Last night was Spencer Bezaire's final shift as chef at Silver Lake's beloved L&E Oyster Bar.Bezaire, along with his wife, Sabrina (who has served as L&E's wine director), are moving to Seattle.Dominique Crisp, who has been serving as sous chef at L&E for the past two and a half years, is taking over as executive chef.

In his six years at L&E, Bezaire has consistently been one of L.A.'s most underrated chefs. The restaurant opened by Tyler Bell and Dustin Lancaster a few months before I arrived in Los Angeles, and I questioned myself every time I ate there in those early days. Was the food really as good as I thought it was? It got a quick reputation for its extensive oyster selection ? something that was a rarity in town in those days ? but people didn't talk much about?Bezaire's more creative cooking, which was (and has remained) fantastic.

In the years since, I've had that same experience again and again at L&E. I remember some of those times vividly: Over a plate of poached boudin blanc on L&E's sidewalk patio, I turned to my husband and said, Holy crap, this is delicious. There are some nights when all I want is the oily, snacky goodness of?Bezaire's mussels and chorizo. Just last week, on our 10 Best Brunches in Los Angeles list, L.A. Weekly food editor Katherine Spiers wondered why L&E didn't have lines out the door for its stellar brunch.

Bezaire didn't have a highly pedigreed career before starting at L&E ? he?attended Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, worked for a while at Cafe Stella where he eventually became executive chef, then worked at?Heirloom L.A. doing charcuterie and catering. But at L&E he made a real impact on the neighborhood and the city.

We wish him and his wife the best of luck in Seattle.