At the end of 2008, Los Angeles finally received a restaurant guide that truly spans the city, and the just-released 2010 edition of Eat: Los Angeles is even more comprehensive, featuring 1,268 listings. Editor Colleen Dunn Bates employed several of L.A.’s top food writers to deliver content, including Linda Burum, Jenn Garbee, Pat Saperstein, Jean T. Barrett and Miles Clements.

The book is easy to navigate, divided by Restaurants, Breakfast + Lunch, Drink + Eat, Coffee, Tea + Juices, Food That’s Fast, Gourmet To Go, Bakeries + Sweets, Shops, Services + Events. Each category is sorted geographically: Central City, Eastside, San Gabriel Valley, East Valley, West Valley, Westside: Central, West of the 405, South Bay to South L.A. and Out of Town.

“We added somewhere around 220-240 new places,” says Colleen Dunn Bates. “Some were new places that seemed worthy– a surprisingly number, given the recession– and some were established places we regretted not including in the first book…We took out all the places that closed, which were less than you might think– maybe 50…We also took out some places that just didn’t seem to cut it anymore, or had better alternatives.”

There’s no way to know who wrote each entry, but at the end of each category, you’ll find a GOOD FOOD NEIGHBORHOOD. Pat Saperstein takes on Silver Lake, Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo and South Pasadena. Jenn Garbee tackles Abbot Kinney and Culver City. Jean T. Barrett covers 3rd Street and Ventura Boulevard (Studio City). Lennie LaGuire & Leah Keesun Park explore Koreatown. Linda Burum handles the San Gabriel Valley, Little India and Sawtelle.

Of course, even a guide with eight contributing editors and nearly 1,300 listings is still bound to have omissions. That’s unavoidable. Hopefully round three will include spots like Mendocino Farms, Garo’s Basturma, Hamjipark, Meals by Genet, Chin-Go-Gae, Dutch Oven Bakery, Sevan Chicken, TiGeorges’ Chicken Chicken, Priyani, Anticucheria Danessi, Bonano’s Chicken, Chuen Hing, Mantee, Rio Brazil Cafe, It’s All Good House of Kabab, On Dal 2, Fend Mao and All Family Restaurant.

To stay current, Prospect Park Books operates a companion website, which has evolved since launching late last year. You’ll find DISCOVERIES, EVENTS, DEALS, SHORT LIST, GOOD FOOD NEIGHBORHOODS and OF-FED, food-driven op-ed pieces.