“We only wanted to be loved,” howled PiL's John Lydon. And there is almost nothing Eva's Mark Gold, a veteran of Joachim Splichal's haute cuisine armies of the night, will not resort to if he thinks it might make you love him, too. Fancy an all-you-can-eat fried chicken night? Done. Reasonably priced cocktails? Sure. Pork belly confit, chicken Milanese and halibut with smoked potatoes? You don't even have to ask. Sunday family dinners you might actually want to bring your family to? Sure. Eva is a cozy bistro friendly to kids and regulars, neither too loud nor too brightly lit, with a gently priced wine list and a market-driven seasonal Cal-Med menu at popular prices. Nobody will tell you, unless you ask, that the meats are cooked sous vide, that somebody shlepped to the farmers market at 7 a.m. to pick out the baby carrots or that the intricately carved fingerlings come from Weiser, the local god of potatoes, but if you've spent much time in better Los Angeles restaurants, you just know: Gold pays attention to the details. 7458 Beverly Blvd., L.A. (323) 634-0700, evarestaurantla.com. Lunch, Fri., noon-2 p.m.; dinner, Tues.-Sat., 5:30-10 p.m.; Sun. brunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sun. family dinner, 4-9 p.m. Full bar. Valet parking. All major CC. California.

99 Essential L.A. Restaurants 2011:

Jonathan Gold's Introduction
Anne Fishbein's Photos
The Google Map

The List:

A-Frame
Akasha
Alcazar
Angeli Caffe
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Antojitos Carmen
Attari
Babita
Bludso's
Border Grill
Bottega Louie
Bulgarini Gelato
Cacao
Campanile
Casa Bianca
Chang's Garden
Chego
Chichén Itzá
Chung King
Church & State
Ciro's
Comme Ça
Cut
Dae Bok
Din Tai Fung
Drago Centro
El Huarache Azteca
El Parian
Elvirita's
Euro Pane Bakery
Eva
Fab Hot Dogs
Father's Office
Fig
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Golden State
Good Girl Dinette
The Gorbals
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Huckleberry
Hungry Cat
Ink.
Jar
Jitlada
Kiriko
Kobawoo
La Casita Mexicana
Langer's
Larkin's
Lazy Ox Canteen
Le Comptoir
Little Dom's
Lou
Lucques
LudoBites
Lukshon
Mantee
Marouch
Mayura
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Mezze
Mo-Chica
Mother Dough
Mozza
Musso & Frank Grill
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa
Newport Tan Cang Seafood Restaurant
The Nickel
Night + Market
Oinkster
101 Noodle Express
Palate Food + Wine
Park's Barbecue
Picca
Playa
Pollos a la Brasa
Providence
Ray's
Red Medicine
Rivera
Rustic Canyon
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Sea Harbour
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
Spice Table
Street
Tacos Baja Ensenada
Tasting Kitchen
Terroni
Tsujita L.A.
Vincenti
Waterloo & City

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