 to 10 pm, Fridays 6 to 10:30 pm, Saturdays 5:30 to 10:30 pm, and Sundays 5:30 to 10 pm.

Hollywood up-and-comers head down from the Hills for quality sashimi and bargain prices at this poor man's Matsuhisa. They compete with twentysomething shoppers from the nearby Beverly Center and serious sushi lovers for a seat in the minuscule space (we're talking ten tables), where Chef Hiroji Obayashi delights with exciting daily specials such as black cod teriyaki and grilled oysters with ginger sauce. The place is too noisy and bright to be sexy, but then again, darkness would not inspire confidence in a restaurant serving raw fish.

More stage than restaurant, this is where the stars go when they want to be seen making deals, making friends, or breaking up. Paparazzi have permanent posts outside, ready to capture our celebrity friends after a grueling day of shopping at nearby boutiques. Cutesy decor—ruffly curtains, girly flower prints—serves as proof that money can't buy taste, so ask to sit outside, which is where the action is anyway. The menu—bland American comfort food like burgers, salads, and crab cakes—can seem as much of an afterthought as one of J. Lo's marriages.

Josie might not be on every Angeleno's speed dial, but it deserves to be—especially when a quiet, refined celebration is in order. Namesake Josie Le Balch, one of L.A.'s most talented chefs, turns out what might be called "California Market Meets New American" cuisine in a quiet, cosseting French-country room. Decor and service are understated—votives flicker, crumbs are gracefully swept from white tablecloths, confident servers know the food inside and out. Some of Le Balch's signature dishes include blood orange, arugula, and burrata salad; "Campfire Trout" cooked in a cast-iron pan with green beans and lemongrass nage; and salt-crusted chicken with sweet-and-sour shallots. Pastry chef Jonna Jensen sweetens the deal with transcendent versions of strudels, crumbles, and bananas Foster. A memorable evening is all but assured.

Matzo ball soup, half-sour pickles, fluorescent lighting, Formica tabletops…if it wasn't for the view of MacArthur Park, you might swear you were in a deli on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Providing a taste of home for many a transplanted New Yorker, Langer's specializes in perfectly peppery, tangy pastrami that outshines even that of its L.A. rival, the equally colorful Canter's Deli. Don't judge Langer's for its unsavory neighborhood: Just go early, order the pastrami on rye with coleslaw and Russian dressing, and savor the East Coast experience.

Decorated with photos of literary lions like Kurt Vonnegut, this small restaurant on a busy Brentwood corner is the new home of chef Chris Kidder (formerly chef de cuisine at Campanile) and his wife, Kimberly Sklar (former pastry chef at A.O.C.). The Mediterranean menu emphasizes fresh ingredients: Try the bouillabaisse that uses only Pacific seafood—mussels, shrimp, crab claws, and whatever else is the best that day. The salads are terrific, and a big favorite is the vegetable fritto misto, using seasonal vegetables (in the autumn it might include baby artichokes and zucchini). Servings are generous, and Sklar's desserts, including the popular seven-layer chocolate cake, are worth saving some room for.

Sitting at the colorful counter of this stall in the open-air Los Angeles Farmers Market, you can watch little old ladies make their rounds from butcher to bakery, wooden shopping carts in tow. With its rumpled charm, the Market is a required destination for anyone looking for a taste of historic Hollywood, and Lotería adds a bit of Mexican spice. Handmade tortillas are stuffed with earthy chicken mole or spicy roasted corn and zucchini, and dishes like tortilla soup and potato tacos are cheap and authentic.

Hollywood history infuses every red leather booth and surly waiter at this old-time steak house. Catering to all walks of celebrity life since 1919, it still packs in locals. Some criticize the old-fashioned food, but it's well worth the visit if you follow these rules: (1) Brave the fluorescent glare of the bar for a predinner martini—still the best in Los Angeles; (2) Ask to sit in the smaller, more dimly lit dining room when you're ready to eat; (3) Order simply—New York strip steak and braised short ribs are flawlessly executed classics.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

When Frank Gehry's magnificent concert hall opened in October 2003, it brought a new sense of excitement to Los Angeles. And it wasn't just because of the architecture, or even the music—it was also that Patina, one of the city's most luxurious restaurants, moved into the building from its previous Hollywood location. Soaring ceilings provide the elegant backdrop for chef Joachim Splichal's signature California-French creations—olive-oil-poached squab with radicchio risotto and Madeira foam is one standout. Diners can also opt for an all-seafood or game tasting menu.

