Angeleno’s 9th Annual Restaurant Awards had a slow start this year, with empty glasses, hungry stomachs, and a series of less-than-dynamic speeches kicking off the first half-hour of yesterday’s “Live and Dine in L.A. Event.” Considering big changes in the magazine’s food section and the shifting of this event from under The Fairmont Hotel’s epic fig tree, audible buzzing was overheard as to whether the tasting event, normally one of L.A.’s best, was taking a turn towards the lackluster. That all changed with the first bite, as the event proved itself to again be one of strongest as far as the food is concerned. The chefs really bring it for this one, like Ray Garcia making tacos from an entire pig and Jordan Kahn holding a tented exhibit around the perfect bite he conceived. Honoring the city’s most influential new restaurants, a cross-section of the new and mighty was on hand to feed what appeared a smaller crowd than years past. Take a look at all that was cooking at Angeleno’s 9th Annual Restaurant Awards event in our slideshow.
