Westside eateries help make L.A. a hot spot
CITYWIDE Long labeled as the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles can now add another reputation to its resume — “foodie” destination.
The City of Angels was recently named by Forbes.com as one of the top 10 cities in the country for “foodies,” sharing the distinction with well-known and up-and-coming culinary cities such as New York, London, Las Vegas and Paris.
A relatively new term now officially included in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, foodie is defined as “a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads.”
Listed specifically in the July 31 piece by Shivani Vora as “essential eats” in Los Angeles are mostly Santa Monica restaurants, including Melisse and Coast, which is located inside the Shutters on the Beach hotel. The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market was also highlighted for its “vast selection of vegetables.”
The Forbes.com writer compiled the list with the input of several luxury travel consultants that specializes in food-focused trips.
“Based on my interview with my source, I determined that an ultimate foodie experience should consist of a fine dining meal, an excellent casual meal and a good place for breakfast and a market visit,” Vora said on Friday.
Los Angeles made the list despite not being considered a “foodie city,” which according to Vora’s article, consists of an eclectic mix of restaurants, from the hidden gems to the internationally renown.
“The experts I spoke to felt that Los Angeles was unique and worth mentioning because it’s not typically thought of as a foodie city, but has a fair share of excellent chefs, restaurants and markets,” she said.
The compliment from Forbes.com got a mixed reaction from people in Santa Monica, some praising the food, others finding that good food can only be found at an expensive price.
“The food in L.A. is OK I guess, but not that great when it’s cheap,” said Highland Park resident Jeff Lazo while on the Third Street Promenade on Friday.
The culinary scene in Los Angeles has slowly gained respect over the past 25 to 30 years, dating back to the late 1970s when Michael’s restaurant opened in Santa Monica. The owner and chef, Michael McCarty, is credited with founding the California Cuisine movement.
McCarty reinvented food in Los Angeles, using fresh seasonal ingredients combined with international influences, said Lesley Balla, the editor and writer of Eater L.A., an online gossip blog following restaurants and nightlife in Los Angeles.
“He is considered the godfather of California Cuisine,” she said.
At the center of the foodie scene in Santa Monica is the Downtown Farmers’ Market held every Wednesday. With 77 farmers spread down Arizona Avenue and spilling onto Second Street, the market attracts an average of 8,000 shoppers every week, said Laura Avery the supervisor for the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market.
“The reason why everyone comes on Wednesday is the sheer volume of farmers we have,” Avery said.
The market is crawling with restaurant and personal chefs and caterers, perusing through the fresh and unique selection of fruits and vegetables. The chefs began flocking to the market in the late 1990s after Nancy Silverton, a chef at Campanile, began frequenting the market, spending hours shopping and chatting with the farmers, Avery said.
“From there, other restaurant shoppers would start coming and just sort of watched what each other was doing,” she said.
Known to market patrons as “the mushroom man,” David West, who sells different varieties of the fungus at his stand, has seen a number of chefs stop by over the years.
The Clearwater Farms table on Wednesday exuded the fragrance of shi-itake and chanterelle mushrooms. The farm has been operating on and off at the market since 1993.
“We have a very food savvy audience who travels to Europe, New York and they know good food,” West said on Wednesday.
Los Angeles is a world-class dining destination now more than ever before, crawling with world-renown chefs from Wolfgang Puck who became famous with Spago to Suzanne Goin with Lucques restaurant, said Michael Mahle, the spokesman for dining guide Zagat.
Zagat last year named Santa Monica as serving the best cuisine in Southern California according to a survey of almost 8,000 diners. Melisse was rated as serving the best French-American fare in Los Angeles County.
Melisse was honored by Forbes for its vegetarian menu, a rarity in fine dining restaurants.
“The coupled food and service elements in terms of bringing it to the highest level is unique about us,” said Lynda Atri, the events coordinator for Melisse.
Coast was selected by Forbes for whipping up some of the best breakfasts in the region, Vora said.
The Coast menu was revamped along with the restaurant, which reopened about six week ago.
“We have created a new menu and really have taken the comfort food to a different level,” said Henri Birmele, hotel general manager.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.