Epicurious Lists LA's Hamburgers to High End to Hot Right Now

Somehow, word that June is my birthday month leaked to every major-to-me food publication because apparently, they all got together for lunch without me and planned a month of coordinated surprise birthday gifts for me.

Birthday gifts! For me! Little Delicious me!

They each gave me that one perfect thing that only a truly “special” – and by “special” I mean “needs to wear a helmet when using spreadsheets” – girl could love and appreciate – lists. How did they know how utterly listgeeky I am? How did they know I’d softly clap my hands together and softly squeal a gleeful *eek!* I feel so honored that the entire world of food media went to such great lengths to not only twitter each other their plans, but plan it without my knowing. How did I miss their twitters?! I am @twitter twentyfouralways insta-navelcasting the fuzziest minutia of my pathitc bloggy life!

Me-niverse? What’s that?

I have now seen no less than three LA restaurant lists published this month. First the LA Times West Magazine's Fresh List, then the beloved 99, and now Epicurious. I’ve also seen no more than three, so basically, I’ve seen three. It seems that June is the month when all food magazines, newspapers, and mega food sites publish some form of a dining edition that may or may not contain one or more of the title words “annual,” “pull-out,” “special,” and “centerfold.” Restaurant hot lists all printed in June for my Birthday Month!

They shoudn’t have!

Really, some of them shouldn’t have.

That’s not to say that Epicurious’s Los Angeles Restaurant List is one of those that should not have. LA Times’ SIV is a consulting correspondent for the selections, so the short list of 29 restaurants isn’t unfamiliar. It's worth noting that Wolfgang Puck made the list twice. I was a little surprised that Epicurious specifically called out Burger Joints as a whole category, ignoring other categories that are much more robust in LA, e.g. sushi, Chinese, or Mexican. For some reason, it feels like there is some ulterior motive with this list, but I can’t figure out what it is.

When I have a chance, I’ll eventually cull together my very own Delicious List from the various lists I have as well. Until that day when I can quit my time-sucking, life-sucking and just plain sucking commitments that pay for my existence and can rely only on my devastatingly good looks and great taste to live a glamorous, global gourmet life, I’ll just have fun picking at others’ lists.

**For some reason, this list does not appear on the newly re-designed Epicurious.com. I suspect that they rolled out the new site without fully rolling over all their archived content. Aren't we lucky to have such a quick little listgeek like me?!?

High End - of which, the only one to which I have gone is Spago

Cut @ The Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel
9500 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills
310.276.8500
www.wolfgangpuck.com
“Celebrities aside, the true star of this show is the superrich and superexpensive Kobe beef”

Urasawa
218 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
310.247.8939
"Expressions of pleasure, though, may turn to winces once the bill comes"

Patina @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
141 South Grand Ave, Downtown
213.972.3331
www.patinagroup.com

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
323.4604170
www.providencela.com
"the grown-up haven of Providence is divine intervention"

Sona
401 North La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood
310.659.7708
www.sonarestaurant.com
"where body-consciousness warps into fear of butter, salt, and flavor, Sona is all about no-holds-barred seasonings and unexpected combinations"

Spago Beverly Hills
176 North Canon Dr, Beverly Hills
310.385.0880
www.wolfgangpuck.com
"simple dishes transformed, like lobster with a sprightly, fresh asparagus purée"

BUDGET

Hirozen
8385 Beverly Blvd, West Hollywood
323.653.0470
"poor man's Matsuhisa"

Loteria Grill @ Farmers Market - and yep, love Loteria Grill!
Stall 322, LA Farmers Market, 6333 West 3rd St, West Hollywood
323.930.2211
"dishes like tortilla soup and potato tacos are cheap and authentic"

Luna Park - been there many times, post pending
672 South La Brea Ave, Miracle Mile
323.934.2110
www.lunaparkla.com
"sophisticated entrées that, at about $15, are a steal"

Si Gol
487 North Western Ave, Koreatown
323.467.0100
"cook your own meats, from thinly sliced beef to pork marinated in garlic and sesame oil"

BURGER JOINTS

Apple Pan
10801 West Pico Blvd, West Los Angeles, CA
310.475.3585
www.applepan.com
"steak burgers piled high with fixings (everything you'd expect, minus the tomato) and hickory burgers drenched in barbecue sauce"

The Counter - yep, been to The Counter!
2901 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica
, CA 90403
310.399.8383
www.thecounterburger.com
"overstuffing your burger with oh-so-So-Cal options like sun-dried tomato jus and avocado"

Fatburger - been there, but not recently enough to appear on The Delicious Life
7450 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
323.436.0862
www.fatburger.net
"burgers are thicker, juicier, and more peppery, and you get to choose between "skinny" and "fat" fries"

Father's Office - been there, but I can't stand the place
1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica
310.393.2337
www.fathersoffice.com
"thick, juicy patty is topped with blue cheese, arugula, and caramelized onions"

HOT SPOTS - Hot Right Now

Pizzeria Mozza - been there, post pending
641 N. Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA
323.297.0101
www.mozza-la.com
"exceptional pizzas, topped with ingredients like zucchini blossoms and burrata, or salami and wild nettles

Ford's Filling Station - been there, but post still pending
9531 Culver Blvd, Culver City
310.202.1470
www.fordsfillingstation.net
"grown-up comfort food, such as crunchy fried Ipswich clams, split pea soup spiked with bits of ham hock, and a burger topped with oozing Point Reyes blue cheese"

Blue Velvet
750 Garland St.
213.239.0061
www.bluevelvetrestaurant.com
"alumnus of A.O.C. and Patina applies a kumquat-chile sauce to tender squid and noodlelike strands of salsify"

Fraîche - been there, post pending
9411 Culver Blvd, Culver City
323.839.6800
www.fraicherestaurantla.com
masterful pasta, which gets stuffed with sheep's-milk ricotta and bitter greens or tossed with sweet bay scallops and orange zest

The Foundry - been there, post pending
7463 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
323.651.0915
www.thefoundryonmelrose.com
"a small, often-changing menu of quirky but refined dishes"

HOT SPOTS - Forever Hip

A.O.C. - been to AOC and loveloveloved it.
8022 West 3rd St, West Hollywood
323.653.6359
www.aocwinebar.com
"It's hard to get a bad pour here — and harder still to get reservations."

Chateau Marmont
8221 West Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
323.656.1010
www.chateaumarmont.com
"you might rub elbows with the likes of Benicio del Toro"

Dan Tana's - been there, but not recently. it's okay.
9071 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood
310.275.9444
www.dantanasrestaurant.com
"this local landmark, serving Martinis and red sauce since 1964, remains one of a kind"

The Ivy
113 North Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills
310.274.8303
“where the stars go when they want/need to be seen making deals, making friends, or breaking up.”

LOCAL FAVORITES

BLD - been there! it was okay.
7450 Beverly Blvd.
323-930-9744
www.bldrestaurant.com

The Hungry Cat - been there! loved it both times.
1535 N. Vine St, Hollywood, CA 90028
323.462.2155
www.thehungrycat.com

Table 8 - been there! post pending!
7661 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
323.782.8258
www.table8la.com

Langer's Deli - been there!
704 South Alvarado St, Downtown
213.483.8050
www.langersdeli.com

Musso & Frank Grill - been there, but haven't written it up yet
6667 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood
323.467.7788

Skooby's
6654 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood
323.468.3647

** a year ago today, i didn't deserve the lemon pound cake i got **
** two years ago today, we went back to the beech(wood) and did a disco polka at warszawa **

tags :: food : and drink : california : burgers : high end : restaurants : reviews : los angeles