The 100 best dishes and drinks in Los Angeles 2016: Appetizers and small plates

This simple sausage, served over a bed of warm veggies wilted in a wood-ear mushroom broth, has a crisp skin and a juicy, flavorful middle. It’s a small dish, but packs a serious punch and leaves you completely satisfied. $18. - Kate Wertheimer

We’ve never tasted a smoother, more evenly balanced mousse than Alimento’s. The paté is spread generously across half the plate, opposite crusty hunks of grilled bread and dollops of quince mostarda (though frankly, we’d be perfectly happy just eating it with a spoon). $11. - Kate Wertheimer

Honey Hi’s healthy, organic offerings are a welcome addition to Echo Park. The most snackable menu item, crunchy sprouted toast with tart, homemade jam, balanced with a fatty drizzle of tahini, is a perfect, guilt-free indulgence at any time of day. $7. - Kate Wertheimer

When you see cauliflower on a bar menu, you expect to see a few florets arrive on your plate. So cutting into nearly an entire head of cauliflower, soaked red in oven-roasted spices, comes as a complete surprise, one made all the better with mint cucumber yogurt dip. $13. - Michael Juliano

Thin cut, crispy and well-seasoned, these fries are the ones you’ve been looking for. Zinque pairs them with their delicious house sriracha mayo sauce that is almost good enough on its own. $5. - Rozette Rago