Los Angeles's Top 5 New & Notable Destinations

The crew from Mendocino Farms, with dishes like Bahn Mini served in Vietnamese crepes, is pushing for a step further than your typical twist on familiar ingredients; they want your eating experience to be unforgettable. The animal-to-your-face (also known by the snooty as Farm to Table) concept has been honed to delight the diner with an amusement park of tastes. Not to be outdone, the bartenders sling head-scratchers like the "gin and tonic experiment," which is an ongoing study by Dr. Feelgood, we assume.

Brussels Sprouts. Did you just picture the worst of your mom's cooking, or possibly a cartoon version of bad food, complete with stink lines? Well it's time to grow up, my friend. At Freddie Smalls, they grill them up with some goat cheese and an apple cider glaze... Sure,they also serve craft cocktails against dim 40's-inspired decor, and even some solid waffles, the brussels sprouts are the raison d'etre at Freddie Small. If you don't eat them, don't expect a scolding from your waiter. They'll just be confused as to how you could let something that delicious pass you by.

Who goes to Baldwin Hills for fancy dining? Famed chef (and Inglewood native) Govind Armstrong is betting you will. Gleaning many of their ingredients from the South Central Farmers Cooperative, the Crenshaw Famers Market and their very own garden in the middle of the restaurant, Post & Beam are bringing something fresh, both literally and figuratively to the neighborhood. Dishes combine Southern and California influences, like the crispy cast iron natural chicken and and sticky little ribs. Wash it down with one of the local beers on tap. Look out restaurants in the 90210 - there's a new Hills in town.

Echo Park was once known as Red Hill back before Dubya Dubya Two because of the unusually large concentration of political radicals. Once again bringing Communism back to to the neighborhood is Red Hill. Nothing over $20 on the menu? Come on, that sounds downright state-run. The menu is the result of battle royal between owner and veg-lover Jason Michaud and chef Trevor Rocco. This means that you'll find Roman Artichokes, Mint and Garlic alongside Roasted Bone Marrow with Shallots, Pickled Garlic and Watercress. The space is as casual as it gets with wooden tables and chairs, some bar seating, and walls adorned with jars of house-made pickles.

The first time I went to Thai Sabai, I?m not gonna lie, I was scared out of my mind that I?d walked into the wrong place and my masseuse was going to offer me a happy ending. But now that they've relocated onto this street-level establishment (with a lovely new setup), you can relax. Pro tip: if you don't relax, the women of Thai Sabai are so strong, they may actually bruise you. If you've got knots in your muscles, and I?m talking knots that your significant other feels and mutters ?Have you been moving furniture???, this is the only place I've ever been that can help. Once they're done kneading and walking on your back, you'll be so dazed on your own endorphins that you might just consider redefining what a happy ending is.