Mara Shalhoup

Credit: Nicolas Gourguechon

Best New Wine Shop

Stanley's Wet Goods might be the Goldilocks of wine shops — its selection isn't so big that it overwhelms, nor is it so small that you can't find exactly what you're craving. On an unusually dim and chilly recent afternoon, I went hunting for a more wintry wine than I......
Credit: Sherry T./Yelp

Best Boutique That Embodies All Things Venice

If you harbor a secret lust for the Venice lifestyle (come on, admit it), you could indulge that desire by spending the afternoon dipping in and out of the bougie-breezy shops on Abbot Kinney — or you could make a beeline to the more tucked-away Flowerboy Project. What is Flowerboy,......
Credit: Anne Fishbein

Best Restaurant From Animal Expats

It seems as if every third restaurant that opens in L.A. can trace its lineage to Animal, that 9-year-old poster child of meaty chic and gluttonous cool. But the Animal vets at Here's Looking at You — Jonathan Whitener, the former chef de cuisine, and Lien Ta, a former manager......
Credit: Jam Y./Yelp

Best Fusion Tacos

Revolutionario is further proof that you can put anything in a taco — in this case smoked lamb, chickpea tagine or the Middle Eastern egg dish shakshouka — and it will taste even better. The tiny, low-on-frills-but-high-on-charm North African taco joint (from classically trained French-Algerian chef Farid Zadi) also deserves......
Credit: Shane Lopes

Best Pizza Party

The pizza at Delicious Pizza lives up to its name, but this West Adams compound is built on more than superb pie. Founded by father-son duo Fred and Travis Sutherland and brothers Mike and Rick Ross (no, not that Rick Ross), the pizzeria is crafted from the same ingredients that......
Credit: Danny Liao

Best Labyrinth

Navigating Los Angeles often can feel as if you're in a labyrinth of the mind-numbing sort. But the actual labyrinth behind a Beaux Arts palace on West Adams Boulevard's mansion row is the kind that helps to quiet the surrounding chaos. Follow the stone-carved path to the center and out......
Credit: Whitney Friedlander

Best New Shoes That Look Vintage

If you love the look of vintage but don’t love the idea of slipping your foot into shoes once worn by a stranger, you can circumvent your squeamishness at Re-Mix. The shop used to source vintage kicks for theater, film and television — but when the supply of quality vintage......