"Unlike almost every other restaurant ever, Tar & Roses has gotten better with age. It’s the sort of place that can be as casual or formal as you need it to be, with a menu that’s perfect for sharing. But in an alternate universe, we'd come here once a week with one other person and only order the whole fried snapper. It arrives with cold, springy soba noodles and a fishy dipping sauce. When you carve off a hunk of fried fish, dunk it in the sauce, and incorporate the noodles, and you'll have the singular best bite in Santa Monica." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, cathy park