Two Shining Stars at Inn of the Seventh Ray; Ramen on Steroids at Jinya

1) Inn of the Seventh Ray: Don't get her started about the once inedible food offerings from Inn of the Seventh Ray: "recently, though, it was more a curiosity than a destination for anybody who cared about eating...Now it has a serious chef and some serious food" which earns two intergalactic stars. The food from year-old chef "Bradley Miller is nuanced and delicious. This is not the hippie cuisine of old...this guy is a hidden talent...At the Inn, Miller has made it his mission to buy mostly organic and local produce and is conscientious about naming the farms on the menu...He carefully sources his seafood. He's even introduced a touch of molecular gastronomy to the menu...Most of the appetizers are excellent...Servers are more professional and savvier about food than before..The wine list has some real finds on it, put together with passion and interest." Desserts "tend to be quite sweet" and half of them are vegan, but hey, that's no shocker considering the restaurant's philosophy: "We want you to rest unhurried and partake of the angelic vibrations of the violet ray." [LAT]

2) Jinya: Alert the masses: The Goldster has found a prized new ramen spot. Good luck scoring a seat now at Jinya. At first he seems dubious (which is probably a good sign because unsuspecting restaurants frequently produce the best food), "But then the ramen comes: big, earthen bowls of the house ramen made with strong chicken stock and garnished with seed-studded chicken meatballs; of the greenery-rich vegetable ramen made with the same stock; and of the tonkotsu ramen, made from long-boiled pork bones and fortified with generous spoonfuls of pork oil, which transform the dish into a flavor bomb. The noodles are long, springy, resilient to the bite, soaking up just enough broth to become almost part of it yet retaining a sort of wheaty integrity of their own...Best of all was an odd, strong-smelling tonkotsu ramen, whose pork broth had been pumped up with industrial quantities of dashi and dried fish, a broth on steroids, a broth that seemed to be trying to establish the record for the most umami per milligram. Can tongues pant? After a few bites, you may feel as if yours had just run a half-marathon without bothering to notify the rest of your head." And lastly, there's a bit of plywood action in this piece. Apparently, the owner is planning a robata restaurant near the Beverly Center. [LAW]

The Elsewhere: The Find noshes on Central American fare at El Bolivar, Diana Takes A Bite visits Magnolia Bakery, Sinosoul dines at Vintage Enoteca, LA and OC Foodventures goes healthy at Seed, Potatomato choses Allston Yacht Club, e*star LA recounts the Frankies Spuntino dinner at Animal, and LAmag is one of the first to file a report on Cafe Habana.