Tar & Roses, whose name comes from the contrasting notes on the nose of Barolo wine, opened its doors roughly about this time last year and is a James Beard nominee for Best New Restaurant of 2012. It's also one of the hottest tickets in town.
2012 inspired a new wave of healthy Los Angeles restaurants. A post office morphed into a social house, a blue cow was in a kitchen, and a "living food" academy came to life.