One of L.A.'s most exciting new Chinese restaurants lands in Mandarin Plaza
In Chinatown's newest restaurant, mapo tofu inspires steak tartare, pillowy gnudi are made with tofu (not ricotta) and medallions of table-side-sauced lamb saddle evoke Sichuan's cumin-spiced lamb skewers. Firstborn fills the long-empty former Pok Pok space in Mandarin Plaza with subtle Chinese touches, including jade-green tiles and a window to the kitchen reminiscent of what one might spot in a Beijing neighborhood hutong, or alley.
Chef-owner Anthony Wang — who cooked at restaurants such as Destroyer, Auburn and Ink — is exploring the identity of Chinese American cuisine in a manner both true to history and to his own story.
'I've always wanted to explore Chinese cuisine, but I didn't realize how little I understood until I really started this project,' Wang said. 'For the first time in my career I can take a deep dive and look at the expansiveness and the history and culture of not just Chinese food [of mainland China], but also Chinese food in this country and how it's grown and developed over the past 100-plus years.'
One of the first cuisines he began toexplore was Sichuan, traveling to Chengdu in 2018 and tracing the origins of its famous chiles and spice — and then researching even further, to a time before the spice trade reached the region.
But Firstborn is just as much a reflection of Wang growing up first-generation in Georgia. His sweetbreads in pig trotter ragu evoke his memories of eating pork knuckle at his grandmother's house. The house-made chile crisp that tops the chef's signature fried chicken carries a smoky heat and fruity note via the secret ingredient of Morita chiles, marrying the fragrance of Sichuan and Mexican cuisines in a nod to L.A.
His parents emigrated from Beijing in 1989 due to the protests and violence in Tiananmen Square. The family landed in Miami, then a desert of Chinese food and ingredients. Wang's mother began to get creative, substituting American items to whip up the modernized Chinese cuisine that Wang and his sister, Lulu, ate through their childhood: dishes like a kind of beef Bourguignon with Sichuan peppercorn and star anise.
Wang thinks of it as 'new Chinese American cooking,' which also makes its way to the bar. Beverage director Kenzo Han (Steep LA, the Varnish) built an 'East meets West' menu that also lifts inspiration from the kitchen, with options such as an osmanthus and fermented rice sour, a sesame old-fashioned, a baiju-and-tea negroni, and a springy martini that involves house-made celery oil and carrot eau de vie. Nonalcoholic concoctions include hojicha orange milk punch and an adzuki swizzle.
For dessert, pastry chef Jaime Craten (formerly of Vespertine, Destroyer and Meteora) balances sweet and savory with lighter options like almond tofu with citrus, jujubee and osmanthus, or chamomile custard that's topped with a refreshing apple-and-cucumber granita with a kinako shortbread cookie.
Wang calls it an honor to debut his restaurant in Chinatown — adding to the legacy of the area's century of Chinese businesses — and to continue to explore what the cuisine means in the neighborhood, in the U.S. and in China.
'For me,' Wang said, 'It's a journey. This restaurant's open now, but this is something that I think we're just starting with, and it's something that I really want to continue exploring not just throughout this restaurant but throughout my entire life.'
Firstborn is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m.
978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 537-0142, firstborn.la
Beverly Hills' steak-centric Matu now has a westward sibling in Matu Kai, which follows up the 2021 restaurant with some of its greatest hits and a slew of new dishes. Like Matu, Brentwood's new Matu Kai specializes in Wagyu: Plancha-cooked filets, wood-fired rib-eyes, picanhas, New York strips and more are prepared in the semi-open kitchen, sparks and flames often flying. These steaks can be ordered a la carte or in a set menu, though many of the newer items can be found a la carte. Look for fresh Uovo maltagliati in a rib-eye ragu, Wagyu meatballs in pomodoro, crying tiger Wagyu tenderloin satay and more. Like its sibling restaurant, Matu Kai also offers the popular Wagyu cheesesteak sandwich, which is available only at the bar. Matu Kai is open Monday to Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
11777 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 134, Los Angeles, (310) 810-2501, matusteak.com/matu-kai
A Chicago sandwich shop rife with cultural and familial inspiration recently debuted at the base of the Platform complex in Culver City, with panini-pressed stacks that can include tabouleh, chile crunch, harissa mayonnaise and more. Chef-owner Mitchell Jamra blends his Lebanese roots into some of the flavors of All Too Well, a quick-casual sandwich offshoot of his Mexican-Lebanese restaurant in Chicago, Evette's. All Too Well, while named for the Taylor Swift song, is inspired not by the singer-songwriter but Jamra's family and his long lineage of Chicago deli owners that traces back to the 1920s.
