"The opening of Chinois by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck may just have started the fusion trend. It opened in 1983, and that really makes it one of the really early pioneers in Asian fusion food and one of the restaurants in L.A. to feature an open kitchen," said Tara de Lis of Citysearch. "A little tip, when Wolfgang is in town, he makes the rounds to all of his restaurants -- so this is the place to definitely catch him as well."
"It's French presentation with a Chinese style. Asian-inspired style. We are encouraging our guests to share the food. The dinner becomes like a food show. One dish comes after another," said Bella Lantsman.
Worth sharing are the Thai curried lobster, Mongolian lamb chops, shrimp and calamari salad, and tempura ahi tuna.
You only need to head to Neomeze in Pasadena for an around-the-world experience.
"It feels like you've stepped into a sexy New York lounge. The food is great. It's pan-Mediterranean; so Greek, French, Italian, North African, a little bit of everything, and there are modern, global accents as well," said de Lis.
You'll find those flavors in the octopus salad, red snapper, smoked pepper pork, and lamb lollipops.
"Especially grilled quail, and incorporating the orange flavor in there, and the thing I love about that dish is putting a little bit of foie fras, something that's traditionally French into that dish, and it picks up really well," said Maryann Salcedo. "And who doesn't like a little bit of foie gras?"
For palettes that favor the flavors south of the border, there's Ciudad.
"Run by celebrity chef personalities, the Two Hot Tamales. It's Latin fusion, so Mexican, Argentine, Spanish, Pan Latin. Really good," said de Lis.
For Indian fusion, there's Tanzore in L.A.
"Family-owned, beautiful decor. One Citysearcher said, 'This is what fusion should be. It's classic Indian cuisine filtered through 21st century cooking style,'" said de Lis.
Rounding out the Citysearch Top 7 fusion restaurants are Wilson, Gina Lee's, and D'Cache. In Orange County, there's Roy's in Newport Beach. In the Inland Empire, Omakase in Riverside.
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