Rick Bayless is often credited with changing the face of Mexican food in America—and hungry Chicagoans still line up for his creamy pumpkin mole and deep-fried churros. His latest venture, however, was met with a fair amount of skepticism: Angelenos are reluctant to pay for white-tablecloth Mexican when there's ample (and delicious) street food to be had. But even diehards admit that the food at Red O sings, whether it's the sopes—fried tortillas with raised edges, topped with pork belly and short ribs—or the goat cheese caramel and bacon atop soft-serve ice cream (entrées, $14-$32).

Must eat: Tinga poblana, a tender duo of pork shoulder and belly with homemade chorizo and smoky chipotle sauce.

Chef Rick Bayless's favorite new restaurant: José Manuel Baños's Pitiona, Oaxaca

Tucked away in a dingy Thai Town strip mall, Sapp Coffee House is one of those authentic lunchrooms that draws everyone from Hollywood foodies to Thai locals for generous portions, low prices, and some of the best Thai noodles around. (Sapp also counts Anthony Bourdain as one of its fans.) Sapp's famous boat noodles are delicate rice noodles served in a potent, spicy broth laden with all manner of meat (order "the works" and the dish even comes with tripe and liver). The bright-green jade noodles are piled high with barbecued pork, crispy duck, crab, and cilantro. Want to break a sweat? Try the fresh spicy squid or the catfish with curry. The decor—bright yellow walls and rickety wooden chairs—is far from swanky, but Sapp, as you might have guessed, is all about the food. Bring cash; credit cards are not accepted.—Audrey Davidow

Open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays through Sundays 7 am to 8:30 pm.

Korean barbecue is an L.A. tradition, and this no-frills storefront serves some of the city's best. Walk through the door, and you're greeted by the smell of sizzling meat and smoking charcoal, along with the reassuring sight of numerous Korean patrons. On a grill at the table, you cook your own meats, from thinly sliced beef to pork marinated in garlic and sesame oil. But it's the freshly made seasoning pastes and first-rate kimchi that set this place apart. And being your own short-order cook has its benefits: Dinner costs around $15.

You'll find some of the most creative New American food in Los Angeles in Sona. In a city where body-consciousness warps into fear of butter, salt, and flavor, Sona is all about no-holds-barred seasonings and unexpected combinations that somehow work: roasted squash soup with herbed Spaetzle and chai foam; wild salmon paired with braised oxtail; hot chocolate beignets. The menu is constantly changing—all the more reason to become a regular at this futuristic, sparsely decorated gem.

Even after all these years, Wolfgang Puck's home base is still an amazing experience. Sure, the culinary star is everywhere but the kitchen—writing books, appearing on television, opening outposts—but the quality of the food never seems to suffer. Following in the California-cuisine footsteps of his boss, chef Lee Hefter serves simple dishes transformed, like lobster with a sprightly, fresh asparagus purée, as well as Puck classics such as the always-fabulous salmon-and-crème fraîche pizza. Ask to sit on the festive patio, filled with glamorous diners and twinkling strands of lights.

In the 1980s, I lived within walking distance of the pocket-sized City Cafe. Owned by Two Hot Tamales' Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, it was a delicious, welcoming place where you might find the two chef/owners in the back alley grilling meat on a cast-iron hibachi because there wasn't room in their itty-bitty kitchen. STREET, Feniger's first Milliken-less project, captures the same warmth and culinary excitement in its menu, which reads like a world tour of street food. There are Egyptian koshary (spiced rice, lentils, and pasta alongside stewed collard greens), delectable puffs of potato, sweet chutney, and sprouted beans known as panni poori, and a Vietnamese dish of fresh corn wok-cooked with spring onions and bits of pork belly. Thai Bites turn out to be rounds of raw collard green leaves that you smear with tamarind paste and sprinkle with bird chiles, peanuts, and toasted coconut, then eat like a quickie roll-up. Outdoors, there's a two-tiered dining patio with a fire pit and a window offering a peek into a bustling kitchen that, thirty-plus years later, isn't much bigger than City's was.—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Open Mondays through Saturdays noon to 10pm, Sundays 11am to 10pm.

