4 RESTAURANTS TO TRY THIS WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES: APRIL 19

Every Friday our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here now are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town.

For nibbles and booze by the beach: Esters Wine Shop & Bar

Esters Wine Shop & Bar, the casual-cool drinking hole from the Rustic Canyon folks, is an ideal spot for folks to chill following a sunny day frolicking on Santa Monica’s pier and shores. Depending on the time of day, the drive east can be daunting so why not stop someplace low-key for a few bites and maybe some booze before making the trek? The happy hour specials — available all day Sunday and Monday, and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday — are particularly worth noting, with $3.50 oysters and charcuterie boards brimming with chicken liver pate, white bean dip, farmers market vegetables, and cured meats. And there’s something for everyone on the winding drinks list that includes wines of all stripes, mocktails, cocktails, and beer. 1314 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. — Cathy Chaplin, senior editor

For a late night in Koreatown: Dwit Gol Mok

Enter through the parking lot on Berendo to find Dwit Gol Mok, an old-school soju pub in Koreatown. The busy late-night spot starts on a makeshift courtyard patio illuminated by string lights where groups crouch around table sharing bowls of budae jjigae and kimchi pancakes, chased with shots of soju or sips of somaek (soju mixed with beer). Inside and up the stairs is a different scene entirely with a tight dining room set between concrete walls covered in years of writing. Pull up a stool, dig into some complimentary popcorn, and brace yourself for a long night. The soju won’t stop flowing until the bar closes at 2 a.m. 3275 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90010. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor

For one of LA’s new romantic destinations with modern European fine dining: Amour

Does West Hollywood not fully realize what’s going on at Amour? The recent Michelin guide addition seems poised for great things, possibly even a star in its future, with this level of cooking, ingredient quality, and overall precision presented in possibly the most romantic new dining area in Los Angeles. The former Dominick’s and Verlaine space has been completely transformed into a gorgeous, ivy-lined, brick-walled patio, where seasoned fine dining chef Hendrix Vega serves a la carte dishes and tasting menus inspired by French bistro cuisine. However, there are no stodgy French dishes here. Instead, Vega brings his pan-European background (he grew up on the Spanish island of Formentera just beside Ibiza) and experience at places like L’Effervessence in Tokyo, Sa Vinya in Majorca, and most recently as sous chef at Gucci Osteria, incorporating opening executive chef Dany Chavez-Bello’s Japanese-inflected cooking (Chavez-Bello has since moved on as he wasn’t based in Los Angeles full-time).

The results at Amour are polished, thoughtful, and richly sauced courses like a New Caledonia prawn carpaccio surrounded by leche de tigre or a Comte cheese cloud hovering over a poached egg, caviar, and generously shaved black truffle that makes Amour feel like a rebirth of the French Laundry, but in more compact form. Plates are minimal and frankly beautiful, fancy but not quite fussy in a way that leads to conversation. One might find the dimly lit setting almost chokingly romantic, but in West Hollywood, this coupling of ambience and top-flight cooking is more than welcome. 8715 Beverly Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA, 90048. — Matthew Kang, lead editor

For some of LA’s best-baked everything: Sweet Red Peach

When driving on Prairie Avenue just across from SoFi Stadium, look for the line stretching out from the entrance of Sweet Red Peach. Inglewood’s longtime bakery opens at 11 a.m. and stays that way until closing at 7 p.m., or 5 p.m. on Sundays. Owner Karolyn Plummer says her first location basically runs itself. She dedicates her time to nurturing the fairly new locations in the Del Amo Mall and Menifee. The Menifee location is Plummer’s laboratory where she tests out new recipes and sells just about everything one could want for dessert like peach and apple cobblers that can be reheated with delight at home, toffee chocolate chip cookies, and banana pudding. While at any location, look carefully at the cupcake and cake menus — both are where Plummer’s bakeries shine. Her best-sellers are sweet potato pie and peach cobbler, but people line up for a slice of red velvet cake or its mini cousin cupcake. It’s impossibly moist, available in red or blue, and must be consumed in the car immediately. 1035 S. Prairie Avenue #2, Inglewood, CA, 90301 — Mona Holmes, reporter

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