Somerville

With a soul food-inspired New American menu, impeccable ambience and live jazz, this View Park-Windsor Hills dining destination is the most interesting opening to hit this stretch of Slauson in a long, long time. Run by Hilltop Coffee’s Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan (along with celebrity investor Issa Rae), Somerville offers a polished night out, complete with first-rate cocktails by Steen Bojsen-Møller, formerly of Downtown’s Spring Street Bar. Menu highlights include a cheesy, comforting collard green lasagna and caviar-topped fried chicken sliders. Just be aware the kitchen is still working out some kinks; I didn’t love the sous vide preparation on my steak, which rendered the meat slightly spongy and overcooked, and the menu is still in flux. It's also worth nothing that Somerville is mostly booked for the next three months—though you cross your fingers for a last-minute cancellation or stop in for drinks at the bar.