The chef's first Los Angeles restaurant offers the Chicago location's most popular items such as the Bombay Chulet, which layers turkey, prosciutto garlic mayo, arugula, stracciatella, fried onion, chile crunch and fig jam, as well as the L.A.-only secret-menu Tunaverse, which tops tuna salad with a red pepper spread that blends ajvar with muhammara. All Too Well debuted as a one-year pop-up within Platform, but Jamra tells The Times that he has plans to stay in Los Angeles far beyond that. 'I'm bonded with the city now,' he said via email, 'and we are in for the long haul!' All Too Well is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
8850 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 101, Culver City, alltoowellchi.com
The popular chicken-focused offshoot of Los Feliz mainstay Kismet can now be found in Pasadena.
At the latest outpost of Kismet Rotisserie, which sits at the border of Altadena, the whole pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens spin slowly behind the counter, the seasonal vegetables come primarily sourced from local farmers markets, and everything is made in-house. Chef-owners Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer offer rotisserie-chicken plates with sides such as roasted vegetables in tahini; smashed cucumbers in caraway vinaigrette; schmaltzy roasted potatoes; and hummus with freshly baked pita, along with salads, fresh-squeezed juice, bone broth, kids' meals, cookies and pudding cups.
Unique to the Pasadena menu is a new, collaborative monthly sandwich special, where proceeds benefit the local chapter of education nonprofit Families Forward. This month find a spicy Niçoise pita sandwich made with Fishwife; in June look for an Italian sandwich from local chef and 'The Bear' culinary producer Courtney Storer. Kismet Rotisserie's newest outpost offers catering, a quick-and-casual format, and indoor and outdoor seating. Kismet Rotisserie is open in Pasadena daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
1974 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, (323) 412-4400, kismetrotisserie.com
Kristin Colazas Rodriguez began Colossus out of her home in 2018. Now she operates four outposts spread across San Pedro and Long Beach, and the latest features a full cafe menu, a bakery case flush with croissants and pastries, and an evening-only pizza program just off the San Pedro harbor. The newest Colossus recently debuted at the base of the Vivo Apartments complex, serving morning items such as the signature croissant breakfast sandwich with house-made sweet potato hot sauce, lunch and lighter bites like salad Lyonnaise with fresh croutons, and dinner such as meatballs in gravy, sourdough gnocchi and a range of daily pizzas (in Long Beach, the pizzas are available on weekends only). Whole loaves of bread and pantry goods such as tinned fish, dried heirloom beans and jars of jam are also on offer, and beer and wine are in the works. Colossus is open off of the San Pedro harbor Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
511 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, (213) 444-0077, colossusbread.com
A weeklong celebration of Latin cuisine kicked off Tuesday with hundreds of participating restaurants — and many offering special items and set menus. Dine Latino Restaurant Week, an initiative spearheaded by the national Latino Restaurant Assn., runs through May 18 and includes more than 200 restaurants spread from Camarillo through L.A. County, as far east as San Bernardino and Riverside, and as far south as Costa Mesa; even a few San Diego restaurants are joining the event, as is one operation in San Jose. The event aims to support Latino-owned restaurants reflecting a range of nationalities and cuisines, including Mexican, Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian and beyond. Find a map of participating restaurants here, with more businesses to be added.
