A Chinese Ice Cream Company Expands to LA With Gold-Wrapped Soft Serve

The next next

Chinese ice cream company Nobibi is heading for the States, opening up a California flagship out in Arcadia later this year. The fast-growing restaurant chain relies on an outrageous menu of options, from ice cream served in a cloud-like bowl of cotton candy to vanilla soft serve that’s literally wrapped in an edible 24-karat gold foil. There will also be cheese teas and boba at the new shop, plus a very instagrammable — read: very pink — backdrop for those all-important photos. Expect an opening in September or October at: 1108 S Baldwin Ave., Ste B7, in Arcadia.

Best news

Freedman’s earned a best new restaurant nod from Bon Appetit this year, landing the number four slot. The modern Jewish-ish deli on the border of Silver Lake and Echo Park has had a strong season of accolades, including now-former chef Liz Johnson’s win as a best new chef.

Ice cream flips

Butters Ice Cream proved to be a short-lived operation in Silver Lake. The corner strip mall outfit went away quietly just a few months after opening, and will now be taken over by Van Leeuwen, with an opening coming soon.

Westside time

Menuism has a rehash on the last three years of Chinese dining in L.A.’s greater Westside. The area has quickly gone from a wasteland for quality mainland Chinese food to one of the better places to plunk down, say, a Sichuan Impression.

Beauty dinner

Beauty & Essex is hosting a five-course dinner on Wednesday night, showing off some of the restaurant’s classic dishes and new menu items alike. The whole thing goes down inside the Pearl Lounge within the restaurant, and runs $160.

At the Ocean

Chef Craig Strong is set to open a new restaurant called Ocean at Main this fall. The 126-seat Laguna Beach restaurant should be more casual than his other stints at places like the Montage and Langham.

Now open

The flip of the former Pot Lobby Cafe inside the Line Hotel is complete, and now Alfred is completely on the scene. There’s even signage up on the corner of the building, and a pastry case filled with treats from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse. Daily hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.