Part I - Prelude
Walk into Firstborn, and the tone is set immediately.
Their new prix fixe format gives the kitchen full control. Pacing, temperature, texture—nothing left to chance. It’s a shift toward authorship, and it shows.
Chef Anthony Wang isn’t new to this. Before Firstborn, he came up through kitchens like Michael Voltaggio’s Ink. Here, he reflects on what he carried forward.
As the format of the restaurant shifted, so did the chicken.
Chicken 2.0—beautifully cooked dark meat, now boneless, dressed in jus, black vinegar, soy, and chili crisp.
Wang is the first in his family born in the U.S.—his parents immigrated from Beijing after the Tiananmen Square protests.
He’s clear about holding both identities—Chinese and American—and building something that reflects that.
Here in Chinatown, chef is reimagining Chinese American cuisine through his lens, grounded in French training and California produce.
Before cooking, it was classical piano. Then Boston kitchens. Then Los Angeles.
Glad to see Firstborn is leaving a real imprint on Chinatown, letting its presence known through solid leadership.
In Part 2 of the series, bar director Kenzo Han makes us a wonderful cocktail.
#ShokujiChronicles #FirstbornLA #ChinatownLA #DTLAEats #ModernChinese
An iconic collab, by popular demand: 🥟Paradise Dynasty x Burritos La Palma 🌴
After polling the streets of LA (and months of R&D), we’re introducing Birria XLB — built around Burritos La Palma’s beloved slow-braised birria de res, rich with chiles and spices, reworked into our signature soup dumpling.
All the flavor of birria, wrapped into a single juicy bite. There’s no competing with Burritos La Palma’s legendary tortillas, but we hope our delicate dumpling skin comes a close second!
Launching May 11 for a limited time at both LA + OC locations of Paradise Dynasty!
🎉 To celebrate, we’ll be giving away FREE baskets of birria XLB for two days, on 5/11 and 5/12! One free basket per party of 4!
Then it will be specially priced at $7.99 per basket through 5/22, one per table. Then it will be $12.99 per basket through 7/21! Don’t miss out on this very L.A. collab!
Part 1 — The Sounds of Darling
This is the story of Sean Brock reinventing himself in Los Angeles after his success and fanfare in Charleston.
His cooking speaks in fire. Every ingredient touched by flame, every decision deliberate. He can go on about wood — how different cuts burn, smell, season — with the same affection he shows wandering the farmers market.
But before we discuss his cuisine, we start with sound…
Brock fell hard for Japanese listening bars after a small revelation: hearing “Frank Sinatra” by Cake on proper equipment. Darling eventually grew out of that moment — speakers positioned for that 3D experience, a full 360° field where the room becomes part of the meal and vinyl sets the pace of the night.
His earliest memories were bluegrass and the sounds of New Orleans. Later came Nirvana. A Willie Nelson concert with family still lives vividly in his mind. He lights up talking about owning Marie “Queenie” Lyons’ See and Don’t See on 45.
Around 9:30pm, the chef sets down the tongs and steps behind the booth.
See. Taste. Hear. Feel.
We rush through meals. He wants you to notice them again.
Fire in the kitchen. Vinyl in the room.
Not nostalgia — atmosphere with intent.
Stay tuned for Episode 72 — inside the kitchen.
#ShokujiChronicles #SeanBrock #DarlingbySeanBrock #Vinyl #Hifi
Chef Tyler Burges comes from Michelin-starred restaurants Saison and Angler in San Francisco and focuses on using primitive wildfire cooking methods here at this intimate saryo (aka a small boutique Japanese restaurant) in North Lake Tahoe ✨ for dinner, they offer a $198 10-course tasting menu (which is what we tried and I think is a very fair price given even just the ingredients used), a $128 6-course tasting, or a-la-carte at chef's counter. it's such a hidden gem restaurant offering truly memorable fine dining experiences that you need to save for your next ski trip to Tahoe or special occasion!
📍Smoke Door, Kings Beach, California
follow for more bay area food recs!
