TV Reviews : ‘Best of L.A.’ Is Best of the Best List

What’s the best soul food restaurant in Los Angeles? The best hot-dog stand in town? Where’s the best pizza parlor? Romantic getaway? Workout center? Which movie crew has the best boy?

While we’re at it, which local magazine or free weekly has the best “best of L.A.” annual issue?

They’re epidemic, these yearly best spreads, and Los Angeles magazine has bested all the others in being the first to turn its annual exercise in superlatives into a two-hour TV special, “The Best of L.A.,” airing on KCOP Channel 13 tonight at 8 (and again Sunday evening at 6). We’d add that you best not miss it, except you probably can.

Though the show seems too tourist-oriented at times, even the most hard-core Angeles-philes may pick up some new or recent ideas for dining, shopping and recreation here (Benita’s for French fries, Citadel for clothes shopping, etc.) alongside the older, more predictable entries (the Dome for best movie theater, Pink’s for hot dogs). Balance your need to find out against your need to watch cheerful, toothy TV personalities pigging out on good food and hyperbole.

Wil Shriner and Paula McClure co-host, with reports from food critic Merrill Shindler, veteran TV wise guy Howard Stevens, watchdog-turned-Armenian-food-expert David Horowitz and several others, all of whom manage to be positively hyper--and hungry.

Typical line from a still-chewing correspondent, visiting one of the city’s (you guessed it) best restaurants: “Ummmmmm, I love it! . . . I am so stuffed!” Likewise. This show is so enthusiastically cornball you might think you’ve mistakenly tuned in to “The Best of Topeka,” except for such telling segments as the one on the best string-bikini shops; you know you’re in “Eye on L.A.” territory then. As Randy Newman said. . . .