Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles by Mae Malai Data was included in the Michelin Guide’s latest list of California’s best restaurants. (Photo: Art Patara, courtesy of the Michelin Guide)
The Michelin Guide, one of the world’s most recognized food guides, announced on Wednesday the addition of 13 new California restaurants, six of which are in Los Angeles. These restaurants join other eateries deemed “recommended” by the guide.
While it’s not as coveted as Michelin’s other popular ratings, a listing in the guide could mean a restaurant can earn a Bib Gourmand or even a Michelin star come awards season. The ever-changing food bible, which first began rating restaurants in 1926, occasionally adds new restaurants to its recommended list throughout the year.
Among the new additions to Los Angeles are Barra Santos, Danbi, Grá, Leopardo, Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles and Stella.
Bara Santos, a tiny, no-reservations-needed restaurant in Cyprus Park, is the brainchild of chef-owner Mike Santos, who specializes in Portuguese cuisine. “Many dishes are made for sharing, such as crispy-tender bacalhau fritters with salt cod, potatoes and caramelized onions, and charred cabbage served over white beans drizzled with Iberian pork and garlic butter sauce,” Michelin says.
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Koreatown’s Dambi, which means “sweet rain” in Korean, drew attention for chef Lareine Ko’s “fresh vegetable mushroom bibimbap and crispy scallop pancakes with creamy mentaiko sauce.” Michelin also praised pastries such as chef Isabelle Manibusan’s “nostalgic banana milk cloud with brulée meringue and banana milk crème anglaise, or Mont Hara, a Korean twist on Mont Blanc.”
Echo Park’s Pizzeria Gras was praised for its fermentation-focused dishes, including sourdough pizza, seasonal pickled vegetables, and fermented drinks. “Classics like pepperoni are always great, but impactful dishes like stracciatella and prosciutto with basil and coffee honey are also noteworthy.”
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Chef Joshua Skenes (known for his two-star sparkling wine Saison) won acclaim at Leonardo, formerly located in the La Brea Bakery building. Skenes’s spot features a seafood-centric menu and some pizza; the French tire company’s guide suggests “bring a group and start with crispy red flint waffles drizzled in Bordier butter and maple syrup, then indulge with the addition of Osetra caviar, aged six months in country bacon salt.” Skenes also serves a sweet-and-savory pizza called the Hail Satan, made with salumi, hot tomato sauce, garlic and honey.
Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles by Mae Malai Data, once a pop-up but now housed in an East Hollywood strip mall (serving some of the most exciting and affordable food of the recent past), has been praised for its boat noodles, which “come with a rich, full-bodied broth and your choice of pork or beef, noodle type, and spiciness level.” Also notable are stir-fries like the “boldly spiced chili holy basil with minced pork, bell peppers, and kidney beans.”
Stella, a two-story Italian restaurant in West Hollywood, was included in the guide for its “Lardo di Coronanta” (thinly sliced, melt-in-your-mouth lardo served with strawberries, spinach of caciocavello cheese and amaro balsamic) and “Su Filindeu,” a memorable pasta dish of hand-stretched noodles braised in bone broth with lamb neck and pecorino dolce.
Other Southern California restaurants named by Michelin include Molti Amici in Healdsburg, Ambrogio by Acquerello in La Jolla and Silver’s Omakase in Santa Barbara.
The California Michelin Guide’s annual star awarding ceremony will be held in Half Moon Bay on August 5th.