2 of America's 'best new restaurants' are in California

LOS ANGELES - Eater just revealed its list of top 14 best new restaurants in America and two California eateries made the cut. 

Budonoki in the Virgil Village neighborhood of Los Angeles was included in the list for its "playful menu" which includes bar bites like grilled pork jowl dressed with crying tiger sauce, and tteokbokki-inspired Budo-gnocchi. 

"The playful menu from chef Dan Rabilwongse marries his Japanese culinary training with his Thai heritage and LA upbringing to create something that’s far more than the sum of its parts," one of Eater's editors wrote.

"The place has quickly become a local fixture — somewhere to stroll in casually for an ice-cold beer (or an umeshu cocktail in a kawaii penguin mug), a sub-$15 set meal on "Makanai Monday," or just some chicken skewers. For Rabilwongse, who grew up in the area, the restaurant is a homecoming, and he feels a responsibility to offer something of value to the community."

The other California restaurant to make the list is BBQ restaurant Fikscue in Alameda, which serves Indonesian cooking and Texas-style halal barbecue. 

"Indeed, many trek across the Bay Bridge from nearby San Francisco and wait up to two hours for mouthfuls of colossal beef dino ribs cut thick to order and sliced brisket prepared in a Texas-made 500-gallon smoker," the editor wrote.

In addition to BBQ, Indonesian comfort food offerings include nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), rendang curry with kale, and North Sumatran beef noodle soup.

To see the full list of top 14 best new restaurants in America, tap or click here.