"In early August, Food columnist Jenn Harris and I convened at Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles in Hollywood for a lunch meeting. Our purpose (beyond savoring $8.95 bowls of Malai Data's signature boat noodles): to begin creating The Times' annual guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, our second one together. The 2025 edition - the work of which kicked off over our summer meal - goes live online on Tuesday evening."
"We opened the magazine to the back of the list, and started with the sad job of striking through all the restaurants that had closed over the year: Tokyo Fried Chicken (where Jenn and I stood in line with other fans for a final meal days before), Post & Beam, Cassia, My 2 Cents, Bar Chelou, Yangban and Poncho's Tlayudas."
A lunch meeting convened at Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles in Hollywood where participants began work on the 2025 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles guide while savoring $8.95 bowls of signature boat noodles. The team reviewed the prior list, struck restaurants that closed during the year — including Tokyo Fried Chicken, Post & Beam, Cassia, My 2 Cents, Bar Chelou, Yangban and Poncho's Tlayudas — and noted especially painful removals like Here's Looking At You. A 'red wedding' round used a red marker to identify likely cuts while black-ink notes listed admired new openings. Spreadsheets tracked nominees and reporters plotted shared and solo meals for evaluation.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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