A Connoisseur’s Top 10

Ten places to take a connoisseur to eat in Los Angeles.

Monterey Park

Because no true connoisseur would want to leave the city without seeing this up to-date-Chinatown where supermarkets stock live turtles, dried sea slugs and 40 different kinds of bean curd--and almost every restaurant offers some kind of surprise.

La Salsa

If it’s good enough for Darrell Corti, it’s good enough for me.

Valentino

Because it’s white truffle time, and even though this isn’t a great year for truffles, fair truffles are better than no truffles at all, and this is one restaurant that can be counted on to have them.

DC 3

Because it’s hot and new and gorgeous. And because connoisseurs are as eager to know what’s new as the rest of us are.

Fennel

Because its quartet of rotating French owner/chefs fly in and out of France, making this the first restaurant to offer bicontinental cuisine.

Eiger Ice Cream

Because even connoisseurs have sweet tooths, and this is great ice cream--even if you have to go all the way to Brentwood to get it.

Angeli

Because they make great pizza, and all true connoisseurs want to get their fingers burned from time to time.

City Restaurant

Because there’s nothing quite like it, anywhere. And if you had to pick the quintessential Los Angeles restaurant, this stripped down emporium of eclectic eating would be it.

Chinois on Main

Because this restaurant single-handedly defined the Franco-Chinese idiom. And because the food here is a lot better than that served by any of its imitators.

Champagne

Because all true connoisseurs love cheese--and this is one of the very few local restaurants that pays attention to the cheese course.