Bon Appetit: Two new Asian/American restaurants present some of the best new eats in the U.S.

A six-page 'Bon Appetit:' spread on the restaurant Bad Saint includes recipes.

AMONG the Best New Restaurants named by prestigious Bon Appetit magazine are two that feature Asian cuisines.

Written by Andrew Knowlton and Julia Kramer for the food magazine's September issue, the Top Ten Best New Restaurants include Washington DC's Bad Saint was No. 2 on the list and Baroo in Los Angeles was listed at No. 5.

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"I was flying solo, but everything about this 24-seat, no-reservation spot made me feel like family," wrote Knowlton. "Credit Filipino-American chef Tom Cunanan and co-owners Genevieve Villamora (the most gracious host I met all year) and Nick Pimentel, who’ve made this place their passion project. Their food is personal, but it’s so much more than just dishes they ate as kids. Bad Saint is the kind of place I spend all year searching for."

"We want a whole spectrum of sourness," said Villamora. "Your salivary glands should start working overtime as soon as you get near our dishes."

The caption under Kwang Uh's picture, Baroo's chef, reads: "One of the few items Buddhist monks are allowed to possess is a baroo, the bowl they use for their meals... Uh chose the name to reflect the Buddhist tents he's been studying since he was a teenager -- "not so much as a religious practice but a way of life," he says. Buddhist philosophy is part of Uh's life not just through his daily meditation; it also informs his cooking."

Like Bad Saint's dishes, Uh's creations are not the dishes your mom made at home. They are adaptations with the chef's personal tweaks. A simple rice bowl topped with vegetables  at Baroo might have a six-page recipe that includes exotic items such as charred celery leaves or shredded roasted seaweed.

Bon Appetit's pick for the No. 1 spot this year is Atlanta's Staplehouse, which specializes in Southern cooking.

Panel on Filipino Cuisine at L.A.  food & drink festival

If you're in the Los Angeles area this Labor Day Weekend, don't miss the final day (Se[t/4) Taste of L.A. being held on the Paramount Studio's back lot. Sample some of the city's best food and mixed drinks amid the sets of familiar movies and TV shows. 

It is not too late to attend Sunday Block Party starting at 11 a.m. Later that day, attend the Sunday panel on Filipino Cooking featuring Jonathan Gold, the L.A. Times food critic, Charles Olalia of the Rice Bar, Gary Mene of le computer and Alvin Cailan of the Egg Slut and AMBOY. It will be 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the Taste Bar Stage. 

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