California cuisine is once again getting the Michelin treatment. Before the state’s full 2023 guide is unveiled, 10 new Michelin Guide restaurants have been announced to give us a little taste. It remains to be seen whether these adds have simply made the guide or garnered stars, as the full selection will be released July 18 during the Michelin Guide Ceremony at Oakland’s Chabot Space & Science Center—but they're the start of results that are sure to inspire food-lovers who want to eat their way across the Golden State.
Though it originally focused solely on San Francisco, the California Michelin Guide expanded to the entire state in 2019 and now features restaurants everywhere from San Diego and Palm Springs to Healdsburg and Sacramento. This gang of ten new additions represents Los Angeles more than any other city, with four establishments in L.A. proper and two more in the technically separate city of Santa Monica. Three more are located in Orange County, with one San Diego restaurant rounding out the list. Each entry is accompanied by the notes of an anonymous inspector.
A diversity of cuisines and price points can be found amongst these new additions, with California trademarks such as bright fusion and local seafood rewarded across this board. Of the Los Angeles restaurants, pasta lovers would do well to check out Cento Pasta Bar—the former pop-up from Chef Avner Levi is described in the Michelin inspector notes as having a “great laidback vibe,” with menu items ranging from a simple bolognese with ricotta gnocchi to a squid ink mafaldine with 'nduja, prawns, and serrano pepper.
Juliet in Culver City sounds like primed for a dinner date, with a buzzy open kitchen from which guests can order any number of oysters, tartares, or tuna carpaccios, although the inspector calls out the mousse au foie de volaille—a tart filled with chicken liver moose, hazelnuts, and apple, as “an auspicious beginning.” Up north in Glassell Park is the meat-forward, Southern-inspired Dunsmoor, with a standout ribe eye and pork chop. There’s also Villa’s Tacos, whose chef cut his teeth slinging food out of his grandmother’s house, with tacos painted as “colorful, messy, and filling.”
Moving towards the coast, Dear Jane’s and its Santa Monica marina setting is appropriate given its focus on seafood, with the inspector highlighting an unabashed use of caviar across the menu. Not far away lies the Thai and Malaysian haven of Cobi’s, whose curry puffs get special notice.
Some 120 miles south in San Diego, that city’s sole inclusion in this batch is ARTIFACT at Mingei, aptly-titled as it sits inside Balboa Park's artifact-focused Mingei International Museum. Of this spot, the inspector notes, “The culinary offerings are proudly eclectic and international, ranging from carefully pleated rock shrimp gyoza with a yuzu-flavored dashi, to lamb kibbeh with quinoa tabbouleh. Plant-based options, like Thai green curry with sweet potato and crispy noodles, are clearly no afterthought, and desserts like cardamom tapioca with saffron granita hold their own.”
Orange County, 30 miles south of Los Angeles, makes for an easy day trip. The recognized fare in this area comes from two sushi spots—Kaori Sushi, located within an open-air mall and listed for its sashimi and nigiri, and Taira Sushi & Sake. The latter’s menu is handwritten nightly, and gets call-outs for its seared spicy cod roe and hearty stew fish cheeks starters. On the other side of the flavor spectrum is Poppy & Seed, where fresh produce–strawberries, roasted beets—gets the love.
Stay tuned for July 18 when the full list of new Michelin Guide restaurants in California is announced—star anointments included.
