Comedian George Lopez Lands First Southern California Restaurant

George is here

Looks like the next opening act for comedian George Lopez will be a restaurant of all things. The popular television personality just opened a casual outlet called George Lopez’s Chingon Kitchen inside the San Manuel Casino in Highland, CA, near San Bernardino.

Per a release, the restaurant will seat some 150 diners at a clip across 6,000 square feet of space. There’s room for a tequila lounge too, plus the usual slew of expected Mexican fare. It’s casual though, so expect to order up front next to the kitchen instead of getting sit-down service like at the casino’s steakhouse The Pines.

The next Nomad

Another month, another new chicken burger collaboration between the Nomad truck and a local Los Angeles chef. This month it’s Suzanne Goin, who is doing an AOC-style fried chicken sandwich with proceeds from the sale of each going to help the Alex’s Lemonade Stand charity.

MTN makes moves

Here comes another take on MTN in Venice, Travis Lett’s quiet izakaya that’s already turning heads on Abbot Kinney. Los Angeles Magazine calls it some of the most ambitious new Japanese cooking around, a place with real heart and soul — and where many of even the most basic ingredients are painstakingly made in-house.

Indonesian find

Apparently there’s quality Indonesian food hiding out in a Badminton court in Pomona, of all places. That’s according to LA Weekly, who point readers to The Cross Court Cafe, where diners can find everything from Indonesian fried rice to martabak manis.

What to know about Davenport’s

There’s a new-ish steak and seafood spot up in Encino these days, called Davenport’s. The place takes over for the defunct Du-Par’s says Ventura Blvd. Magazine, and offers a “refined space” that includes big black booths, white tablecloths, and soft jazz.

Mr. All Flavor

Check out the new wrap on the All Flavor No Grease truck. Keith Garrett recently got his new rig totally outfitted, and still has plans to make this one the first of many across not only Los Angeles, but all of America.

Trip tonight at Animal

There’s a cool one-off dinner happening tonight at Animal on Fairfax, where Jon and Vinny and the crew will be cooking up a $50 a head three-course meal with Michael Turkell. It’s all in service of Turkell’s new book Acid Trip: Travels in the World of Vinegar, and reservations (and walk-ins) start at noon.

Baldoria’s outdoor vibes

Looks like Baldoria chef Duke Gervais will be rocking a big dinner in Malibu this weekend, as the headlining chef for Cloth & Flame. Tickets are $125 but 10% of the money goes to help California state parks.

Cake for the masses

Popular private cake shop Luna’s Cakes is expanding into a retail location in West Adams soon. The project will offer guests a chance to order custom cakes and sweets in person, while walk-ins can pick up cake pops and other such items on the fly. Expect something by the end of September or early October, with hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 5372 W. Adams Blvd.

Yakitori weekends

A few fun chefs are collaborating on a yakitori pop-up inside Koreatown’s Normandie Club on Sunday. The Luke Reyes (9th St. Ramen)-led project is called Stick Shift, and it features live-fire cooking over binchotan charcoal, with a side of Japanese cocktails. Chefs include Jon Yao from Kato and his pastry chef Max Boon, along with The Wallace’s Joel David Miller. The menu for the event is below, and a portion of profits will be going towards the Houston Food Bank.