Villaraigosa's other favorite restaurants

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave his list of faves to the Times' Guide section. It differs some from the list in Angeleno I posted last night — but still will sound pretentious when his critics get hold of it. Note the fawning language the Times uses to set it up.

There's something about running the second largest city in America that makes you hungry. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is constantly on the move, but even a mayor has to eat, and he takes the opportunity to frequent many of the city's top dining destinations....he seems to have the good taste of a man who's knowledgeable about every corner of his city.

1. Patina Downtown L.A. -- You get a great dish every single time here. There’s a high level of culinary excellence every time and a consistency that is just incredible. I’d say their cheese selection is maybe the best in the city. And I always get the Foie Gras…it’s great.

2. Water Grill Downtown L.A. -- The best food anywhere in Los Angeles. They change their dishes often, but I know that the tuna tartare is great and the oysters are just phenomenal.

3. Spago Beverly Hills -- Wolfgang does most of our events. I tend not to go to restaurants out of the city of Los Angeles too often. He caters the vast majority of our events when we entertain dignitaries. He almost always caters for us.

4. La Serenata De Garibaldi East L.A. [sic] -- Their seafood and sauces are just delicious. Really beautiful presentation here as well.

5. Providence Hollywood -- Providence has gotten better and better. When I first went here, it just wasn’t what I thought it would be. But lately, its been phenomenal. Usually I just left the chef kind of fix me up something great. A complete dining experience.

6. Frida Beverly Hills -- For dessert, I like Frida's tres leches cake.

Pink's and Grace round out the list. La Serenata is not in East L.A., it's in Boyle Heights within the city of Los Angeles. Just guessing that's the LAT's mistake, not the mayor's.