latinorestaurantassociation.org/dine-latino
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Jaws' at 50: How Steven Spielberg's shark movie changed my life and cinema forever
It's been 50 years since American movies, and a boy's life, changed forever. ' Jaws ' was released on June 20, 1975, a seismic event in moviegoing. Few films can be said to have changed cinema, but Steven Spielberg's early masterpiece is one. With an unprecedented marketing campaign, an unusually wide initial release and crowds packing showings from its opening weekend, the shark thriller literally invented the summer blockbuster season. It also happened to be the first 'adult' movie I ever saw in a theater. At age 9 and growing up in Indianapolis, I might have been too young to see it; my sister Kristin, four years younger, certainly was. Before 'Jaws,' the only films we'd seen in theaters were Disney-type fare. Perhaps our parents couldn't get a babysitter, or maybe they didn't care. Like the rest of America, they wanted to be where the action was. I likely would have fallen in love with movies anyway at some point, but you could connect the dots directly from that viewing to this column, the latest in a career spent in the dark. If it hadn't been then, it likely would have been in 1977, when the summer movie season became a full-blown phenomenon. Of course, there was George Lucas' ' Star Wars,' which 11-year-old me saw seven times, but there was also the 'Jaws'-inspired 'The Deep,' the Burt Reynolds car chase action comedy 'Smokey and the Bandit' and the James Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' I could go on: 'Grease' and 'Revenge of the Pink Panther' in 1978; 'Alien' and 'Moonraker' in 1979; 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Airplane!' in 1980. You get the idea — I saw them all. In 1981, at age 15, I broadened my horizons. I spent the summer watching the Spielberg-Lucas 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' fantasy films 'Time Bandits' and 'Clash of the Titans' as well as the box office bomb 'Megaforce,' a terrible action movie starring Barry Bostwick that for some reason sticks in my mind to this day. In the fall, I ventured into more sophisticated fare, what we'd call Oscar bait today. 'Chariots of Fire,' the eventual best picture winner; then 'Reds,' 'Ragtime' and many others. By college I was consuming the French New Wave and film noir, and the rest is personal history. However, the summer box office season of big scale adventures, eye-popping special effects, jump scares and belly laughs still holds an allure for me after all these years. I'm obviously not alone; the recent Memorial Day box-office weekend, led by ' Lilo & Stitch ' and ' Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' was the best ever for that holiday. This summer is shaping up to be the best since at least 2019, the last before the pandemic. Spielberg calls such genre movies 'films of imagination,' although one has to say that character-driven comedies and dramas from 'Casablanca' to ' Anora ' are also imaginative, but I know what he means. Science fiction and action films have a way of transporting the viewer into another realm — alternate universes, if you will — more than conventional comedies or dramas do. Yet, what is the future of the summer movie season? Despite its current viability, home viewing habits in general and higher movie theater ticket prices present obstacles. The legacy of 'Jaws' has lasted 50 years. Will it last 60? I think so, but who knows. ' How to Train Your Dragon ' is going strong, Pixar's ' Elio ' and the zombie sequel ' 28 Years Later ' just opened to high expectations, and 'Jurassic Park Rebirth,' a new 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' loom. Still, few of these movies reach the sublime level of 'Jaws,' which is quite simply not just the greatest summer movie, but one of the best suspense films ever made, not only in its visual splendor and memorable performances, but also the character-driven script by Carl Gottlieb and Peter Benchley from Benchley's novel, Verna Fields' kinetic editing and John Williams' legendary score. Its troubled production, mainly stemming from the fact that the mechanical shark often didn't work properly, is the stuff of legend. Spielberg, then only 27, had to invent on the fly. With the shark, nicknamed Bruce, unavailable much of the time, scenes with humans became more important. With its brooding battle of wills, Robert Shaw's classic USS Indianapolis monologue and a clash between civilization and the elements, 'Jaws' became the '70s version of 'Moby Dick,' a man vs. nature parable that was almost operatic in its humans' obsession with the destruction of an unstoppable predator.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Labubu maker's stock falls after major restock, stern warning from China
