The dining world’s prestigious Michelin Guide on Tuesday dropped one of its occasional midseason lists of “new discoveries” — restaurants that impressed its inspectors.
This round, all five are located in Southern California. One is in Ventura County, one in Orange County and three in Los Angeles County. A March list highlighted one San Francisco restaurant and nine SoCal ones. A December list honored three restaurants in San Francisco and four in Southern California.
“The Michelin Guide inspection team is always evaluating new restaurants for the guide as they are out in the field exploring destinations and new establishments,” a spokeswoman said.
These five establishments are listed as “New” on guide.michelin.com. Michelin highlighted “new discoveries” for the first time in the summer of 2021, and has done so every year since.
Will the praise for these restaurants be elevated to Michelin stars later this year? Or become Bib Gourmand honors, the Michelin awards given to restaurants that offer “excellent food at reasonable prices” to diners? It’s a wait-and-see situation for these chefs.
The most recent Michelin Guide for the state, issued in July 2023, solidified California’s reputation as a culinary mecca, reaffirming all six of the state’s three-star restaurants and all 12 two-star restaurants and praising hundreds of others for impressive cuisine, affordable meals or high sustainability standards.
Here is the list of the additions, along with dining notes from the Michelin inspectors:
CEDRO ITALIAN RESTAURANT, Thousand Oaks (Newbury Park): “Three Italian friends banded together to open this welcoming spot, named for their grandparents’ love for cedro, or citron, plants. Don’t let the strip mall location fool you — this place is especially inviting, and the food is authentic Italian in both technique and flavor. Skillfully made by hand, pasta dishes rank high. Tagliatelle topped with a ragu sauce, grated parmesan and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil is proof positive that good ingredients and extra care always deliver the best results. Ossobuco served over a bed of saffron risotto is wonderfully tender and flavorful, and sized for sharing. End on a sweet note with their tiramisu or panna cotta — neither will disappoint.”
ELF CAFE, Los Angeles (Echo Park): “There are no elves running the show at this intimate spot but with just three people staffing the kitchen throughout service, they’re certainly working like Santa’s helpers. It’s a wine bar, so expect a nice selection of bottles, but there’s also cider and beer, as well as non-alcoholic offerings. Originally fully vegetarian, Elf Cafe has tweaked its Mediterranean-minded menu to now include animal proteins. Case in point? The lamb skewers, marinated and seared to a crisp crust. Paired with a refreshing yogurt sauce and onions hit with sumac, it’s skillful and satisfying. For a vegetable-focused plate, consider the maitake, grilled over a wood fire, topped with chimichurri, and served over a smashed potato with a ramekin of ají verde for dipping. Craving something sweet? Warm date cake with rich caramel sauce and pomegranate seeds does the trick.”
LOLA GASPAR, Santa Ana: “This gastropub in downtown Santa Ana isn’t new, but a post-pandemic reset and a trip to Mexico changed chef Luis Perez’s mindset — and menu. It’s all about quality over quantity here, so expect a tightly edited menu featuring tacos, quekas and churros, but it’s all very good. Happy hour discounts make sampling it all a tempting proposition. Tacos are made with handmade flour tortillas topped with a grilled tomato and dried chile salsa and filled with everything from sauteed shrimp to pork shank carnitas and suadero. Quekas feature hand-pressed masa and are served with a habanero salsa. While the vegan mushroom queka is worth ordering by itself with nicely sauteed mushrooms, confit potatoes and guacamole, you can also opt to add cheese for a wonderful addition.”
LUSTIG, Culver City: “Clean and modern with pops of bright red to keep things playful, this spot from chef Bernhard Mairinger is Austrian-centric but draws influences from around the globe. The dishes are shareable and the wine list is as interesting as the menu, with selections skipping across central Europe. Order as a flight to pair with creative dishes such as steak tartare “paprikash,” a riff on the traditional starter mixing in smoked paprika and topping with grilled asparagus, a raw quail egg and a kaiser roll. Perfectly thin and crispy wiener schnitzel is then ramped up with blistered shishito peppers and smashed roasted potatoes, while a lingonberry and yuzu chutney adds a nice hint of sweetness to round out the dish.”
MANOHAR’S DELHI PALACE, La Puente: “Manohar’s Delhi Palace is a mainstay thanks to their delicious Punjabi cuisine, and there’s a welcoming vibe about this place, where the waitstaff is especially friendly and attentive. Indicative of its north Indian focus, the food here leans on the milder side, so don’t expect an onslaught of spices. Order à la carte or go all in on the tandoori dinner but be sure to get an order of the samosas, fried to a perfect crisp with that comforting filling of potatoes and peas. Chicken tikka masala features a generous amount of tender and juicy chicken that’s skewered and seared before being added to the vibrant sauce. For dessert, the gulab jamun is a clear winner.”