13 Diners pick SM for wide variety of cuisines
CITYWIDE — Santa Monica chefs are cooking up the best cuisine in Southern California, according to a new survey released by Zagat, the world’s leading restaurant guide.
Nearly 8,000 diners earlier this year participated in Zagat’s annual survey of restaurants in the region, naming Santa Monica mainstays like the French-American inspired Melissé, the American bistro Josie and the chic sushi bar/restaurant The Hump as the best of the bunch.
“The area has had a great influx of new restaurants in the last year and, obviously, a great number in such a small area, making it very accessible,” said Billy Sind, a spokesman for Zagat. “Santa Monica is known for being a lively, fun place to be and that general sense seems to have rubbed off on the restaurants that are there.
“There are just so many restaurants in Santa Monica that people love.”
The survey looked at more than 2,000 restaurants, each graded on a 30-point scale. The survey was available on Zagat’s Web site and was accessible to anyone who loves to eat out, Sind said. When participants were asked what was the best neighborhood for dining, instead of picking West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, diners chose Santa Monica.
“These are regular restaurant-goers, not critics,” Sind said. “We find that is the best way to rate a restaurant. We want people who actually go to these places on a regular basis and really have a feel for the restaurant, not only the food, but the ambiance, the service... everything you can imagine.”
Tim and Nina Zagat established the Zagat survey in 1979 by inviting avid diners to rate and review the restaurants they visited. Both native New Yorkers, the two successful Yale-educated lawyers applied a unique premise that rating a restaurant on the basis of thousands of experiences was inherently more accurate than relying on one reviewer.
Starting with the first Zagat survey in New York, that premise has proven true and the Zagat survey has continued to expand over the last 26 years. The company now offers guides to dining for more than 70 major markets, as well as guides for hotels, resorts and spas worldwide, family travel, entertaining, shopping, nightlife, movies, music, theater and golf.
Chef Josie LeBalch of the award-winning Josie, located on a stretch of Pico Boulevard that is quickly becoming known as “restaurant row,” said receiving a high rating from Zagat is important and meaningful because “it’s from the public.”
“There is no way to manipulate it,” said LeBalch, who along with her chef de cuisine Jill Davie and pastry chef Jonna Jensen, turn out progressive American fare with international influences.“It’s almost like a blog.You are really getting it from the horse’s mouth. You are hearing from people who have actually experienced the restaurant. That’s where their vote comes from. You can’t buy that.”
Just how crucial is it to have a high Zagat rating? “It’s very important,” said Santa Monica native Chef Josiah Citrin, owner of Melissé, rated Zagat’s number-one restaurant in Los Angeles County for French-American cuisine. “A lot of people look at it, especially tourists, and this being Santa Monica, we have a lot of tourists.”
Santa Monica seems to be popular because of the wide variety of restaurants, each offering unique dishes at varied prices, giving diners plenty of options. Many of the same things that attract tourists also attract diners, including the warm weather and beautiful views that enhance the outdoor dining experience.
Santa Monica is also home to one of the best Farmers’ Markets around, providing fresh ingredients for chefs to create their delicacies.
“There is this whole push for sustainable agriculture, growing only organically, and people are trying to get back to healthier lifestyles.All of that contributes to having a good restaurant pool,” said LeBalch.
City Hall also recently passed a ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas, which may also be an attraction for diners looking for a smoke-free environment to enjoy duck con-fit, American osetra caviar or jerk chicken enchiladas.
“We’re also very good to our customers,” said Elvira Garcia, owner of Cha Cha Chicken, a restaurant specializing in Cuban, Caribbean and Jamaican flavors.“We have been in Santa Monica for the last 10 years, and over that time we have built up strong relationships with many of our customers, so much so that they have become like family. We have people who have moved out of the city because they could no longer afford to live here.
“They keep coming back for the food.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 8, 2006. Read the original PDF.