Easily one of L.A.’s most iconic new dishes, when these thicc mozz sticks break apart they spill cheese that pulls like Stretch Armstrong’s limbs. Zach Pollack’s no-frills Italian spot—sibling, of course, to Alimento—serves up house-smoked mozzarella encased in a perfectly crunchy shell just begging for a dip in the accompanying marinara. I once craved these so badly that I called in an order for pickup and requested only these. The host on the other end of the line was clearly serving some judgment but I didn’t care because he was also serving these mozz sticks. (They barely survived the ride home.) $11. — Stephanie Breijo
One is the loneliest number—which is why we stand beside ordering a sampling of small plates, or at the very least, kicking off your meal with an appetizer or two. From tableside tofu to some of the best dumplings in K-town, here are our favorite small plates and appetizers of the year—old and new—that are stealing the spotlight from entrées.
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