it's just harder to find the good, cheaper places in california because they don't have the budget to advertise like the expensive places (by that i mean acquiring "free" press from local food critics, newspapers, and the like, not just literally paying yelp).

also, good western european(?) food (spanish/french/italian/etc) is more expensive than, say, good asian or latin american food. the plating of food into courses will bias you toward those more expensive restaurants, by the way. my favorite restaurants are typically single plate/bowl by design, which you can then share family-style by ordering a few items.

i'd also echo the point that good food costs way more in northern california than in southern california. socal just has many more cheaper, good restaurants to choose from.