Josiah Citrin’s guide to Los Angeles

“I like to start my day with coffee from Cafe Luxxe who do some really interesting blends. They supply my restaurants too. I like to drink different coffee blends depending on the time of day. I’ve even created a chef’s coffee rub with Caffe Luxxe, mixing spices in with their Montenero blend. It adds depth and complexity to a dry-aged New York strip steak. Delicious.” [Various locations]

“Margarita Manske, who once worked at Mélisse creates amazing desserts as well as baked goods. Many of her creations reflect her interest in French patisserie, though others such as her avocado and kalamansi are inspired by her Filipino heritage. Be sure to try the Breton kouign amann.”

“I really like the vibes here and the food is even better. Their patisserie is beautiful, very light and in a French style. I am most partial to an impeccably cooked omelet and often choose the boursin omelet, it is light and elegant.” [Various locations]

“At weekends I will go to my neighborhood favorite in Santa Monica for an egg sandwich. It does all manner of breakfasts all day and can get really busy serving 300-400 people. I like to sit out on the patio and see who I bump into. All their food is excellent. The brick madeira chicken with roast grapes and cipollini onions is a favorite. The owner, Gabriel, has been a friend for years.”

“This is quite homey yet high end. It’s a good place to wind down after a busy week. I like the high beamed ceiling and the very special wine list. The pasta is excellent. Often, I take the rigatoni tartufa ragu.”

“Hillstone is another charming, comfy restaurant, good for classics like knife and fork ribs or a buttermilk sandwich with spicy slaw.”

“This live-fire restaurant by Jordan Kahn has a lounge that is kind of jungle chic decorated with lots of greenery and natural materials using original artifacts with some curious stories. The cooking makes you think. For example, he uses a medieval implement called a flambadou to cook oysters. It is like an iron cone that’s hollow on both ends with a rod attached to it. They throw dry-aged beef fat inside and keep it in the coals until it is glowing hot, well over 1,000 degrees. It throws flames at the oysters and voila, sensational!”

“Chef-proprietor Shunji Nakao was renowned as one of the best omakase chefs in LA and now he’s brought his restaurant to Santa Monica, even better. It is small and intimate, sleek with two white ash counters, each seating a maximum of six in separate rooms. I love creative Japanese food. That doesn’t mean I want to find miso, dashi, and koji in every dish. I like each distinctive ingredient to sing. His knife technique and the texture of his dishes are so incredible, it’s life-enhancing. He chooses ingredients that are hyper-seasonal, so it is more like kaiseki dining. Desserts like pear sake gelée with lemon ice cream are exquisite too.”

“There are plenty of good burgers to be had in LA, but I believe Citrin produces the best. It is all about getting the ratios right to have the perfect bite and next level experience, and I have been refining mine for many years. I’m not giving away all my secrets, but the tomato has to be a third of the thickness of the patty. I use one piece of iceberg lettuce and a special dressing made with wasabi and honey rice vinegar, and it is cooked on a charcoal griddle. Diners like to try a couple of snack-size portions of signature dishes and finish with a burger.”

“I love to come here for seafood in a building based on a clam shack. The fresh Maine lobster roll is so good, as are the clams and the seafood platters. They do a great smoked fish hash and also have bouillabaisse on the plat du jour menu.”

“This has to be the most thrilling dining in LA right now. Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George worked together at the Alain Ducasse restaurant Blue in Bangkok and opened in the luxurious Arts District just over a year ago—they’ve already received a star. It is French food with Asian and Indian accents especially in the spicing. I’ve had some brilliant and very different broths there. The mayo in the steak tartare is seasoned with dashi, for instance, while shell-on fried shrimp are seasoned with Indian-inspired ‘gunpowder spice’ heavy on the pepper. George imports fresh spices from his home [region] of Kerala, India, which influences the cooking.”

“Pasjoli [is] chef Dave Beran’s elevated French bistro. I think his mother is French and this charming restaurant is the best romantic setting and really takes me back to France. It is an invitingly intimate place with bare brick and exposed beams and a decadent menu. The scallop quenelles hors d'oeuvre is superb with golden osietra caviar, chive beurre blanc, and chervil—so classic. They serve Escoffier-style pressed duck, the pinnacle of luxury especially with a side of gratin dauphinois. Although I am not really a dessert person, they have excellent choices such as the citron with whipped lemon curd, crisp meringue, almond cookie, wild fennel jam, [and] blood orange.”