Our critic names 10 favorite restaurants where summer produce shines

"I have a suggestion: Treat yourself to a beautiful meal, right now, at one of the Los Angeles restaurants where the chefs really invest in seasonal produce. There is nothing, anywhere, like the high-ripe flavors and rainbow pigments of California fruits and vegetables at the close of summer. We know this, but the knowing hits different when the produce is freshly considered by our finest culinary minds."

"The cooking at Rustic Canyon, guided by chef de cuisine Elijah DeLeon, is particularly exciting at this annual juncture, when the greatness of the raw product is a given and the deeper pleasure comes from the savvy, daily-changing flavor combinations. His weaving of spells began with a plate of halved greengage plums from Andy's Orchard - a fruit Lucas Peterson once rightly dubbed the "Holy Grail of stone fruit" - filled with a cherry paste cleverly mimicking the Mexican candy Chamoy."

"Charcoal-grilled Jimmy Nardello peppers were paired with hunks of white peach and dusted with fennel pollen, a garnish that can sometimes seem precious and innocuous but here added the right offsetting licorice nip. White cheddar blanketed a spread of earthy-sweet corn kernels and snipped shishito peppers, a feel-good riff that fell somewhere between Midwestern creamed corn and Korean corn cheese. Tiny Sungold tomatoes rolled like marbles around nearly translucent sea bass, crowned for contrast with an oversize round of orange-"

Los Angeles chefs emphasize seasonal produce at the close of summer, showcasing high-ripe flavors and vivid pigments of California fruits and vegetables. Late August through September is shoulder season for fine dining in L.A., with easier reservations as vacations end and routines resume. Chefs create daily-changing flavor combinations that elevate raw ingredients through thoughtful contrasts, garnishes and preservation techniques. Rustic Canyon offers examples such as halved greengage plums filled with a cherry paste resembling Chamoy, charcoal-grilled Jimmy Nardello peppers with white peach and fennel pollen, and white cheddar over corn with shishito peppers. Solo visits to a restaurant bar allow sampling of a few summer plates.

Read at Los Angeles Times