Jonathan Gold's 101 Best LA Restaurants 2016

http://ballots.latimes.com/lists/101-best-restaurants-jonathan-gold/

  1. Providence
  2. Shibumi
  3. Lukshon
  4. Spring
  5. Taco Maria
  6. Spago
  7. Cassia
  8. Mozzaplex
  9. Trois Mec
  10. Q Sushi
  11. Rustic Canyon
  12. Animal
  13. Lucques
  14. Ink
  15. Cut
  16. Republique
  17. Bestia
  18. Night + Market Song
  19. Shunji
  20. Orsa & Winston
  21. n/naka
  22. Vincente
  23. Baroo
  24. Melisse
  25. Chengdu Taste
  26. Officine Brera
  27. Otium
  28. Saam
  29. Alimento
  30. Salt’s Cure
  31. Guerrilla Tacos
  32. Alma
  33. Pok Pok LA
  34. Salazar
  35. Jitlada
  36. Girasol
  37. Soban
  38. Le Comptoir
  39. Church & State
  40. Far East Plaza
  41. Factory Kitchen
  42. Odys + Penelope
  43. Redbird
  44. La Casita Mexicana
  45. Broken Spanish
  46. Angelini Osteria
  47. Connie & Ted’s
  48. Jar
  49. Petit Trois
  50. Asanebo
  51. Tasting Kitchen
  52. Adana
  53. Maude
  54. Craft
  55. Marche Moderne
  56. A.O.C.
  57. Little Sister
  58. Locol
  59. Mian
  60. Kogi BBQ
  61. Grand Central Market
  62. Aburiya Raku
  63. Gwen
  64. Guelaguetza
  65. Manhattan Beach Post
  66. Playground
  67. Baco Mercat
  68. Sotto
  69. Sqirl
  70. Attari Sandwich Shop
  71. Brodard Chateau
  72. Park’s BBQ
  73. Drago Centro
  74. Post & Beam
  75. Gjelina
  76. Coni’Seafood
  77. Bludso’s BBQ
  78. Colonia Publica
  79. Gwang Yang BBQ
  80. Meals by Genet
  81. Garlic & Chives
  82. Tsujita
  83. Leona
  84. Son of a Gun
  85. Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village
  86. Marouch
  87. Valentino
  88. Sea Harbour
  89. Sapp Coffee Shop
  90. Mariscos Jalisco
  91. Chichen Itza
  92. Mayura
  93. Kobawoo House
  94. Union
  95. Bellwether
  96. Langer’s
  97. Scratch Bar & Kitchen
  98. Rice Bar
  99. Gjusta
  100. Lincoln
  101. Nickel Diner
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That’ll go well on this board.

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I thought the same thing. And Q.

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ink. seems to be a far stranger item on this list. Having been there twice, I was not particularly impressed by the food, especially given the price point. Maybe if you could eat there for $40 a person and not come out hungry it would be worth it, rather than twice that. The best item on the menu being baked potatoes is also pretty iffy.

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Is Shibumi the fastest rising star to even open in LA (in terms of Gold’s list anyway)? June opening → declared #2 restaurant in the city in October.

It’s unusual; as much as I love Shibumi, I am guessing no one else will agree with that.

Even though it’s pretty polarizing…it’s shocking not to see Hatchet Hall on the list at all, but then it’s never even been reviewed. I guess Hatchet Hall is my Mori.

However, though I might’ve predicted Shibumi, I could not have predicted #4 being Spring… have only heard bad to mediocre things about the place.

Actually, it’s a little surprising Kali didn’t make it either.

I’m glad to see Maude falling consistently in rank though. Sad to see Love and Salt not make it.

Did anyone else read the list with pictures and walk away just really craving Alma’s patty melt?

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I liked Shibumi - the heritage pork is my favorite dish of the year thus far - but to rank it as # 2 makes me think there is either some kind of pay-to-play going on (I think this is less likely); or that making such a bold, sure-to-be-contested-ranking-of-a-new-joint, move simply garners attention to Gold and his list, as well as the restaurant (this, the more likely explanation, IMHO). Putting Spago or Urasawa or Valentino at #2 - though they may deserve it more than Shibumi - would just get a big ol’ yawn, not the eyeballs that journalists, editors, and publishers crave.

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I like to think the choices may be at least somewhat genuine and not totally media-frenzy driven, but I guess who knows.

Taco Maria being at #2 wasn’t a scandal was it?

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I am also shocked that Charcoal didn’t make it onto the list.

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Shibumi don’t belong in the top 50.

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Kogi BBQ is not a top 100 restaurant by a long shot. I’ve eaten there plenty of times (it’s convenient and my friend is a masochist). Alibi Room is a 1000 times better if you don’t want to chase the truck.

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What the fuck, shibumi #2 and kinjiro isn’t even on the list. Okay rant over, moving on.

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Agreed. I had a very meh meal at Shibumi with some of the most disinterested service. Kinjiro’s food and service are far superior to me. Raku as well.

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the funniest thing about lists like these isnt the discussion of the lists’ content, but the rather perverse speculations about the motivations behind said lists.
yikes.

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This pretty much says all that needs to be said about this list:
21. n/naka

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stupid list is stupid

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While I have nothing but respect for the depth and breadth of J. Gold’s knowledge about the Los Angeles food landscape, and while I don’t doubt his integrity in making these selections (i.e., I don’t believe he is susceptible to quid pro quos), I do believe that his outsize fame and influence distorts his experiences at restaurants to the point where they share very little with the experiences of plebes like us.

How else could one explain Q Sushi being placed at #10 over the likes of Zo and Mori? How else to explain Marouche being on this list year after year even though it’s cuisine, while not bad, is tired and can’t hold a match to the Lebanese fare at Carnival? And Otium at #27, nuff said.

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He is such a recognizable person since his pix were posted after being awarded the Pulitzer. I remember first spotting him at Lucky Noodle King on Valley. He looked so out of place at first. Once I realized it was him, it all made sense. And I then realized that I’d seen him (or maybe someone like him) at other places in SGV in the past.

And I don’t think he was in work mode either (but one can argue that he is always in work mode when eating). This was after he had written on the SGV Szechwan places a handful of years back. I’m guessing he was just in for some dan dan mian.

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Sometimes J. Gold’s blurbs in the 101 article explain seemingly incongruous choices.

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Right!?!?!? That one is a doozy.