The way Venice's A.K. Restaurant Bar + Grill rapidly morphed into The Tasting Kitchen feels like something you'd see on a cooking reality show: Which restaurant works better within these walls? The former was a good-looking Scandinavian bistro that never seemed like a good fit for the Abbot Kinney area. The latter is the brainchild of chef Casey Lane (from clarklewis in Portland, Oregon), who was given the opportunity to take over A.K. and make it his own—in roughly six days. Just how Lane and his team of fellow twentysomethings managed to alter the vibe of the room so completely without so much as changing the light fixtures is difficult to pinpoint. It might have something to do with the bill of fare, where appetizers and entrées are written out in tight, cramped handwriting, and a back-page wine list that borders on charmingly obscure. Then there's the focused simplicity of Lane's food: buttery Umbrian lentils; grilled bread smeared with fromage blanc and balsamic-roasted figs; a salad of heirloom lettuce lightly dressed with lemon, olive oil, and salt; a plate of blanched green beans with a few transparent slices of prosciutto and a milky round of burrata; a perfectly medium-rare steak rough-sliced and served with balsamic fingerling potatoes. Lane moved his wife and children to Los Angeles, which should help squelch a persistent blogosphere rumor that The Tasting Kitchen is a guerilla-style experiment master-planned to have an eight-week life span before vanishing into the ether. But what to make of the ominous black number stenciled on the front of the menu that changes daily to reflect how long Tasting Kitchen has been in operation? "That's to keep us on track," says floor manager Maxwell Leer, "and to remind us every day of where we are."—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Suzanne Goin and sommelier Carolyn Styne—the team behind L.A.'s Lucques and AOC restaurants—say they never thought of opening a third place in upscale Brentwood. But something caught their collective eye in a shuttered Hamburger Hamlet space. First, they broke the big corner property into sections, creating a sage-colored dining room in back, a bar in the middle (the original sky-high Hamlet atrium), and a "larder" in front with an in-house bakery and deli case selling take-out versions of Goin's greatest hits, like bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with parmesan. Although "Hamburger Hamlet" is still emblazoned on the valet sign, Tavern's kitchen is already going in full gear. Our starters—a spring vegetable salad with creamy Burrata, olives, and Meyer lemon; duck sausage with pancetta, frisée, and kumquat marmalade; and roasted asparagus with polenta, thinly shaved pecorino, and a Tavern riff on a Scotch egg, soft-cooked and crisply fried—were devoured in a breath. And if there is anything that can beat Goin's breadcrumb-covered, mustardy Devil's chicken thighs with braised leeks for sheer comfy deliciousness, please send it my way.—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Open daily 8am to 9:30pm.

The first time I went to Umami Burger it was six weeks old, which is irritating because that meant I had lost five weeks and six days of eating at L.A.'s newest best hamburger joint. The complicated flavors in the titular Umami burger, a weighty round of freshly ground flap meat, juicy grilled mushrooms, roasted tomato, caramelized onions, and a crispy parmesan tuile, are impressive. But it doesn't floor me with that why-didn't-I-meet-you-sooner? longing the way the delectably smoky Triple Pork burger, made of ground pork, chorizo, bacon, and aged Manchego, does. I am now equally attached to the Mideast burger, a Sonoma lamb patty with harissa-honey sauce and shallots cooked in red wine, and the just-spicy-enough Hatch burger topped with four types of chopped green chiles. The owner, Adam Fleischman, has instructed his employees to be coy about the harder-to-identify ingredients he uses to achieve the flavor-enriching fifth taste in his food known as umami. "It's secret," our server kept repeating. But the appeal of hand-cut, triple-cooked fries and malt liquor-tempura onion rings served with homemade ketchup and roasted garlic aïoli is deliciously obvious.—Margy Rochlin, first published on Gourmet.com

Open Mondays through Saturdays 11am to 10pm, Sundays 11am to 9pm.