Latest news with #Firstborn
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Sarah Jessica Parker finally confirms she dated major Hollywood star
More than 20 years after setting tongues wagging, Sarah Jessica Parker has confirmed she dated Nicolas Cage. The Sex and the City icon, 60, and the Longlegs star, 61, met when filming the 1992 rom-com Honeymoon in Vegas, with filming taking place the year prior. Parker met her now husband, Matthew Broderick, in 1991 after being introduced by her two brothers, with the pair marrying in 1997. Meanwhile, Cage married his first wife, Patricia Arquette, in 1995 before the couple divorced in 2001. Decades of rumours have followed Parker and Cage, with the former finally confirming they were in a relationship at some point during an interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. The host asked about Cage after discussing how she knew her husband was 'the one.' 'Um, yes I did [date him],' she confirmed, which seemed to shock Cohen, who also happened to be one of her longtime friends. 'Oh wow. We've got some talking to do,' he said of the revelation. Following his divorce from Severance star Arquette, Cage went on to marry Lisa Marie Presley in 2002, before splitting just 107 days after tying the knot. Cage and his third wife, Alice Kim, wed in 2004 and split in 2016, and he married Erika Koike three years later. The actor filed for an annulment from Koike four days later, and was granted a divorce after three months. In 2021, Cage married his current wife, Riko Shibata, welcoming their daughter, August, a year later. He also shares Weston, 34, with actor Christina Fulton, and Kal-El, 19, with Kim. Parker and Broderick have welcomed three children – James, 22, and twins Tabitha and Marion, 13. The Hocus Pocus actor had a series of high-profile relationships before settling down with Broderick, including with Footloose co-star Chris Penn. More Trending She also dated Robert Downey Jr after the pair met on the set of the 1984 film Firstborn. Soon after splitting from the Iron Man star in 1991, she was linked to John F Kennedy Jr for six months. Of this relationship, she previously said the overwhelming media attention around the pair led to their breakup. Metro has contacted representatives for Nicolas Cage for comment Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Jaws star, 77, 'terribly sorry' to cancel event last minute after being struck with infection MORE: Kanye West hits out at 'absurd' sex trafficking and assault lawsuit from ex-assistant MORE: Ghost legend Patrick Swayze was 'the 10th choice' for iconic 90s movie
Eater
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Welcome to Los Angeles's White-Hot Chinese American Summer
Bryant Ng, the chef behind the now-closed seminal restaurants Cassia in Santa Monica and Spice Table in Little Tokyo, hails from two generations of Chinese American restaurateurs. His maternal grandparents operated the 200-seat restaurant Bali Hai in Culver City in the 1950s and 1960s, serving Polynesian and Cantonese favorites like rangoons and rumaki at the height of tiki's popularity. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Ng's parents owned Wok Way in Northridge, where Ng lent a hand washing dishes and peeling shrimp at the 'prototypical Chinese American restaurant,' he says. 'That's the restaurant that I grew up in.' This summer, Ng is carrying on his family's tradition and opening a Chinese American restaurant of his own. His forthcoming Jade Rabbit in Santa Monica joins an ambitious crop of Chinese American restaurants that are capturing the attention of Los Angeles's diners right now. Places like 88 Club in Beverly Hills, Chinatown's Firstborn, and Men & Beasts in Echo Park take influences from Chinese dishes, flavors, and techniques and blend them with contemporary trends, reinventing the rich tradition of culinary ingenuity originally born out of economic necessity nearly 200 years ago. Chinese American food — the way it is presented and the way it is understood — has evolved since the days when egg foo yong and chop suey headlined menus, and transformed in exciting ways. Think bite-sized sweet and sour sweetbread nuggets at Firstborn and vegan Cantonese barbecued pork buns styled like monkey bread at Men & Beasts. Los Angeles's white-hot Chinese American summer didn't just happen overnight: It has been centuries in the making. The story of Chinese food in America is nearly as old as America itself and almost as complicated. America's first Chinese restaurant was established in 1849 by Chinese immigrants who arrived in San Francisco during California's Gold Rush. But Chinese restaurants didn't spread beyond metropolitan Chinatowns and deep into America's suburbs until well into the 1900s due to sinophobia and Chinese exclusion laws. It wasn't until after 1965 that Chinese food went beyond catering to white American palates to reflect Chinese tastes when