It's come around again, this bi-annual, two-week affair when restaurants across the city craft prix-fixe menus for your dining pleasure. Are you getting a good deal during dineLA Restaurant Week? Sometimes. Do the restaurants include their best dishes? Eh. If we sound a bit blasé, it's only because this event has become a tad predictable, with a list of participating restaurants that changes only slightly. This winter, however, is a different story. We've honed in on the newcomers and what they're bringing to the table. Eight of them happen to be outstanding options, whether this is your first dineLA or you've done dineLA a few times before. All of them opened for business since summer's dineLA event, and some of them even made our list of the best restaurant openings of 2014. What we're trying to say is, you're going to want to make reservations now (dineLA runs Jan. 19-Feb. 1).
Bacari PDR: This Playa del Rey newbie may be best known as a wine bar, but its food is nothing to scoff at. Start with a cheese or salumi platter, then choose two cichetti: poached shrimp, pork belly skewers, a bacaro burger and seared scallops are all on hand. Finish with either bread pudding or malabi (rosewater custard), all while enjoying a 90-minute open bar. $40, dinner, call 310-439-2100 for reservations
Hutchinson Cocktails & Grill: You want steak. You also want Indonesian food. This is where you can get both. The three-course meal starts with your choice of appetizers (papaya and mango salad, mushroom spring rolls, pork belly lettuce cups or beef tartare), then offers both steak and Indonesian entrées for the main course (we recommend the beef rendang). End with chocolate mousse cake, key lime cheesecake or coconut ice cream sandwiches for dessert. $50, dinner, call 310-360-0884 for reservations
Alimento: We were hoping that the dineLA menu at Alimento would feature their exceptional tortellini in brodo; alas, that wasn't in the cards. Instead, the Silver Lake hot spot asks diners to pick three of the following dishes: cauliflower almond soup, scallop crudo, cracked farro salad, winter chicory caesar, baccala, fussili, polenta almond cake and carnaroli rice pudding. Get the rice pudding. $30, dinner, call 323-928-2888 for reservations
Brilliantshine: It's a shame that Brilliantshine's dineLA menu doesn't come with cocktails; this is, after all, Julian Cox's baby. But there's plenty to keep you distracted: halibut ceviche or farmers market veggies as a first course, lomo saltado with French fries or squash relleno as a second, and lucuma bolis or dulce de leche for dessert. $30, dinner, call 310-451-0045 for reservations
The Gadarene Swine This is one of those places where a vegan and a meat-eater can both emerge feeling like they've had a phenomenal meal—and thankfully, chef Lee is featuring some of his star dishes on the dineLA menu. For lunch, choose either a sourdough and crushed tomato or honey fried olive stuffed olives appetizer (pick the olives!), then select two from the following: hummus, roasted carrots, strawberries and champagne, or blackened cauliflower. Move onto vegetables in a box, roasted mushrooms or hand-rolled pasta, then finish with an indulgent pear pie for an extra $9. For dinner, the appetizers remain the same, but a six-course chef's tasting menu follows—including the pie. $25, lunch; $50, dinner; call 818-508-5500 for reservations
Butchers & Barbers: The newest venue from the Houston Brothers is not a bar, but a restaurant—and a pretty one at that. They've joined dineLA with a four-course dinner menu, featuring appetizers like a pear and arugula salad or smoked trout with celery root hummus, and vegetable-heavy sides like butternut squash and roasted cauliflower. For an entrée, choose between crispy duck breast or king salmon before finishing with a flourless Mexican chocolate cake. $40, dinner, call 323-461-1464 for reservations
Stir Market: Food halls are on the rise, and Stir Market, LA's latest such venue, has jumped on the dineLA train this winter. A three-course meal includes dishes that range from crispy pig tails to green goddess salad, chicken pappardelle to eggplant and sweet potato lasagna, and blood orange sorbet to croissant bread pudding. $30, dinner, no reservations
Dia de Campo: A surf lodge-inspired Mexican eatery? Sure, we'll take it. This Hermosa Beach newbie is offering a four-course dinner, with dishes that alternate between sounding off-the-wall and delicious: salmon tostadas, chocolate duck quesadillas, and shrimp and chorizo enchiladas, to name a few. $50, dinner, call 310-379-1829 for reservations