Plugs — Heather Platt

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from an L.A. food writer + LINKS

Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every week, you’ll get six picks—a restaurant, a bar, a shop, an ingredient, a person, and a treat—from someone in Los Angeles who knows what they’re talking about, plus a selection of Angel-curated links. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only; upgrade your subscription to receive all six!)

#58 is Heather Platt, a food writer with bylines in the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Eater, and more. Heather, like me, covers the local food scene in L.A., which means she’s always eating (for both research and pleasure) and keeping tabs on new and seasoned players in the Los Angeles restaurant world. Her recent work includes a report on how the movie Sideways changed how we talk about wine, a celebration of the Santa Monica restaurant Mélisse (which just turned 25), and a guide to California’s top spots for farm-to-table dining. Dig through her clips here, and read her Plugs below!

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Restaurant — Osawa

On a recent Sunday evening, the line of people waiting for Osawa to open for dinner at 5 p.m. was so long it blocked the entrance to neighboring restaurants. And yet, I would never describe this low-key family-owned sushi and shabu-shabu restaurant (where I celebrated both Mother’s Day and my birthday this year) as “buzzy.” There’s nothing flashy about the interior, and it’s not a hard-to-book omakase spot. It’s an a la carte Japanese menu with a noteworthy list of specials like uni spaghetti and seasonal fish. It’s a place where everyone, including families, is welcomed warmly, regulars are recognized, and the fish is always fresh.

Photo by Heather Platt.