Jessica Koslow

Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery is unique. According to chef Thomas Kalb, one-half of the husband-and-wife team that owns it, Agnes is not the only cheese shop in town, and it’s definitely not the only restaurant in town, but it is the only one of its size that has a strong relationship between the restaurant and the cheese shop.

Its one-of-a-kindness is especially significant today because, according to Vanessa Tilaka Kalb, the wife and cheesemonger of the duo, a lot of cheesemakers are closing their doors this year.

“It’s really sad when people go to Trader Joe’s or Costco to buy cheese when these small producers are the ones who need our help the most,” she shared. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

“Sushi Row” — aka Ventura Boulevard — in Sherman Oaks has one of the highest concentrations of sushi restaurants in the United States. Coming this summer, Yama Sushi Marketplace is opening its fourth and largest location, 7,200 square feet with a brand-new drink concept. 

“We have the largest curated sake selection in Los Angeles,” CEO Scott Kohno said. “I thought we could take it to the next level and have a drink station so that our customers could enjoy our craft sake. This location will have a hard liquor license and serve craft whiskey and vodka and gin from Japan. Customers can order very exclusive Japanese beverages.”

The founder of what was once known as Yama Seafood, Kenzo “Yama-san” Yamada was a former fish broker who opened the original location in San Gabriel in 1984. He sourced the freshest fish and supplied to the top LA restaurants and markets. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

What Tyler Burges is most excited about as the chef/owner of Bengara, which opened April 17 in the Arts District, is debuting his genshiyaki grill. In this process, proteins are positioned at a distance from the binchōtan charcoal and cooked slowly through radiant heat.

“I’ve never seen anyone do that in the United States,” said Burges. “It’s not super common even in Japan.”

Burges is part of the team operating Smoke Door restaurants in Lake Tahoe and at The Knot Yokohama hotel in Japan — he now splits his time between all three locations. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Taking your mom — and grandmother — to afternoon tea is an elegantly delicious way to celebrate maternal bonds. Pasadena offers a handful of delightful and delightfully different options.

Chado Tea Room’s Mother’s Day afternoon team begins with refreshers — wine-inspired iced tea and tea-infused chocolates—and ends with mini chocolate mousse cups with fruit and lemon curd tartlets. In between, a selection of delicate finger sandwiches — smoked salmon, Souchong chicken and tea-marinated egg salad — and warm scones are served, all paired with a choice of Beauty white tea, Lemon Chiffon herbal tea, Podrea black tea and Chado Special Darjeeling.

Added decadence arrives in the form of Chado cream, French macarons and a butter cookie, which are served with the scones. Tea service is $69 per person. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Sichuan cuisine is misunderstood, explained Zhi Min Zhu, Mountain House’s culinary director. According to Zhu, people hear “Sichuan” and think only of heat, but the cuisine is about balance and complexity.

Online sources claim the defining taste of Sichuan food is known as málà, or numbing and spicy, which is created by combining red chilies with Sichuan peppercorns. The result is a citrusy, buzzing numbing effect.

“The peppercorn creates a numbing sensation that isn’t just spice — it opens the palate,” said Zhu. “The layering of fermented, fresh and dried ingredients creates depth that takes years to learn how to execute properly.” . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

Chef Chris Yang opened Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra in 2019. In 2024, he was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California. Yang knows a thing or two about a chef’s life.

“As a cook, you’re always on the fire,” he explained. “It’s always so hot, and the work is physically demanding and tiring. A lot of cooks drink coffee, energy drinks or sodas throughout the day. I just wanted a healthier alternative, and kombucha was that. It was bubbly, refreshing, tangy and it supposedly has health benefits, like probiotics. For me, that was my drink of choice for the kitchen.”

After returning from a trip to Taiwan, one of Yang’s business partners gifted him Oolong tea leaves from a region called Alishan. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Lazy Dog is not lethargic when it comes to rolling out its quarterly menus. Like clockwork, when the flowers bloom and the days grow longer, the nationwide eatery debuts its spring menu.

Branden Roelofson, general manager of the L.A. LIVE location, knows his guests are ready for some lighter bites and vibrant flavors.

“We always want to stay fresh and relevant with our menu choices,” he explained, “which go great with some of the warmer weather, like the Yuzu Skinny Margarita. We’ve been really thoughtful with our menu and making sure that it goes really well with the season.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Growing up in Queens, New York, Liwei Liao fished—a lot. For the last 35 years of his life, he has devoted countless hours to recreational fishing. He is also a foodie and likes to eat, prepare and cook fish.

“When you catch a lot of fish, you have to deal with it,” he shared. “It was always a running family joke, like, ‘Hey Liwei, you catch so much fish, you should open a fish market.’”

Liao moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and study engineering. Over the years, he developed a whole process to bring fish from the water to the table.

“If I opened an upscale fish market, I wanted to be on Ventura Boulevard,” he shared. “That got me looking for a couple of years, and I found a location in 2015.”

Joint Seafood’s Sherman Oaks location finally opened in 2018. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

Husband and wife restaurateurs Marlo Vinzoni and chef Gianbattista “Gianba” Vinzoni did not just survive the pandemic — their Pacific Palisades eatery, Cinque Terre West, actually thrived. 

“Many people in the Palisades worked from home,” said Marlo. “So, we were there. We even did burgers, tacos. We made sure there was something for everyone.”

In January 2025, they were not so lucky. After residing in the Palisades for 23 years, the wildfires that devastated their community would also force their business to find a new home. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

Born and raised in New York, sometimes Tad Yenawine wanted was a good slice of pizza. It was the main reason he opened Purgatory Pizza in the area that he refers to as Boyle Flats, the red-headed stepchild of Boyle Heights.

“In 2000, I bought the building because I was doing construction projects and I also have a bad habit of collecting cars and motorcycles,” Yenawine began. “The neighborhood still had no density, so if you wanted to start a retail business, this is the opposite of where you should do it. There was a restaurant in the front and it served Chinese food, but when you sell a literal mountain of Chinese food for $3, you’re relying on volume, and when there are no people, you don’t get that volume. I wanted to preserve the use and the value in the building, and I couldn’t get a good slice of pizza to save my life, so in 2007, I got together with a buddy, and we redeveloped recipes — and that was that.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.