Jonathan Gold Updates Annual 101 Best Resto List

Jonathan Gold updates his annual 101 Best Restaurant List (subscription required to see the entire list) for the LA Times this week, with mostly familiar faces, such as Providence landing at the top spot for the second year. Spago gets a nice promotion to the number two slot while what he calls the "Mozzaplex" by Nancy Silverton (disclosure: a family friend of Gold's), Mario Batali, and Joe Bastianich comprised of chi SPACCA, Pizzeria Mozza, and Osteria Mozza attains the bronze medal.

Rounding out the top five: Westside sushi joint Shunji (where's Urasawa this year?) and Lucques by Suzanne Goin. A curious choice (though justifiable), especially since the newly relocated AOC was just crowned the number one restaurant in the city by LA Magazine.

But who's really counting in these massive listicles? Is it the people who are actually eating at these places, or the people who run the restaurants? Will Walter Manzke feel miffed that his former restaurant, Church & State, now helmed by Tony Esnault, is one spot higher than Republique? Is Alma really better than Red Medicine, which essentially cooks the same food? Is SAAM, which is perpetually empty, really better than The Bazaar? Notable new entrants to the list include: POT, Orsa & Winston, Republique, The Factory Kitchen, Guerilla Tacos, Little Sister, OC's Playground, and Taco Maria.
· Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurants [LAT]