There were so many new restaurant openings this year, way too many to name, and of course, not all of them were all that great. Here are five of my best new restaurants: each has stood out in its own way and I cannot wait to revisit them in 2015.
My only Los Angeles inclusion for 2014 is KazuNori, a little spot in downtown LA which serves Japanese style hand rolls. The restaurant only offers counter seating and reminds me of eateries in New York City, or Apple Pan in LA. You wait until a seat becomes available and then swiftly sit down. By now, you should have ordered on the slip of paper you retrieve by the door. Select three, four or five rolls if you want a sampling. Any additional you desire are available a la carte. We loved the blue crab, scallop and yellowtail. Service is friendly and there is paid underground parking in the same building.
Whether you call it The Packing House or Anaheim Packing District, this one-stop eating destination is the hot spot to be at. Chef Shachi Mehra’s ADYA is one of the restaurants located within and it is possibly my favorite Indian eatery in OC. The menu is different to what you usually find at Indian restaurants and offers a handful of snacks not found outside of Little India in Artesia. Must-tries include bhel puri, pani puri, and Indian sloppy joes known as pav. Read my post on ADYA here.
Whenever I see Chef Ryan Adams’ name on something, I immediately know it’ll be stellar. The North Left, which has taken over the old Crosby space in downtown Santa Ana is testament to that. I’ve been several times since it opened this year and brought friends as well. My favorite is the chicken nuggets. Most recently, Chef de Cuisine Aron Habinger added a whole snapper served on a board on the menu and my friends and I relished in picking off every little bit of the fish off the bone. Here’s my post from this summer.
One of the most spectacular transformations this year was at the Hyatt Huntington Beach. The old restaurant closed end last year and Watertable rose up from the ashes to take its place. The restaurant is not only beautiful, reminiscent of an opulent Spanish hacienda, but the menu consists of simple, yet delicious fare. You can experience Watertable in many ways, but one of my favorites is the bar area where a selection of bar jars are meant to be shared and enjoyed with the house-baked epis which arrive warm to the table. Read about Watertable here.
Another incredible make-overs this year has got to be Moulin, which took over the old Pascal’s Epicerie location. Owner Laurent Vrignaud’s dream of opening a cafe in OC has been long in the making, and every intricate detail from the knick knacks to the furniture has been collected through the decades. Come for a croque monsieur, or just a coffee and croissant, no matter what your reason is for stopping by, you’l definitely be staying for a while. Read about Moulin here.
I am excited to see what new, exciting restaurants 2015 will bring to southern California. I look forward to traveling this journey with you in this search. Again, if you have a restaurant you have found, please let me know!
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