Long before it became expected, as it is now, for a chef to troll his local farmers market every week, to grow his own heirloom tomatoes, to serve his precisely sourced fish without bothering to cook it, to spotlight family-made wines and olive oils and to present his beautifully articulated food in dishes made not by a machine but by a ceramicist friend, Salvatore Marino was doing exactly that. Il Grano, Marino's edible ode to his native Italy, is unironically both an of-the-moment restaurant and something of a throwback. There are photos of the chef's homegrown Green Zebra tomatoes on the walls and edible flowers with his plates of crudo, a dish Marino served long before it became de rigueur. Yet the dining room is an atavistic arrangement of white-clothed tables, there is a white truffle tasting menu, and quiet men in business suits drink wine by the bottle for lunch — meaning that, at Il Grano, both hipsters and their parents can be happy simultaneously, eating exquisite Kumamoto oysters on plates shaped like the Ponte Vecchio. 11359 Santa Monica Blvd., Sawtelle; (310) 477-7886, ilgrano.com. Mon.-Fri., 11:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m.; Mon.-Sat., 5:30-10:30 p.m. Entrees $17-$90. Tasting menus $59-$275. Full bar.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

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