Gjusta is a Best Restaurant, again
This time it’s Saveur doling out the praise in a post on where to eat in 2016. The Venice bakery/deli space earns the usual accolades for being simultaneously old timey and forward thinking in its food. And, of course, those baklava croissants.
Nguyen Tran almost lost his balls
The famous tofu ball-maker Nguyen Tran of Starry Kitchen sits down with Munchies to chat about his second chance restaurant, Button Mash. Mostly the piece focuses on Tran and his wife’s transition from a standalone restaurant pop-up to his now in-house experience running the food at a hip new arcade bar in Echo Park, and all the trials and tribulations in between.
Biergarten in Koreatown is staying up late this weekend
In fact, they’ll be staying up late a lot more often, keeping true bar hours until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights from here on out. The Koreatown beer and burgers spot is also going to keep the kitchen open until 1 a.m., says this Instagram post, which means you’ll have yet one more place to chow down late nights in the area.
$2 pints at City Tavern DTLA
The Downtown location of craft beer haunt City Tavern (their original outpost is in Culver City) is celebrating two years at their FigAt7th address, most notably by doing $2 pints all night long tonight (Thursday). That means you can get beers from places like Noble Ale Works, Belching Beaver, Oskar Blues, and Ballast Point for next to nothing — at least until they run out.
Curtis Stone chefs it up with Mike Lata of Charleston
As part of a larger fundraising initiative for the National Young Farmers Coalition, chef Curtis Stone will be teaming up with chef Mike Lata from Charleston for a one-night-only dinner at Maude in Beverly Hills. Tickets cost a hefty $375 a shot, but remember: the February 27 event is for charity, and will at least span some 12 courses. Reservations can be made here.
Wang Xing Ji Juicy Dumpling changes names
Though the rest of the place apparently remains the same, Wang Xing Ji in San Gabriel has apparently changed their name to Long Xing Ji #1, perhaps in response to a disaffiliation with the original Chinese chain. That’s according to this FoodTalkCentral forum post at least, but fear not: those dumplings are still there, and still as delicious as ever.
Leona launches lunch
Venice beach favorite Leona is now in the lunch game, offering a smattering of daytime options, from salads and soups to wraps and a burger. Hours will run Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The full menu is below.