The October Hit List: Rustic Canyon, Baroo, and More

The chef Zarah Khan may be out at Rustic Canyon, but that means Jeremy Fox is back in, running point at his hyper-seasonal Santa Monica restaurant. And he’s having a lot of fun doing so, drumming up dishes like trout roe-topped smoked trout pâté, shrimp toast on cornbread with stone fruit jam, and Pead & Barnett’s pork chop with honeycrisp apple, fennel, and XO sauce. Who knows how long he’ll remain at the head seat in the kitchen, so go visit. Now!

The chef Junya Yamasaki has been steering the ship at his pristine Japanese restaurant for less than six months, already to critical acclaim. Also a NYT best new restaurant, food writer Tejal Rao calls his cuisine “as precise and controlled as his menu is inviting and flexible,” and according to the LA Times critic Bill Addison, it’s “the most quietly ambitious cooking to emerge in Los Angeles this year.” Yess also recently switched things up to offer a seasonal prix fixe menu format, which includes a choice of main course (think rockfish katsu with lobster mushroom, grilled pork collar with peppers and plum miso, and bluefin tuna tataki steak with citrus ponzu). 

Baroo is back, baby. But this time, it looks quite different. For starters, instead of an East Hollywood strip mall, Kwang Uh and Mina Park are operating out of an elegant Arts District restaurant. Secondly, the cuisine at Baroo, as imaginative as always, is now presented in a tasting menu format, with five courses costing $110. Finally, an inventive beverage program from Jason Lee (n/soto, Pijja Palace) leans on Korean wines and spirits, such as yakju, makgeolli, and soju. Go get an early look.

The love for Quarter Sheets keeps on coming, and rightfully so. Since opening the doors to their brick-and-mortar pizza and cake spot early last year, Hannah Ziskin and Aaron Lindell have kept things exciting—and seasonal, as always. Lately, that means crispy bar-style pizzas, bubbling baked ziti, and rainbow slabs of sherbet. Stop in to eat, and to say congrats: the restaurant was just named one of the country’s best new restaurants by The New York Times, and Ziskin one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Yangban now has a whole new look and a whole new menu, thanks to a recent makeover by chef-owners Katianna and John Hong. It’s still a Korean American restaurant informed by the husband-and-wife pair’s personal backgrounds and fine dining experience (including some Jewish influence), but now, it’s a little more upscale. In place of its former deli counter, the Arts District destination is now outfitted with dark blue banquettes and teak tabletops. Meanwhile, new dishes include the fried Wagyu-stuffed pepper, a Caesar salad laced with gochujang and kkakduki, and matzoh ball mandu.

For more info and reservations, head here.

Those mourning the loss of former sushi standby Wabi Sabi will be thrilled to note that there’s a new Japanese destination dishing nigiri, maki, and more in its place. Ōwa on Abbott Kinney serves an extensive array of fresh cuts of fish, from toro tataki to sweet shrimp nigiri and soft shell crab maki, across its sushi counter, indoor tables, and patio seating. In addition to sake and Japanese beer, the restaurant’s cocktail program is rooted in Japanese whiskeys and gins.

We love Pijja Palace, TikTok loves Pijja Palace, and now Bon Appétit has made it clear that they, too, love Pijja Palace: The food pub just named it one of their 50 best new restaurants in America. This Indian sports bar remains worth setting all the Notifies for (or showing up before they open to snag a bar seat), and not just for the malai rigatoni and the dosa onion rings. Executive chef Miles Shorey is as creative as they come and is constantly whipping up new dishes. Once you’re in, ask about fresh additions, and don’t overlook the sleeper hits, like achaari buffalo chicken tenders and the brinjal gemelli. 

When was the last time you had dinner at Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer’s perpetually delightful Kismet? Come for the classics—lemony chicken and pine nut pies, Persian crispy rice—and stay for the seasonal stuff. This Middle Eastern meets California mainstay is open every night, and that means Mondays and Tuesdays, too. Los Feliz residents are lucky to have Kismet as a neighborhood spot.

Now that summer is officially over, that long-rescheduled group hang is well overdue. Consider Edendale, tucked away from the Silver Lake hubbub on Rowena Ave, with its ample patio seating underneath string lights and appealing tavern vibe (pressed tin ceiling and all). The bar is full, including house cocktails and rotating beers on draft, and the food is straightforward and solid, from cheese boards to burgers.

Fans of the now-closed Ostrich Farm, take note: owners Brooke Fruchtman and Jaime Turrey have revived the Sunset Boulevard address with a brand-new bar. The idea behind the casual watering hole is that it will evolve based on the desires of its customers (you!), but for now, cocktails are flowing, and snacks are on. Plan a date or call a friend to go check it out.

No reservations. Find more info here.