For California, it seems like the SF Bay Area Chowhound refugees went to Hungry Onion, but the LA people went to Food Talk Central. It's pretty unfortunate, since CH really was a good resource back in the day, and now neither site seems to have critical mass.
These days (well, not the past couple months) I tend to get more recommendations from industry people. I sit at a lot of restaurant bars and a server who isn't too busy is usually happy to chat. As a bonus, I get way more than my fair share of free drinks and tastes of interesting things.
These days (well, not the past couple months) I tend to get more recommendations from industry people. I sit at a lot of restaurant bars and a server who isn't too busy is usually happy to chat. As a bonus, I get way more than my fair share of free drinks and tastes of interesting things.