The Essential Blog Part 2: 99 err...105 in '09

**9.17.09** Updated- those restaurants on the J. Gold list that are participating in Dine LA Week have been noted. Click here to see a list of all participating restaurants and their special, Dine LA week menus- valid October 4-9 and 11-16.

Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic, Jonathan Gold (@thejgold on Twitter), of the LA Weekly, published his updated list of the 99 Essential Los Angeles Restuarants on Thursday. That afternoon, I spent the better part of an hour tracking down a west side newspaper box still stocked with this essential edition of the weekly Los Angeles rag.

Sure, I could have read the list online, but this was equivalent to the difference between casually downloading the latest single or being first in line at Best Buy the morning of your favorite band's newest release.

Having The Hard Copy somehow validated my J. Gold obsession. And because I dug through the bottom of the box to get the most pristine copies, (knowing full well I would never need all four of them, but would love and cherish one with the same pleasure my younger sister relishes on her prized, "old school" copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), I have somehow proven my devotion to the gods of journalism. They are sooo gonna find me a job.

But I digress. Gold writes of food with delicate, poetic passion and grace. Here's to another year of eating my way through LA, GoldStyle.

The Title: A Sidenote I numbered this list after typing it out...and came up with 105 Essential LA Restaurants. I checked it twice against the LA Weekly's website and couldn't seem to find a mistake. Thinking perhaps this had something to do with the accidental omission of the beginning of the list in print (see LA Weekly's editor's note here), I went to the source.

"Has to do with the missing As: we knew the count was short, but not why; added some. Once in print, hard to rescind," said the man himself, @thejgold in a direct message via Twitter.

More is better I say, though I have to wonder which restaurants were added after the fact. In any case, rock on.

Links open to Yelp page, except for Street and Tavern, both of which seem impossible to find on Yelp.

*been there
#new to the list

1. *Akasha- DINE LA
   
2. Alcazar
3. Angeli Caffe
4. Angelini Osteria
5. *Animal
6. Anisette- DINE LA
   
7. A.O.C.
8. #Auntie Em's
9. Babita
10. Beacon: An Asian Cafe- DINE LA
    
11. Bistro LQ
12. BLD- DINE LA
    
13. *Border Grill- DINE LA
14. #Bottega Louie
15. Bulgarini Gelato
16. #Cache- DINE LA
    
17. Campanile- DINE LA
    
18. Casa Bianca
19. Chameau
20. Chang's Garden
21. #Chaya Downtown- DINE LA
    
22. Chichen Itza
23. Chung King
24. #Church & State
25. *Ciudad- DINE LA
    
26. Comme Ca
27. Cora's Coffee Shoppe
28. Cut
29. Daikokuya
30. #Drago Centro- DINE LA
    
31. 8 oz. Burger Bar
32. *El Huarache Azteca
33. El Parian
34. Elite
35. *Euro Pane Bakery
36. Fab Dogs
37. Flame
38. Fraiche
39. #Gjelina
40. Golden Deli
41. #Golden State
42. Golden Triangle
43. #Good Girl Dinette
44. Grace- DINE LA
    
45. The Grill on the Alley
46. Guelaguetza
47. #Huckleberry
48. The Hungry Cat
49. Il Moro- DINE LA
    
50. Jar
51. JiRaffe- DINE LA
    
52. *Jitlada
53. Kagaya
54. Kiriko
55. Kobawoo
56. #Kogi
57. Krua Thai
58. *Kyochon
59. La Casita Mexicana
60. La Mill
61. *Langer's
62. Larkin's
63. Let's Be Frank
64. *#Little Dom's
65. *Los Balcones del Peru
66. *#Loteria Grill- DINE LA
    
67. *Lou
68. Lucques
69. Ludo Bites
70. M Cafe de Chaya
71. Marouch
72. Meals by Genet
73. Melisse
74. #Mo Chica
75. #Moles la Tia
76. *#Mozza
77. Musso and Frank Grill
78. *The Nickel
79. Nobu Los Angeles
80. *Oinkster
81. Palate Food + Wine
82. Park's Barbeque
83. Phillip's Barbeque
84. #Pho Minh
85. Pollo a la Brasa
86. Providence
    
87. Renu Nakorn
88. #Riva
89. Rivera- DINE LA
    
90. Rustic Canyon
91. Sanuki No Sato
92. Sapp Coffee Shop
93. Sona
94. Spago- DINE LA
    
95. *Square One
96. #Street- DINE LA
    
97. Tacos Baja Ensenada
98. #Tavern
99. Terroni
100. Tirupathi Bhimas
101. Urusawa
102. Vincenti
103. Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener- DINE LA
     
104. #Wurstkuche
105. Zelo Gourmet Pizzeria

Photo: One I wish had made the list: Don Chow Tacos

9.1.09- Amended to add Providence, thanks to a savvy commenter at Eater LA. :)