4 New SoCal Restaurants Added To Michelin Guide

LOS ANGELES, CA — If you haven't already discovered these restaurants, they are worth a drive, according to Michelin, which added four Southern California restaurants to its vaunted California Guide this week. Also added were three restaurants in San Francisco.

The new SoCal picks, in Los Angeles and San Diego, offer a range of cuisines from Korean to Californian. Here they are, with excerpts from the Michelin Guide:

Baroo — Downtown Los Angeles (Korean)

"The format is tasting menu only, with options for wine and non-alcoholic pairings. Items may include a nicely seared Hokkaido scallop in a pool of watercress sauce with cubed seaweed jelly and puffed rice.

"Silky, soy-braised wild black cod is served in the center of a wide-rimmed bowl that is filled with a creamy buttermilk sauce that's poured tableside. Finally, wood sorrel bingsu, shaved to order, is refreshingly tart and a nice contrast to the creamy panna cotta tucked beneath."

hibi — Koreatown (Japanese)

"The menu is modern Japanese with Korean influences and is comprised of small plates and larger main dishes designed for sharing. Winning dishes include sliced raw hamachi in a flavor-packed broth of tomato juice and shiro dashi, and maitake mushrooms, grilled over binchotan and topped with an egg sabayon sauce that's treated to a cured egg yolk microplaned tableside. To top it off, miso butter bar with a scoop of black pepper ice cream is a delicious alternative to the sweet finale."

Olivia — Koreatown (Vegetarian)

"The vegetarian menu displays both Korean and Mexican influences in dishes like breaded, deep-fried oyster mushrooms with a gochujang dipping sauce and fried squash blossoms filled with fully vegan macadamia ricotta, served on a bed of a pumpkin seed sauce. Nut-based white sauce and slow-roasted tomatoes add terrific flavor to the crispy and airy pizza."

Paradisaea — La Jolla (Californian)

"The kitchen turns out simple, contemporary cooking featuring local ingredients with Asian and tropical inflections. Case in point? Coconut shrimp, though here it's grilled over a robata and served with a coconut-lime dipping sauce. Northern halibut is fried to a crispy, golden brown and served over a thin slice of watermelon radish and lettuce with green curry aioli and a sweet chili sauce."

• Related: CA Michelin Guide 2023: New Restaurants Added In July