Does the appeal of the Hollywood ArcLight lie in its enormous screens, the quality of its projection — or in its proximity to Hungry Cat, Suzanne Goin and David Lentz's seafood restaurant fitted into the ground floor of a condo building a few steps away? Hungry Cat is a fishy, fishy place, home to oysters, chowder, pan-roasted skate, peel-and-eat shrimp and chorizo-steamed clams; also to the lobster roll, a buttery, abstracted version of the New England beach-shack standard transformed into a split, crisp, $20-plus sandwich that enrages skinflint Red Sox fans as much as it delights everybody else. The Pug Burger — sure, there's the Pug Burger, which is to say a wad of loosely packed organic cow, bleeding profusely through blue cheese into a La Brea Bakery roll. Lentz is from Maryland, which means his fetish object of choice is fried crabcakes, which Hungry Cat not coincidentally serves. 1535 N. Vine St., Hlywd. (323) 462-2155, thehungrycat.com. Mon.-Wed., noon-11 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat., noon-mid.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Full bar. Validated parking. AE, MC, V. Seafood. Also at 100 W. Channel Road, Santa Monica. (310) 459-3337.

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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