The monster-faced collectible known as Labubu has gone from a niche collectible to a worldwide craze, but the heat is finally cooling. Labubu is a pointy-eared elf-monster designed by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung. It rose to fame as part of Pop Mart's "The Monsters" series, with collectors drawn to its blend of mischievous charm and exclusivity. Also driving demand are social media influencers and celebrity endorsements. Celebrities including Rihanna and BlackPink's Lisa have been spotted carrying Labubu. In China, a standard Labubu plush figurine retails for about 99 yuan (under $14), though it often remains out of stock. In the U.S., the same item is priced at $27.99. The pricing difference is partly driven by elevated import tariffs. Rare editions can fetch hundreds of dollars on secondhand markets. On eBay, the hidden version of a Labubu plush is priced between $500 and $1,000. Labubu maker Pop Mart is a Chinese toy company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with a current market capitalization of HK$321.77 billion (about US$41 billion). Behind Pop Mart's cult following is its blind box business model, where buyers purchase sealed packages without knowing which figure they'll receive. Each series typically includes one or two "hidden" or limited-edition designs far rarer than the standard figures, driving repeated purchases and fueling a booming resale market. But now, the frenzy may have reached a tipping point. Image source: VCG/VCG via Getty Images Shares of Pop Mart International (HK: 9992) have tumbled more than 12% over the past five trading days, following a warning from Chinese state media over "blind box" sales. On June 20, China's state-run newspaper People's Daily criticized the "blind box" phenomenon, advocating for stricter regulation and age limits. The commentary did not mention Pop Mart by name and focused more on children and teens spending heavily on those blind boxes and cards. Related: How Labubu became luxury's answer to Beanie Babies Chinese customs shared on social media that they recently blocked multiple shipments of counterfeit Labubu products. Pop Mart has already faced increasing compliance pressure. Since 2022, regulators have required vendors to disclose the odds of receiving "secret" figures and to offer return options. Children under eight are banned from buying blind boxes, and online resales face more scrutiny from platforms. Meanwhile, Labubu prices on secondhand platforms have started to decline as hype cools and supply rises. On June 18, Pop Mart in China launched the largest online pre-sale to date for Labubu 3.0, the third generation of Labubu plush blind box launched globally in April. After weeks of "sold out" status across major platforms, the release drew massive demand, briefly overwhelming the company's domestic servers. According to local Chinese media, an estimated 4 to 5 million sets were sold during the pre-sale. The large-scale restock triggered an immediate collapse in resale prices in China. On RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, China's major social media and e-commerce platform, some resellers are now offering a presale set of Labubu 3.0 (which contains six blind boxes) for just $100. No major restock has occurred overseas, where demand remains high and inventory is limited. Despite the recent pullback, Pop Mart shares are still up more than 160% in 2025, reflecting investors' optimism about the company's international growth and product innovation. The company has launched flagship stores in cities such as New York and London and partnered with local artists to diversify its IP portfolio. Related: Analyst unveils surprising Nvidia stock price target after nearing record high Analyst tone on Pop Mart has turned more cautious after its sharp rally this year. Jefferies analyst Anne Ling believes that the Chinese government "remains supportive of China's IP development, but wants to protect minors and iron out irregularities." "In the short term, there will be pressure on share prices for the entire pop toy segment, especially those that have outperformed year-to-date," Ling wrote, according to Bloomberg. More Retail Stocks: Beloved American toy company sends harsh message to workersLululemon's new line faces heat over 'misleading' labelAnalysts reboot Nike stock price targets ahead of earnings Morgan Stanley on June 18 removed Pop Mart from its China/Hong Kong focus list, CNBC reported. The firm had cautioned earlier that the market had fully priced in recent growth. "In view of its lofty valuation, we do not expect this level of outperformance to continue in the next few quarters," the firm said in a June 10 research report. Related: Top analyst sends bold message on S&P 500 The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Russells, Van Rhijns and dukes, oh my! Who's who in 'The Gilded Age' Season 3
