Where I will eat over and over
In the 3 cities where I spend most of my time (and an argument for saying yes to media dines and why)
I recently read Alicia Kennedy’s Piece “On Dining Out in 2023” and in some ways, I agree with her perspective on not covering restaurants as a freelancer.
But I do continue to cover restaurants as a freelancer. I might write a piece or two a year on a place/a chef/a dish/a drink that really stood out to me. Much more often, though, I’ll share restaurant recommendations on Instagram, by word of mouth, and here. I also say yes to media dines when the restaurants/cuisines/stories seem to be up my alley because you never know what gems you might uncover. This does not mean that I’ll write them a glowing review or claim that it was fantastic if it was not. Honesty is still my policy and writers do make mistakes from time to time. Hopefully, we all own up to them, too.
So to put it all in perspective for you (I get these questions quite a bit), when I do “cover” restaurants, the cost of dining at one establishment is often higher or about equal to what I would make writing ONE story about this one restaurant. The cost of staying ONE night in a higher end hotel frequently costs more than what I’ll make on one article about said hotel. Many of us would not survive paying for all the hotels and dinners and extra perks that are offered to us without another full-time job or multiple PTs, which we still have/need—and which is why your newsletter subscriptions are so important! See what I did there?
Back to my original point: There are so many places to eat, foods to try, truly artistic meals by design and by the love/sweat/tears poured into them. And if you ask, I will ALWAYS give you suggestions and disclaimers:
“I loved this one spot, but it’s mostly vegetarian so if that’s not your thing, skip it.”
“I’m not super into red meat, but they have this steak that’s perfectly cooked and worth ordering if you’re planning to share with another person.”
“The dessert at x was phenomenal, but I might not return for the main courses. Here, you should do (i.e.) a glass of bubbles, the bread pudding, a coffee.”
And so on…
Thus, I am inspired to share where I frequently dine out in the cities where I spend a lot of my time. See below if you, too, have an adventurous palate and love to snack. A note: I eat at most of these places on my own dime. If I’ve been hosted at one that I end up loving, I’ll always return and pay my way.
Atlanta
El Tesoro (tacos, margs, and tostones in the heart of the Edgewood neighborhood), Lloyd’s (happy hour prices are great, get a Negroni and the lasagna fries), Little Bear (order the entire menu and all the cocktails), Big Softie (seasonal soft serve for before or after dining at Little Bear), Fishmonger (the various crudos and the Caesar salad are amazing, and if it’s good enough for Obama it’s good enough for me), Staplehouse (day drinks and whatever’s on the revolving food menu), Petit Chou (get the breakfast bowl), Bread & Butterfly (I like coming here for a glass of champagne and a burger or the soft scramble in the AM), Scout (good date spot, there are always seats at the bar), Kimball House (never not special), Palo Santo (elevated Mexican, local ingredients), Banshee, Octopus Bar (late night dining that surprises and delights in flavor and quality, every single time).
Miami
Margot Natural Wine Bar, Niu Kitchen + Niu Wine, Tigre (Argentinian food on a patio overlooking the river - you might see manatees here), Ironside Pizza (byob), Proper Sausages (sandwiches, sardines, wine to go), Paradis Books and Bread (wine bar and bookstore), Mamey (it’s been on a lot of best restaurants lists - I love the goddess salad and the Jamaican rum cake), Grazianos Market (empanadas and wine), Babe’s Meat and Counter (a sausage veggie bowl or a sandwich) and Ana Capri down by where my parents live (they have a nice happy hour, tasty eggplant rolls and Italian dishes).
Los Angeles
Pine and Crane (Taiwanese food in Silver Lake), Bar Bandini (great little wine bar, also in Silver Lake), Salazar (margaritas and tacos in Frogtown). Atwater Village, where I lived for many years: Bon Vivant Market (an all day place), Momed (charming Mediterranean/Israeli food by the train tracks), Allacqua (they used to do $5 bottles of rose on Sundays and the breakfast pasta is BOMB), Dune (falafel, hummus plates) and Proof Bakery (best pastries). My go to’s on the West Side for over a decade: Rose Café, Gjelina Take Away. More recently, I fell in love with Inn of the Seventh Ray on Topanga heading into or out of Malibu.