California

San Ho Won to feels warm and familiar, with all the care and attention to detail of fine dining. (It’s the work of Chef Corey Lee, whose flagship restaurant Benu has three Michelin stars, and Jeong-In Hwang, who trained there under him.) On the surface it’s a Korean barbecue spot, and aptly all about the grill: beef tongue, bulgogi, and tender galbi, all roasted over lychee-wood charcoal made just for the restaurant. Fill in the gaps with green-onion pancakes with fat slabs of yam, riblet and tteokbokki stew, four kinds of kimchi, and scoopable egg soufflé with rock seaweed sauce.

At the Tomales Bay Oyster Co. farmstand, you can buy oysters to go, including sauces and knives, although you’re requested to bring your own bucket. Here at the restaurant, in a blue fishing cottage by the water, you can order them raw or grilled, Rockefeller or Kilpatrick—or smoked on crostini with a smear of Cowgirl Creamery fromage blanc. Plus chowder and sandwiches, bottled beer, and kettle chips by the bag.

During the weekend brunch rush, you can expect to wait an hour for dim sum at Lunasia, which doesn’t offer reservations. (Except if you’ve banded together a group of eight or more, in which case they’ll allow you an advance reservation.) The checkbox-style menu is over 100 items long, so can we make some suggestions? Get the egg buns with runny yolks, lobster noodle rolls, massive pork siu-mai, and Hong Kong–style egg tarts for dessert.

Sushi Yamamoto, which opened in the old Urasawa space on Rodeo Drive, is one of the best omakase bars in the LA sushi scene. Put your trust in rising-star chef Yusuke Yamamoto, who’s worked behind the counter at the Beverly Hills classic Matsuhisa and at Nobu Tokyo: He sources some of the world’s best seafood, like uni from Hokkaido, Oma tuna from Aomori, and Astrea caviar.

Chef Evan Funke became a household name in LA for his saucy, cheesy tonnarelli and salt-flaked sfincione at Felix. At his eponymous restaurant Funke, you’ll find some of his greatest hits from Felix (and from Mother Wolf), plus dishes inspired by the chef’s travels through Bologna: ultra-thin tagliatelle, chewy orecchiette, and a beloved plate of pork-stuffed agnolotti. The dining room is a little kitsch, sure, but that’s part of the magic: If you’re lucky, you’ll land a spot near Evan Funke’s glassed-in “laboratory” and watch the master pull pasta by hand.

We first fell in love with the food at Parakeet Café last spring, when they catered lunch for goop staff at our wellness summit in Carlsbad. (We were late to discovering them: If you live in San Diego, you already know them for their colorful, vegetable-forward toasts and juices.) Soon after—much to our delight—they opened this space in Brentwood, where they do an incredible brunch, among other things. Everything on the menu is free of seed oils; they use avocado oil, coconut oil, and EVOO. And they have an impressive selection of gluten-free and refined-sugar-free baked goods.

This hideaway bar has a speakeasy vibe, and it would be a great spot to go with a small group of friends or an early-in-the-game date: intimate and lively, with friendly bartenders and a cocktail-first menu (a rarity in wine country). There's a drink with clarified mezcal, coconut milk punch, green chartreuse, and Thai basil that people especially like—get one of those, plus a little bowl of olives to snack on.

Everything about Promontory is unique and magnificent—from the Brutalist-farmhouse venue and canyon views to the service and the wines themselves. Your guide walks you through what makes this place (and, of course, the wine it produces) so special, starting with the vineyards, which take up a patch of particularly steep and rugged land in a canyon marked by unusual geology. (Two fault lines run through it, separating three different soil types, which of course influence the flavor of the grapes.) This is a world-class winery experience, and a destination for people passionate about the wine world.

Larkmead Vineyard, which originally opened in the 1880s and is now on its fourth generation of family ownership, specializes in bordeaux grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot—which cover most of the vineyard. But there’s also a small block of Tocai Friulano (also known as Sauvignonasse), which Larkmead releases in super-limited quantities. You need a reservation for tastings here, which take place in an intimate and homey living room or on the patio overlooking the vineyard.

Faust grows their Cabernet Sauvignon east of Napa in Coombsville—typically Chardonnay country, due to its lower temperatures. But it’s exactly the combination of cooler weather, volcanic soils, and sea breezes that gives Faust’s Cabernet its brightness and minerality. In the Victorian mansion at Faust Haus, you’re likely to try a few of their limited-production Cabs and a few other varietals.