Michael's Santa Monica•Santa Monica

Californian•$$$

In 1979, at the age of 25, Michael McCarty founded Michael’s Santa Monica, a restaurant credited as an early pioneer of California cuisine with its market-driven plates that utilize local produce and hyper-seasonal ingredients. Throughout the years, Michael has spearheaded the restaurant’s evolution, bringing in a veritable who’s who of culinary talent that includes current chef Job Carder, as well as opening chef Jonathan Waxman, Nancy Silverton, Brooke Williamson, Sang Yoon, Mark Peel, Miles Thompson, Frank Fermin among others; and along the way, he authored Welcome to Michael’s: Great Food, Great People, Great Party!, which received a 2008 James Beard Foundation Cookbook award nomination in the entertaining category. Michael continues to walk the floor at Michael’s Santa Monica when he’s not splitting his time in New York, where he operates a different iteration of Michael’s in midtown Manhattan. Both restaurants feature modern art treasures, as curated by McCarty and his wife (an artist herself) Kim, and boast award-winning wine lists, which include the latest vintages from McCarty's own The Malibu Vineyard.