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Hoe cakes at Barrel & Ashes
Photograph: Jakob N. LaymanHoe cakes at Barrel & Ashes

The 100 best dishes and drinks in Los Angeles 2015: Appetizers and small plates

Small plates, appetizers, starters—whatever you want to call them, these supporting dishes stood out despite their size

Written by
Erin Kuschner
&
Time Out editors
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If you thought the reign of small plates was over, think again. This year, even more of the best restaurants in Los Angeles jumped on the "everything is meant to be shared" bandwagon, so that the line between appetizer and entree seemed mighty blurry. Still, we managed to try some top-notch sides, starters and small plates—like french fries from a Hollywood bar, meatballs from a new Italian restaurant and a couple of cauliflower dishes that blew our minds. Check out our list, gather up a few friends and start sharing.

RECOMMENDED: The best dishes and drinks in Los Angeles

LA's best appetizers and small plates of 2015

  • Restaurants
  • Korean
  • Culver City
Seoul Sausage Co. founder Chris Oh opened Hanjip, a KBBQ spot in Culver City, earlier this year, and while you can load up on a smorgasbord of meat here—prime ribeye, pork shoulder, baby octopus—you can also indulge in the creamiest uni steamed egg with salmon roe that you'll be dreaming about for days to come. $19. - Erin Kuschner
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Bruléed caña de cabra cheese at Ración
  • Restaurants
  • Spanish
  • Old Pasadena
Pretty much everything on Ración's menu is a home run, starting with the appetizers. This wheel of bruléed caña de cabra cheese is topped with slivers of grapefruit and orange, and results in an explosion of citrus that pairs perfectly with the heavenly goat cheese. $12. - Erin Kuschner
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  • Restaurants
  • Mexican
  • Downtown Historic Core
Through some miracle of pureed cashews and poblanos, this “I can’t believe it’s vegan" alternative to Bar Amá’s traditional queso tastes just as good as actual cheese, if not better. But it’s a disservice to say this dip is tasty "for a vegan dish"; it’s indulgently delicious completely on its own. $10. - Michael Juliano
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  • Restaurants
  • Barbecue
  • Studio City
Despite the eatery being open for just over a year, the hoe cake at Barrel & Ashes has already reached cult status in LA. Why? Butter (lots of it); more specifically, maple butter. This side dish is thick and rich and sticks to your bones the way cornbread should, and on weekends you can get breakfast versions made with eggs and bacon or banana and chocolate. $6. - Erin Kuschner
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  • Restaurants
  • Santa Monica
There is butter (oh, there is butter). There is cream. And yes, it’s sweet, too. Everything you could love about French cuisine is represented in this dish, and yet it’s not too much. Technically, the boulettes is an appetizer, but as a bowl full of hearty rabbit meatballs and dumplings speckled with herbs, it is filling enough to stand on its own. $16. - Erin Kuschner
  • Restaurants
  • Contemporary European
  • Beverly Hills
Maude changes its menu each month to revolve around a single, highlighted ingredient, and during an almond-themed meal this past year, the English pea soup stole our hearts. Poured into a delightful vintage piece of china, the soup was made with almond foam and pickled ramps, swirls of buttermilk and Aleppo pepper. Whole peas delicately popped with each bite, and we'd slurp it up all over again if we had the chance. Part of a prix-fixe meal. - Erin Kuschner
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  • Bars
  • Cocktail bars
  • Hollywood
A cocktail bar in Hollywood may not be the first place you look for fries, but Lost Property's garlic parmesan version are worth ordering, with or without cocktails. They're made with a heavy dose of crushed garlic, fresh parmesan, parsley and "a little something extra" (nope, they're not giving it up). $5. - Erin Kuschner
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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Toluca Lake
The lime roll at Sushi Yuzu is, at its core, a study in balance. A slew of flavors and components merge together to form a cohesive, truly delectable roll, solidified with a sprinkling of cracked pepper that makes the dish complete. $14. - Jakob Layman
  • Restaurants
  • Spanish
  • Old Pasadena
Yes, there's another dish from Ración on our list, but this appetizer is just as deserving. Freshly plucked mushrooms are cooked in a skillet, served atop a pureed squash and sprinkled with cheese to create a stunning—and delicious—plate. $13. - Erin Kuschner
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  • Restaurants
  • Japanese
  • Downtown Financial District
Diners at this Downtown, high-end sushi house are treated to roughly 20 courses during an omakase dinner, the first four being tsumami (small appetizers). The best tsumami we had on a recent visit was a wasabi-topped piece of fatty tuna, which melted in our mouths before making room for the next 17 courses. Part of $165 omakase dinner. - Erin Kuschner
Cauliflower risotto at Steak & Whisky
  • Restaurants
  • Steakhouse
  • Hermosa Beach
Sheep's cheese. Hazelnut. Butter. The cauliflower risotto at Steak & Whisky barely tastes like it has cauliflower in it, which would be strange if it weren't so luxuriously smooth and delicious. Somehow, one of the most generic vegetables has been turned into the best risotto we've had in a long time. $8. - Erin Kuschner
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Biscuits at Willie Jane
  • Restaurants
  • Soul and southern American
  • Venice
"One or two?"—you might be asked this when ordering biscuits at Willie Jane. Even if you're dining solo, opt for two. The pillowy biscuits arrive with a luxurious honey butter, surpassed only by the creamy pimento cheese and bacon jam you can order as extras—which you should definitely do. $3, $1 each for extra spread. - Erin Kuschner
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