It's not easy to remember exactly which rich and pretty young lady is which on "The Gilded Age." HBO's costume drama, set in the height of American excess and splendor in the late 1800s, returns for its third season June 22 (9 ET/PT). And while there's still plenty of societal machinations, bustled gowns and upstairs/downstairs melodrama in the series, created by Julian Fellowes ("Downton Abbey"), it can all be a bit difficult to keep straight. Even the characters, led by Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon among the large ensemble cast, need the gossip rags to help them keep track of who is courting whom, who is up (or down) on the social hierarchy and which opera house reigns supreme. Ahead of the Season 3 debut, we've prepared a primer on the members of New York society, so tasteful that even the highfalutin Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) would approve. And if you're a fan of Broadway, you'll be delighted with the staggering number of theater actors that make an appearance. The Van Rhijn Household Upstairs: Mrs. Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), Mrs. Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon), Miss Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) Downstairs: Miss Armstrong (Debra Monk), Mr. Bannister (Simon Jones), Jack (Ben Ahlers), Mrs. Bauer (Kristine Nielsen) and Bridget (Taylor Richardson) Relations: Cousins Aurora Fane (Kelli O'Hara) and Charles Fane (Ward Horton) While for many years the austere and exacting widow Agnes ran her East 61st Street home with an iron fist of propriety and high necklines, everything changed at the end of Season 2. Agnes' son Oscar lost the family fortune to an investment scam while her sister Ada inherited her own windfall from husband Luke (Robert Sean Leonard), whom the former spinster married just before his untimely death from cancer. Now Ada is in charge of the purse strings and Agnes fears her own obscurity and irrelevance. But keep an eye on their amiable cousin Aurora, because her fate this season might be far worse than Agnes'. Young and bland Miss Marian is still balancing her desire to do real work with her aunts' desire that she marry someone of good breeding, while stealing secret kisses with young and incredibly wealthy Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) from across the street. Downstairs, young footman and part-time inventor Jack is trying to sell a new style of alarm clock with Larry's help and leave the world of service and rigid class striations behind him. The Russell Household Upstairs: Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), George Russell (Morgan Spector), Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) and Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) Downstairs: Mr. Church (Jack Gilpin), Mrs. Bruce (Celia Keenan-Bolger), Monsieur Baudin (Douglas Sills) and Adelheid (Erin Wilhelmi) Interested parties: The Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), Richard Clay (Patrick Page) Pretty much the queen of society since her Metropolitan Opera House won out in the battle with the Academy of Music in Season 2, Bertha has her sights set on cementing her new status by marrying her daughter Gladys to the British Duke of Buckingham. The impoverished duke needs Gladys' dowry to prop up his family's estate, and Bertha may have promised him a bit too much without informing George or taking Gladys' wishes into account. Meanwhile, George is trying to go bigger and better with his businesses, mounting a scheme to build a railroad from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles. It might lose him everything, his most trusted lieutenant Richard warns. The Scott Household Miss Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), Mrs. Dorothy Scott (Audra McDonald) and Mr. Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson) Back from her reporting trip in Season 2, Peggy is once again spending less time as Agnes' secretary at the 61 Street house and more time finding her own path in life. Love might be in the air this season, thanks to a handsome new doctor who comes into her life (more on him below). But her parents are wary of his snobbish family. New 'Gilded Age' characters in Season 3 Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica): A Black doctor who treats Peggy for an illness after the Van Rhijn's family physician refuses to treat her because she's colored, William takes a particular shine to his patient. He comes from a very old Black family in Newport. Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad): The all-powerful matriarch of the Kirkland family is proud, patronizing and immediately judgmental of the Scotts, because Arthur is a former slave. The Scotts also notice Elizabeth discriminates against them (and her own grandchildren) because they are dark-skinned. JP Morgan (Bill Camp): The banker and American aristocrat whom George calls upon for help in his latest railroad venture. Monica O'Brien (Merritt Wever): An unwelcome guest for the Russells: Bertha's sister. Madame Dashkova (Andrea Martin): Adding a touch of mysticism and superstition to the series, Andrea Martin ("Only Murders in the Building," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding") plays a fortune teller who says she can speak with the dead.
