Los Angeles Magazine - Best New Restaurants - My Picks

Los Angeles is one of the best “food cities” in the world, thanks to the many talented chefs who call the city home. New restaurants pop up throughout the vast cityscape overnight. Some are shining stars on the boulevard and others hidden gems on a forgotten corner waiting to be discovered.

They aren’t always easy to find, so it’s essential to take any opportunity you can toward finding your new favorite spot. That’s why I make sure to attend Los Angeles Magazine’s annual Best New Restaurants event.

Chefs and foodies gathered on Tuesday night at ROW DTLA for an evening dedicated to amazing tastes. The featured restaurants included Botanica, Cosa Buona, Dialogue, Felix, MTN, Rosaline, and Rossoblu. The event also included a few past honorees: Baran’s 2239, Here’s Looking at You, Kali and Wolf.

Each restaurant presented a carefully curated item for attendees to sample in order to get a feel for their unique styles. This is a great up-close experience for guests to meet the chefs, watch them perform their craft, and share in their delectable vision.

It was hard to narrow down what I’d consider the best out of the near dozen participants, but these three stood out to me:

Rosaline - The Baja Big Eye Tuna Ceviche with tamari, leche de tigre, and truffle took my tongue by surprise with a decadent taste I’d never tried in other ceviches. It made a perfect pairing with the LA Mag Margarita made with Partida Blanco tequila rimmed with black pepper and lava salt. I can’t wait to visit West Hollywood to explore Chef Ricardo Zarate’s full menu.

Baran’s 2239 - Not entirely new, the restaurant helmed by Chef Tyler Gugliotta is a past honoree and a personal South Bay favorite. The dish of the night was a Seared Steak Sashimi with tangerine, ponzu and pickled ginger. The exceptional flavor combination and meat quality created an appetizing experience that made it easy to see why they were invited back.

Cosa Bueno - I was excited to see the Echo Park restaurant on this year’s list after I’d heard from other foodie friends about the pizza and smokey mozzarella sticks. The meatballs with burrata, marinara, and focaccia they offered for the event did not disappoint. I quickly lined up again for another taste (or two, don’t judge). The savory taste paired well with a refreshing Duvel strong ale.

Having the event at ROW DTLA was a perfect choice. The layout provided enough space for the long lines to form without feeling crowded and spots to mingle while looking out to the downtown skyline. You don’t appreciate the space until you’re trying to balance tiny plates of gourmet food through a crowd.

Los Angeles Magazine’s Best New Restaurants brings out a culinary joy shared by the city’s food lovers. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend keeping an eye out for next year’s gathering. This is a chance to make foodie friends, expand your palate, and give thanks to the chefs that make LA shine.