A decade after opening, the Arts District’s Bestia still turns tables—and typically requires reservations several weeks out. It shouldn’t be surprising, given chef-owner Ori Menashe’s penchant for nailing straightforward yet innovative Italian food, which arrives hot from a wood-burning oven, the kitchen’s centerpiece. Some of Bestia’s menu highlights have become modern icons of L.A.’s dining scene: the spaghetti rustichella—a small pyramid of noodles under dungeness crab, citrus, Calabrian chili, Thai basil and onion seed—is synonymous with this hard-to-land reservation. Plus, god help anyone who tries to get in between us and a forkful of Bestia’s chocolate budino tart.