Ema

Ēma runs the good version of the corporate restaurant playbook. This is a Lettuce Entertain You production, and it shows in the polish and the confidence of the room, but the kitchen doesn't lean on that machinery to skip the work. The menu argues its case in small plates: hummus, feta, olives, falafel, grilled octopus, the whole light end of the Mediterranean pantry rendered with a California ease rather than any borrowed authenticity claim.

Nothing here is trying to reinvent the category. It doesn't need to. The food is simple, well-executed, and built for sharing — two or three plates a person is the right math, and the mix of small and large keeps a table moving instead of stalling on one showpiece dish. The vibe matches the food: relaxed, not fussy, easy to sit in for a while.

Three straight years of Michelin selection back up what the plates already tell you — this is a kitchen that keeps its standards up even after the crowds and the corporate scale would give it every excuse not to. That's the case for going back.