Jessica Koslow

There is something very satisfying about a bento box. Diners can try a little bit of a lot and mix different flavors, textures and types of dishes (appetizers, mains, sides) in one meal. This summer, Chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat debuted his version, called the Kao Kaeang lunch ($28), at all locations of his Thai restaurant Holy Basil. It’s just one upgrade of many — he also moved his original DTLA location to the Arts District — that he is overseeing as his restaurants evolve, change and “push the boundaries of what Bangkok cuisine is,” he said.

The idea of the Kao Kaeang lunch is inspired by Thailand’s popular curry shops. It’s a traditional street food experience, and with his take, guests can choose one wok-fired dish, one curry and one cold vegetable, accompanied by chili fish sauce, chive cakes, vegetable soup and organic jasmine rice.

According to Chef Deau, he and his team have a two-fold mission when they arrive to work each day: “1) to showcase what Thai cuisine could be to our prospective customers and 2) to be able to make this profession a sustainable career for everyone on our team so we can keep doing what we love.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Most people love 24-hour diners and have probably visited one for a late-night meal at some point, but according to Yelp data, from January 2020 through 2025, 24/7 restaurants in the United States decreased by 11%. Fortunately, LA has NORMS, which is celebrating its 77th anniversary on Sept. 24, and other classic choices to visit when hunger hits before or after normal business hours.

NORMS’ 24-hour model started early on in the restaurant’s history, probably around number four’s arrival, relayed Mark Politzer, NORMS’ president and CEO, who will mark two years with the company in January.

“Our concept was always, where life doesn’t stop, where life happens. It’s been our slogan for many years,” Politzer said. “We’re proud to be in the community this long. NORMS has always been a place for people and the community to break bread, meet, have conversation, laughs, celebrate, mourn.” . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

Around this time last year, chef-owner Michele Galifi was prepping to open the doors of his new restaurant, Bianca Sicilian Trattoria, in the Arts District. Fresh off a fall from a ladder and a broken wrist, arm and elbow, the proud Palermitano picked himself up and spent the next 12 months cooking and serving traditional Sicilian food. Last month, he expanded operations with Lulu’s Coffee, a new breakfast spot inside Bianca Sicilian Trattoria.

While the restaurant is named after his first daughter, Bianca, Lulu is a nickname for his second daughter, Lucia.

“She’s a little feisty one,” he relayed. “I feel like it can connect to the coffee.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Chef Casey Lane feels right at home on Abbot Kinney. He landed here in 2009 at age 25 to open The Tasting Kitchen, which, according to Forbes, “helped turn a scruffy Westside street into one of the most consequential dining corridors in America,” and he is back again, reopening the restaurant in July after a 2023 fire and permit and construction delays.

Although he left the restaurant in 2019 to pursue other opportunities (Ghisallo, Jyan Isaac Bread, Hotel Figueroa, Marco Polo, Simonette), the 2026 newly designed Tasting Kitchen was calling, and Lane was ready to return.

“What I’ve always loved about The Tasting Kitchen is the freedom to create,” he shared. “There’s nothing better as a creative than having the freedom to explore, to make mistakes and to have successes along the way.” . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

On Sept. 17, Martha Stewart’s favorite bartender, Matthew Biancaniello, will be popping up — for the first time since 2020 — at Evangeline Swamp Room in celebration of oyster season. Biancaniello will be serving alcoholic oysters and other on-theme cocktails to accompany a “222” Palette of Oysters prepared by Marcus Christiana-Beniger, chef/owner of Evangeline Swamp Room and the restaurant next door, Little Jewel of New Orleans.

One of Biancaniello’s oyster creations will feature Nikaido Shochu (a traditional Japanese distilled spirit), pieces of kalamata olive tapenade and lime-basil oil. Another one is dressed in Green Chartreuse, jalapeño relish and fried capers.

“It’s almost like a little meal,” said Biancaniello. “When I left The Roosevelt Hotel’s Library Bar in 2012, one of the first things I started doing was alcohol-infused events, like alcoholic ice cream. I was already more of a food person than a drink person.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Steaks have been movie stars (John Travolta ordered one “bloody as hell” in “Pulp Fiction”) and used as weapons (one was hurled at John Heder’s face in “Napoleon Dynamite”). They have been devoured in eating challenges (John Candy in “The Great Outdoors”) and savored as comfort food (after dodging tornadoes in “Twister”). Whether celebrating or in the mood for a steak-out, Downtown Los Angeles offers quite a few options — with more opening every year. They range in style, including Brazilian and French and vibe. Reserve a spot at one of these top choices — and save an appetite.

