I watched and dined with amazement this year as the earth shook, paradigms shifted and empires crumbled. There’s a new pecking order among L.A.’s fine dining elite: Sona’s gone, Hatfield’s is back and Providence won’t be denied. Television catapulted Michael Voltaggio into the limelight and helped Ludovic Lefebvre prove that a chef doesn’t need a restaurant to become one of the country’s most important culinary stars. This has been one of the brightest years on record for emerging talent, which I believe bodes extremely well for the future of dining in L.A. Meanwhile, Little Tokyo finally flashed across everyone’s radar—and it had nothing to do with Japanese cuisine. And the next Nancy Silverton has been crowned. And with that, I present my 100 favorite restaurants and the winners of our eighth annual awards… Continue reading →