#sfbayarea #bayareablogger #sanfranciscolife #laketahoe
🧧Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快乐! Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! 새해 복 많이 받으세요 🧨
🐎 The Year of the Horse is all about momentum — energy, ambition, independence, and moving boldly toward new goals. It’s said to be a year that rewards action, confidence, and taking chances. Fast-paced, forward-thinking, and full of opportunity.
🥢 Celebrate the spirit of the Horse with our limited-time Lunar New Year banquet menu, created for gathering and sharing abundance.
🥟 Imperial Chicken Broth with Wontons
🌊 Crispy Garlic Scallops
🦞 Braised Lobster with Vermicelli & Golden Garlic
🍖 Slow-Braised Pork Knuckle with Dried Scallop
🍡 Matcha & Black Sesame Mochi Duo
🥃 Plus, toast to a strong year ahead with the “Fire Horse” cocktail, with D’Ussé Cognac, yuzu honey, green tea plum & lemon.
Available now through March 3
📍 Glendale (Americana at Brand)
📍 Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza)
🧧 Lucky red envelopes with 20% off vouchers while supplies last.
Pull up to the bar for Jason Lee’s latest pours (our quietly brilliant James Beard semifinalist 🙌). At darling, the cocktails change monthly, guided by what the kitchen is cooking and what the season is giving. Fresh ingredients. Precise technique. A hint of swagger.
BUDDHA’S HAND — osmanthus, bourbon, buckwheat, Sichuan peppercorn
ENDIVE — tequila, mango, walnut, orange
KALE — gin, kiwi, caraway, dill, lemon
KOHLRABI — mezcal, applejack, pepita, persimmon aperitif
KUMQUAT — gin or mezcal, blanc vermouth, makrut lime
SATSUMA — rum, brandy, toasted coconut, mace
SNAP PEA — tequila, olive oil, fino sherry
STRAWBERRY — scotch, Oaxacan rum, fermented strawberry, gochujang
🍫🍒✨ Dark Chocolate Cherry Sourdough is back for Valentine’s Day season! Our sourdough campagne is mixed with Belgian dark chocolate from Callebaut, cocoa powder and rum-soaked tart cherries—a loaf we look forward to baking every year.
Available all month long at our markets, or pre-order a loaf for Saturday pick-up.
And with Super Bowl Sunday here, we’re stocking our stands with plenty of grinders and sesame hoagies—ideal for game-day sandwiches.
See you at the markets this weekend!
🎥🍔 Chef Sean Brock on his favorite thing to eat—and how he makes darling’s dry-aged steak burger. Inspired by a classic New York steakhouse (👀 Peter Luger 🙌), cooked over oak embers from the hearth & brushed with beef fat and some secret blends. Just 25 a day. This one goes fast—book early!
🔥🌿 This little side dish is ferociously delicious (and vegan!). Sprouting cauliflower hits the binchotan, coated in housemade prik king chile sauce and grilled until smoky and charred. It’s then finished with lime leaf, crispy garlic, fried Thai basil. Shoutout to @lazy_eater99 for the killer prik king sauce! 🤙🏽
An old practice, done with purpose. Each Campagne dough at Bread Artisan Bakery is hand-scored before it meets the oven, guiding the rise and defining the character of our 4-lb La Miche loaves. Rustic, deeply flavorful, and rooted in French tradition—long before the baguette became the standard.
Available at all of our weekend farmers markets.
🎉 Congratulations are in order for our very own Jason Lee, named a @beardfoundation semifinalist today for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
We’re constantly inspired by Jason’s quiet, endlessly thoughtful creativity behind the bar at darling, and couldn’t be more thrilled to see his craft and dedication recognized on this level. So well deserved. 🥂
🦞 Don’t want a fussy prix-fixe dinner for NYE? Get the lobstah instead. Specifically, our Salt & Pepper Spiny Lobster, chef Ray Hayashi’s homage to the classic Cantonese wok dish he has fond memories of eating with his dad at a restaurant called Sea Empress in Gardena. Chef Ray’s version is plenty celebratory and a whole lot delicious. 🎊 Happy New Year from all of us here at RYLA, we look forward to seeing you all next year!!! 🍾 Psst, just a reminder we will be open for three-day weekend brunch beginning this Friday! 🥞🥂✨
