Why Lien loves it: “I really prefer to sit at the counter there for the off-menu burger [that they do Mondays and Tuesdays]. It’s not always a burger, sometimes she [Nancy Silverton] makes a tuna melt or grilled cheese. I also really love the anchovy butter toast that’s cut up into four pieces.”

Why Lien loves it: “This is probably my favorite restaurant right now of the whole group. It’s really special because no other restaurant is cooking quite like it. There’s a great, rustic Southern vibe to the cooking, and I bet a lot of people imagine a meal here is heavy, but it is possible to have a light fish-focused meal—they have an iconic baby albacore tuna dish.”

Why Lien loves it: “It’s really close to my restaurant [Here’s Looking at You], and it has some really great, unique pastas and heavier proteins. He [Colby] also makes really amazing focaccia. Plus, there’s a big chicken dish on top of grilled bread; the juices from the chicken get soaked up in the bread—it has a French toast feel to it. And the wine list is exceptional.”

Why Lien loves it: “I’ve only been once, and I was moved by my experience. The cooking is unique and memorable. There is this cooked spinach in a sesame broth that I can’t stop thinking about. The clam toast is a great starter. I can’t wait to keep going back again and again.”

Why Lien loves it: “I love going here when I’m craving a grander restaurant experience. I think a Nancy meal always makes a great complete experience—antipasti, salads, pastas, to the finish. And the mozzarella list keeps evolving.”

Why Lien loves it: “Angelini is my favorite classic Italian restaurant when I really want to feel transported to Italy. My all-time favorite dish is the lasagna verde. When I’m craving that dish, I always go there. Sometimes I get pizza, sometimes I don’t, but I always get the lasagna.”

Why Lien loves it: “Yangban is my favorite restaurant right now to recommend to out-of-towners. It showcases our city’s diversity. I love the husband-and-wife team that runs it, I love their chicken wings, and they also have these sort of little dumplings [sujebi dumplings] with roe on top of them.”

Why Lien loves it: “I’m not over on that side of town often enough, but if I am, it is the first place that I go to. This is the most energetic of the Italian restaurants on the list. He [Kalb] makes the most amazing vodka sauce, either on a pizza or as a dipping sauce with incredible fried-cheese discs. He does such a nice job with vegetables, like their eggplant and cauliflower. I love how much spice chef Jackson incorporates into his food.”

Why Lien loves it: “The Arthur J is one of the best steakhouses in LA. Sadly for me, it is really far, but we always make a special-occasion meal out of it. A dear friend of mine is the manager, and it is a wonderful place to get a cocktail, Caesar salad, and share a humongous rib eye and wonderful wine to pair it all with. It feels very mid-century American. It also has a great off-menu burger.”

Why Lien loves it: “I love sitting at the counter in front of the grill—it is always bustling. I love that the staff has been there for many, many years, and I always start with martinis, get a Caesar salad, and then steak. It is a wonderful, nostalgic restaurant—this is the restaurant I go to for the vibes, the iconic Hollywood energy.” While all picks are her own, OpenTable advisory board members are compensated for their time and expertise.