The Resy Guide to 2022 James Beard Nominees in Los Angeles

There’s something immediately warm about Alta Adams, whether it’s your first meal there or your fifteenth. Hospitality is the star of the show, and chef Keith Corbin’s food leans in to the welcoming vibe. California soul food all day long is what’s on the menu, with Corbin toeing the line between tradition and novelty and topping it all with beautiful produce. One bite into his braised oxtails over rice and you’ll know: This is what cooking from the soul tastes like.

Taking over the family restaurant is no small feat, especially when said restaurant is a 40-year-old Thai staple in the Valley. Suffice it to say that Justin Pichetrungsi is upholding the family legacy and then some. After his father suffered a stroke, Pichetrungsi (the son) brought Anajak Thai into the future, updating dishes with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, creating a stellar wine program, and daring the public to accept what Thai could be. Thai taco Tuesday? Yes, please.

As part of the Rustic Canyon Family of Restaurants, Cassia is a near-guarantee for a good time, and with chef Bryant Ng at the helm, its reputation is cemented. Seamlessly blending Singaporean and Vietnamese flavors with French classics, Ng offers a whirlwind of a Southeast Asian brasserie that keeps you guessing, with dishes like Vietnamese pot au feu and lemongrass- scented roast chicken.

Does one need to introduce Niki Nakayama anymore? The dazzling chef behind the two Michelin-starred kaiseki destination n/naka has bottled lightning twice with this new venture (in partnership with wife Carole Iida-Nakayama), a minimalist tasting menu pop-up at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. Pro tip: Get there early enough to enjoy a drink in the center’s tranquil James Irvine Zen garden.

Post & Beam already had a strong foothold in Baldwin Hills, but when chef and owners John and Roni Cleveland took over from the original partners in 2019, they deepened what the restaurant could mean to the community. And with chef de cuisine Martin Draluck running the kitchen, the team zeroed in on historic African American cuisine. Look no further than their Black Pot Supper Club, a riveting eight-course menu inspired by Hercules Posey and James Hemings, two talented enslaved chefs who cooked for some of the country’s earliest presidents.

What happens when a Michelin-trained chef turns to his family’s Mexican roots? In Carlos Salgado’s case, Taco María — a groundbreaking Costa Mesa restaurant that’s redefined what Salgado calls “Alta California” cuisine, a new brand of California-Mexican cooking, where heirloom corn and personal histories are at the very core of the menu.