The Standard

If you, like us, devoted one of your new year’s resolutions to eating well in 2012, the next two weeks will be right up your alley. From January 22-27 and January 29-February 3 LA celebrates its fifth year of restaurant week with DineLA. Participating restaurants will serve special prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner so it’s the perfect opportunity to try someplace new (or someplace that’s usually slightly out of your price range).

Since there are roughly one billion restaurants participating, we decided to filter through the list and provide you with our top five places not to miss. And since there are a whole ten days to check out DineLA you can go to all of them AND five more you come up with on your own.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to make your reservations before everywhere is booked! Without further ado, here are our fave five:

Fig & Olive - this New York transplant and now darling of Melrose is the epitome of mediterranean dining with the freshest ingredients, with prominently featured (you guessed it) figs and olive oil, a primary ingredient in almost all dishes on the menu. This one is almost impossible to get into on a normal day so book fast or you’ll be out of luck.

Bouchon - a bistro in Beverly Hills from restaurateur Thomas Keller is best known for its brunch but its perfectly seasoned cozy French fare is fantastic for dinner as well. The space ain’t too shabby either.

Campanile - a veritable LA institution, Campanile is a twenty year old restaurant in a stunning 90 year old building originally built for Charlie Chaplin. As a result it devotes its two dining rooms to the silent film actor.

Craft - just looking at the menu makes our mouths water and there’s definitely something for everybody. From the raw seafood selection to the roasted, sauteed or braised vegetables, the restaurant’s ingredients are local - you can find its source farms at the menu’s left. The place to go if you’ve got a craving for super fresh fare and have picky eaters in your party.

The Restaurant at The Standard, Downtown LA - Okay, okay so we’re not above a little self promotion but we are thrilled with our menu selections for this round of DineLA. If it’s been awhile since you’ve stopped by (or even if you were here yesterday) we know you’ll be pleasantly surprised.