The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Year in Los Angeles, 2025 | Eater LA

"Santa Monica’s Pasjoli is back in a big way. In 2025, chef Dave Beran’s French restaurant updated its dining room and transformed its menu from prix fixe to a la carte. Now, the restaurant feels less geared to only special occasions and more like a neighborhood bistro with popular dishes borrowed from the bar menu, like the burger, alongside approachable classics like steak frites, roast chicken, and a baguette topped with ham and cheese. The French onion souplette, a miniature version of the iconic dish, is an indulgent iteration with more cheese than soup. A thick, bubbly layer of cheese obscures the sweet braised onions immersed in rich vegetable broth just beneath. Instead of the bread being baked into the soup, two tiny breadsticks sit on the side for dipping. The soup comes in a small ceramic pot, which arrives hot to touch. Beran has curated the ideal lineup of tiny vessels for the restaurant, whether it be a tiny soup pot or a small glass chalice for the chicken cordon bleu wings. Save room for the excellent sundae, drizzled with a sweet and salty duck fat caramel. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Matthew Kang