2932 E. Chapman Ave Orange, CA 92869 (714) 997-1972 Located in a re-purposed 3 story house, The Hobbit was founded by Howard and Beverly Philippi who took over the space in 1972 and built one of the longest lived fine dining institutions in Orange County. As one might expect the name is a nod to Tolkien, as the founders were enamored of the leisurely lifestyle of the fictional race and hoped to capture a little of their joie de vivre in their restaurant. Today their son Michael Philippi runs the restaurant and though the menu has evolved somewhat with the time, the format has remained largel ..read more

3977 Cochran St, Ste D Simi Valley, CA 93063 (805) 306-1374 Having been to most of LA's top sushi restaurants I found myself looking for something new. So when I heard about Sushi Tanaka I grit my teeth and made the 75 mile drive to a tiny spot located in a nondescript strip mall in Simi Valley. I wasn't sure what to expect though I was comforted by the fact that the Chef's resume included stints at both Nobu and Shunji in LA. Sushi Tanaka is run by Chef Sei Tanaka and his wife who serves as the spot's only front-of-house staff. The restaurant is smaller than most neighborhood sushi spots wi ..read more

1603 S Congress Ave Austin, TX 78704 (512) 920-6405 I wouldn't have expected to find a modern Kaiseki restaurant in Austin much less one that requires diners to buy tickets in advance, but a quick look at Austin's dining scene shows a surprising plethora of Japanese restaurants. This is largely thanks to the outsize influence Uchi has had on the city since it opened in 2003. Uchi gained national renown for its marriage of traditional Japanese technique with contemporary multi-cultural flare. As a result of this reputation, many of Austin's young up and coming chefs have done a stint at either ..read more

1315 3rd Street Promenade Santa Monica, CA 90401 Dialogue, the tasting menu-only restaurant from Chef David Beran is easily one of this year's most exciting restaurant openings. Chef Beran cut his teeth at both Tru and Alinea. In 2011 he was tapped as the executive chef of Grant Achatz's new restaurant Next. He lead the ambitious new restaurant through 15 different menus, earning a slew of James Beard nominations and a couple awards. In April 2016, Chef Beran served his final meal at Next before striking out on his own. Following the trend pioneered by Achatz and Kokonas at Next, Dialogue re ..read more

900 Meadowood Ln St Helena, CA 94574 (707) 967-1205 Perhaps its the location or the growing number of world-class restaurants in the city, but I've always felt that the Restaurant at Meadowood has been the forgotten son of the Bay Area fine dining scene. Certainly Meadowood has long dwelled in the shadow of its more famous neighbor to the south, The French Laundry. It speaks volumes that Michelin didn't even rate Meadowood when the guide first came to the Bay Area. It wasn't until the next year that Meadowood got on the board with a 2 star rating that was upgraded to 3 in 2011. I visited the ..read more

8687 Melrose Ave West Hollywood, CA 90069 A couple months back Wolfgang Puck opened what is likely his smallest restaurant. Tucked away in a hard to find corner of the Pacific Design Center, The Rogue Experience serves as a test kitchen with executive chefs from across Puck's global empire coming for week long stints. The space provides an opportunity for the chefs to break out of their comfort zones, experiment with flavors and dishes that might not fit their day jobs, and exchange ideas with their peers. When guests first enter the test kitchen, they are greeted by host David Evers who in ..read more

8 Peking Rd. Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong +852 2132 7898 With two days in Hong Kong it would have been a sacrilege not to try one of the island's two 3 star Cantonese restaurants. Given the last-minute nature of the trip, we were left with few options so we settled on a lunchtime reservation at T'ang court. Fortunately when we arrived we were informed the restaurant offers its full menu at lunch as well as dinner. The dinner menu features several tasting menus as well as a bevy of a la carte options. My girlfriend and I each opted for the One Person Set Menu which our waiter said was the best way ..read more

6201 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90028 (323) 400-6300 Despite being something of a sushi fiend, my experience is decidedly Los Angeles-centric so when I heard Sushi of Gari, a Michelin-starred transplant from New York, it was an easy must try. My friends and I came for a late dinner after the pre-show Pantages crowd had left and we pretty much had the place all to ourselves. Kuromutsu Nambanzuke - Bluefish This was a rather traditional preparation of Nambanzuke, the fish is first fried then marinated in vinegar and soy sauce and served chilled, resulting in firm dense flakes of fish infus ..read more

86 Pine St #1 Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 441-8844 Having spent the last 46 years on the cutting-edge of the Seattle sushi scene, Shiro Kashiba is without a doubt Seattle's godfather of sushi. Back in 1970, Shiro established the first full service sushi bar at Maneki a Japanese restaurant that dates back to the turn of the twentieth century. After working there for a couple of years, Shiro struck out on his own and opened his first restaurant, Nikko. He ran the restaurant for the better part of a generation before selling the name to the Westin in 1992. He remained with the restaurant for little ..read more

400 N Broadway Santa Ana, CA 92701 (657) 245-3466 I've always wondered why there aren't more standout Filipino restaurants in Southern California. Every time I posed this question to a Filipino friend I got a variation on the same theme: nothing beats mom's home cooking. Unfortunately having never had the opportunity to taste home cooked Filipino food my understanding of the cuisine is restricted to casual restaurant fare (which I find overly heavy) or Jollybee (which is naturally delicious because its fried chicken). When I heard Irenia was offering contemporary Filipino influenced cuisine I ..read more