Pata Salada Restaurant and Bar, Los Angeles

Pata Salada translates to "salty foot," the cheerful moniker given to people who spend a lot of time on Mexico's Pacific coast beaches. It's the perfect name for the Jalisco-style seafood restaurant on La Brea, where chef Joe Jack whips up dishes ranging from the whole sea bass rubbed in a garlic-chili-lime butter to the spicy fish stew known as sopa levanta muertos. Chef Joe gained plenty of experience cooking seafood while living in a port town and cooking at his Puerto Vallarta restaurant.