This summer, Mastro’s, known for its steaks cooked 28 days, wet-aged in a 1,500-degree broiler, has rolled out its Summer of Luxury $100 prix fixe menu. Guests can choose an appetizer, entrée including a petite filet, fresh vegetables and potatoes and a dessert, including its signature warm butter cake.

“We feel that 28-day wet aging is the optimal time for flavor and for the beef to tenderize,” said Patrick Barrett, the divisional vice president of Mastro’s. “We use a house steak dry rub that’s proprietary and then put them on a broiler at 1,500 degrees, and those broilers get a nice sear on the steak, a nice crust, and lock in all the flavor.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Ten million, 512,000 minutes: This is how long Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen has been serving the Santa Monica community and beyond with its casual, farmers market-driven approach to dining. During this time, co-owner Josh Loeb met his wife, Zoe Nathan, and had three kids. The kitchen launched the careers and provided a creative space for trailblazers including opening chef Samir Mohajir, Felix Trattoria’s Evan Funke, Birdie G’s Jeremy Fox and Beethoven Market’s Michael Leonard.

“It’s been a lot of everything,” said Loeb, who, along with his wife and business partner, grew up in Santa Monica. “My restaurant journey, it’s where I met so many friends — so much learning, so much success, so much failure. A lot has happened in the last 20 years, but I’m really grateful for it. It’s been an experience that shaped and changed my life in so many ways.”

Rustic Canyon received a Michelin star in 2019 and has been listed on the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list. It was ranked No. 95 on Robb Report’s “100 Greatest Restaurants of the 21st Century” and was the first in the succession of the Rustic Canyon Family of Santa Monica restaurants: Huckleberry Bakery & Café (16 years), Sweet Rose Creamery (16 years), Milo & Olive (14 years), Cassia, Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Tallula’s, Milo SRO and Birdie G’s. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

There are quite a few things that stand out about Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen. It offers a zero-proof beverage program and a 100% halal (complying with Islamic dietary laws) menu. It is the first-ever Michelin-recognized Pakistani restaurant in Southern California and has received a Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since opening its first location in 2020 in Fullerton.

On July 16, chef-partner Imran Ali Mookhi opened the third location, following the second in Hawaiian Gardens, on Santa Monica Boulevard at 1st Street. It was formerly Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen, and because the space was occupied by a restaurant, it only took about three to four months to transform it into Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen.

On the food menu are shareable, street-inspired dishes such as Pani Puri, goat cheese Kulcha with butter tomato sauce and the signature Sloppy Khan, a riff on a Sloppy Joe, filled with grass-fed wagyu beef. The beverage menu, curated by mixologist Ahmad Hosseini, offers refreshing mocktails such as the Basanti Ecstasy with lavender-infused molasses and lime and Devil’s Kiss with passion fruit, lime and jalapeño. . . .

Read the entire article in The Argonaut.

The nearly century-old yacht that hosted Sir Winston Churchill and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, appeared in the Netflix series “Griselda” about a Colombian cartel leader and possibly evacuated hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo in 1940 is now open to the public for dining, cocktails and music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at California Yacht Club’s (CYC) F-100 Dock in Marina del Rey.

Named Northwind, the 135-foot yacht has a storied past. Last year, its former owner, cinematographer and entrepreneur Tom Jones, shared the rich details in a profile for Boat International.

The short story of Northwind starts in Wisconsin in May 1930 at the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, which only built two yachts — the bulk of its output being commercial vessels. It has room for eight guests and 12 crew members. Over the years, Churchill supposedly painted landscapes on the aft deck and Onassis joined Greek shipping family magnate Marcos Nomikos on holiday in June 1961. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

This summer has been spectacular for Chef Jon Yao and Kato, the Downtown LA Taiwanese American restaurant co-owned by its wine director, Ryan Bailey. Kato has been named the winner of the 2026 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, marking its second consecutive James Beard Foundation Award after Yao received the Best Chef: California award in 2025.

Kato also received its second Michelin star, becoming one of only four two-star restaurants in Los Angeles. It received its first in 2019, three years after opening in its original location in West LA.

“I think it’s always been a personal goal of ours to take a fine-dining restaurant to that level of accolade,” said Yao. “But at the end of the day, we stay open and are open because of our diners and the people that support us. It’s a great validation for our staff and the hard work and the intensity they put into their day-to-day and their passion, but it’s also for our diners who have stuck with us for so long. I’ve met so many incredible people and friends throughout the decade we’ve been operating.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.