As time marches on, business owners, chefs, and designers alike continue to combine forces to create some of the best eatery experiences we can imagine—and won’t soon forget. American restaurants have cracked the code on what a gentleman craves—something to sweep us off our feet in a flurry of atmospheric romance, give us an insatiable appetite, and a sense of culinary truth (whatever that means). GQ columnist Alan Richman gives us his top 25 restaurants of 2014 in America, however we wanted to highlight the top ten, and specifically a couple found in California. We mention California-based restaurant focus so you can take one of our CA-based exotic car rental offerings out to conquer the highways and winding roads en route to the Richman-approved eatery. The first of our two, Orsa & Winston, located in Los Angeles, snagged the eighth spot on Richman’s list. Orsa & Winston covers a wide spectrum of food options, in contrast with its small and unassuming footprint, nestled in LA’s downtown. The place seats fewer than forty heads, in fact. Additionally, there is a pastry chef on site, which lends to less restaurant dessert ubiquity—we like. The versatile chef, Josef Centeno, offers whatever you desire, whether it be a five-course or even a nine-course belly-filling meal. Orsa & Winston’s tasting menu includes raw fish, fresh fruit, sauces, and fresh greens. One of these plate was filled with kanpachi fish, grapefruit, yuzu kosho sauce, and celery leaves. The chef’s carne cruda is dry-aged, with Pecorino and beef marrow. Sound exotic enough? Why not try Centeno’s risotto with uni, geoduck, Pecorino-Romano cream—the rice is sourced from a Japanese farmer in Uruguay. This may sound ilke a lot of foodie mumbo jumbo, however we can trust Richman on his take on Centeno’s creations, calling them, “masterfully compolicated comfort food.” As a sentimental kicker, the name of the joint is based off of Centeno’s two dogs.

Richman’s second place winner is another Los Angeles eatery, “A Little Piece of Paris in an L.A. Strip Mall”, called Trois Mec. Due to the unconvential appearance of Trois Mec, along with the fact that a sign overhead reads, “Raffallo’s Pizza & Italian Foods,” the casual gentleman may think that he is, in fact, in the wrong location. The location evokes pop-up shop, however once inside, a sense of permanence abounds. Marble surfaces are plentiful, with new appliances and all the fit décor. Chef Ludo Lefebvre decided getting rid of the old-timey Italian sign was just not acceptable. Lefebvre created Trois Mec in the French neo-bistro style, serving up French delicacies in less than opulent settings. Richman calls Trois Mec’s processes examples of “classic technique’. In regards to the cuisine specifically, think unconventional. The “snacks”, commonly called appetizers in 99% of restaurants, pack a punch—something to rev you up for the main courses. Richman cites the buckwheat popcorn with rice-vinegar powder as attention grabbing. Smaller in-between courses include flaming cabbage in a dish with bone-marrow flan, cured egg, and smoked-almond-crème anglaise. Dessert includes nothing other than a mini éclair with hazelnut buttercream and candied chestnut. Richman explains its notoriously tough to gain entry into this place, but he urges readers to look out for Lefebvre’s second, simpler French establishment next door.

We have included the top ten list Richman has compiled for GQ magazine for your reading pleasure. Don’t forget to take your significant other to any of these fine eateries in one of our exotic rental car offerings.

1. Qui (Austin, TX)
“Tasty Texan and uplifted Asian cooking on the other side of Austin”

2. Trois Mec (Los Angeles, CA)
“A little piece of Paris in an L.A. strip mall”

3. Roe (Portland, OR)
“A mostly seafood Japanese gem, hiding in plain sight behind another mostly seafood spot”

4. Carbone (New York, NY)
“The Little Italy–style joint you dreamed of discovering, right down to the veal parm”

5. King + Duke (Atlanta, GA)
“Where there’s smoke, there’s grilling, as all-American as a slab of swordfish”

6. Husk (Nashville, TN)
“Pork, oysters, grits, bourbon – all the best of southern cooking, elevated to a new level”

7. Gunshow (Atlanta, GA)
“They come bearing food, one cook after another – nobody can resist so much charm”

8. Orsa & Winston (Los Angeles, CA)
“Everything imaginable – plus Uruguayan rice”

9. Dover (Brooklyn, NY)
“The re-invigoration of fine dining for a new kind of customer”

10. Nico Osteria (Chicago, IL)
“Sometimes all you want is Italian food, exactly what you love”

-Evan W.

Full story here: Pursuitist