"With a gorgeous multi-room space that includes a plant-covered patio, wrap-around bar, and a back bungalow, it’d be easy to talk only about Si! Mon’s stunning design. But it’s the food at this upscale Panamanian restaurant in Venice that you’ll be stuck in your head the following day. The seafood-leaning menu here pulls influence from across the Caribbean and Central America, with a line-up of creative dishes that don’t resemble anything else in LA. Think hamachi crudo painted with curry mushroom oil, a thick, burnt-orange crab stew called gaucho cooked with rum and habanero, and flaky kanpachi steamed in banana leaves. If there’s a bad order at Si! Mon, we’ve yet to find it, which is why this spot is a no-brainer for a splashy Westside dinner." - brant cox, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
