top 25 things to eat in LA

inspired by pal nicole iizuka (http://www.cakeandheels.com), i decided to come up with my own list of favorite 25 things to eat here in los angeles. once i got started, i thought it would be difficult to actually reach 25, but as i accumulated my list and started to pare it down, it pained me to have to remove the last three or four. the list also had to include places still open for business, so the BTO ("better than oreo") at kris morningstar's mercantile sadly was not eligible.

that being said, here's my inaugural list in alphabetical order, which i will update throughout the year should anything else become deserving of the honor:

amandine café - croissant
http://www.amandinecafe.com/

animal - bbq pork belly sandwiches, slaw
http://animalrestaurant.com/

asahi ramen - kimchee ramen
http://www.asahiramen.com/

aurélie the cookie guru - chocolate chip cookie
http://thecookieguru.com/

bay cities italian deli - godmother, the works
http://www.baycitiesitaliandeli.com/

best fish taco in ensenada - shrimp taco
http://www.bestfishtacoinensenada.com/

café dulcé - green tea donut
http://cafedulce.co/

chego - ooey gooey fries
http://eatchego.com/

cora's coffee shoppe - eggs benedict w/smoked salmon, creamy spinach, lemon pepper
http://www.corascoffee.com/

father's office - FO burger
http://www.fathersoffice.com/

gjelina - butterscotch pot de crème, salted caramel, crème fraiche
http://www.gjelina.com/

huckleberry - BLTA
http://www.huckleberrycafe.com/

ink. - apple, crème caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut
http://mvink.com/

jin patisserie - macarons
http://www.jinpatisserie.com/

kaiten-sushi daichan - white tuna nigiri
http://kaitensushidaichan.com/

lazy ox canteen - slow cooked pork shoulder, turnips, quinoa, walnut chile tarator sauce
http://lazyoxcanteen.com/

lukshon - spicy chicken pops
http://www.lukshon.com/

milo + olive - roasted pumpkin, brown butter, sage, buckwheat honey, black pepper
http://www.miloandolive.com/

phillips bar-B-que II - beef ribs
http://www.yelp.com/biz/phillips-barbecue-inglewood

piccolo venice - acquerello rice, black winter truffle, parmesan
http://www.piccolovenice.com/

pizzeria mozza - fennel sausage, panna, red onion, scallions
http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/

porto's bakery & café - potato balls
http://www.portosbakery.com/

son of a gun - fried chicken sandwich
http://sonofagunrestaurant.com/

sweet rose creamery - old rasputin stout ice cream, handmade chocolate cone
http://www.sweetrosecreamery.com/

versailles - lechon asado (cuban style roast pork)
http://www.versaillescuban.com/