immigration legislation permitted hundreds of thousands of Chinese people from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China to immigrate to the United States. Los Angeles's thriving regional Chinese food culture, centered around Monterey Park initially before spreading throughout the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, is a direct result of that policy. The city's contemporary Asian American restaurant scene, spearheaded largely by third-culture kids, boomed in recent years with the opening of Yang's Kitchen, Kato, Pine & Crane, Woon, and now-closed Cantonese-inspired restaurants Ricebox, Needle, and Pearl River Deli. Not bound by tradition, these restaurants intentionally colored outside the lines, riffed on recipes, dismissed dated notions of authenticity, and charged their worth for the experience. 'Look at this huge history — 200 years of Chinese and Chinese Americans creating this food out of necessity, hard work, and entrepreneurship, and creating something that is a type of regional Chinese cuisine,' says Ng. 'The region that influences it is America.' Much of the culinary creativity that Los Angeles embraces right now wouldn't be possible without a receptive audience that understands and supports it. The city's collective appetite for Chinese food and its robust Asian population make it uniquely fit to embrace Chinese American fare in its diverse forms, from Pasadena icon Panda Inn, which opened in 1973 and reopened in December 2024 after a years-long remodel, to robot-powered fast-food spot Tigawok in Burbank and Sawtelle. 'The LA diner is very curious. They're not afraid to try something new,' says Mei Lin, who opened 88 Club in April and previously operated the now-closed James Beard-nominated and Eater Award-winning Nightshade. 'I'm always willing to put something weird on the menu, whether or not it's weird to them.' Lin points to the cold tofu skin salad as one of her more out-of-the-box offerings. Inspired by the appetizer served at Michelin-recognized Bistro Na's in Temple City, the salad mixes in snappy celery and a hit of red vinegar. On 88 Club's menu, it sits alongside classic Chinese American homages like kung pao scallops and sweet and sour fish. Lin's dishes have landed in a similarly upscale room as the nearby Beverly Hills Mr. Chow, which opened in 1974 and specializes in Beijing duck and hand-pulled noodles. Anthony Wang, who grew up in the suburbs of Miami and Atlanta, was afraid that diners would 'pigeonhole us to being authentic' before opening Firstborn in March, he says. But with dishes like tofu-skin-wrapped duck sausage, charred cabbage, and Chongqing fried chicken heaped with a confetti of dried chiles found atop nearly every table, Wang's fear has subsided. 'I've never claimed to understand or know 'authentic' Chinese food,' he says. 'The food is just storytelling from my perspective, my own experiences of being Chinese American.' Firstborn's menu pulls from Wang's food memories, travels, training, and San Gabriel Valley favorites and taps into the kind of personal narrative cooking that resonates with diners today. His creations seek to give Chinese American food a sense of place that dishes like orange chicken and General Tso's chicken lack, he says. His version of a wood ear mushroom cold appetizer is rooted in Southern California cooking and comprised of turnips, tofu, and sugar snap peas dressed in a punchy horseradish vinaigrette. 'We wanted to cook from a place that told a story of where we were and give our guests a feeling of time and place,' says Wang. 'We try to utilize seasonal and local products whenever we can.' Like Wang, Lin grew up outside of Los Angeles in Dearborn, Michigan, where her family owned a Chinese American restaurant called Kong Kow. 'I don't know that I would have been confident enough to have opened up this type of restaurant five years ago,' says Lin. 'As a Chinese American kid, you're never Chinese enough, and you're never American enough, and so we always live in that weird gap of just trying too hard.' Lin changed her mind about not wanting to cook Chinese food following a trip that she and her family took together to their hometown of Taishan in southern China, where she dove headfirst into the region's vibrant Cantonese cuisine. 'If I had not taken that trip last year, I don't think I would have been able to put myself into the food that I'm making at 88,' she says. While Lin recognizes that the dishes coming out of 88 Club's kitchen aren't traditional ('I don't call anything I do traditional,' she says), the Chinese American banner doesn't quite resonate with her either. 'It is a modern Chinese restaurant located in Beverly Hills serving dishes inspired by my childhood and my upbringing,' she says. 'It's very straightforward. The food on the plate is what it is, and I will make that food as unapologetic as possible.' Everything gets served family-style, shared around a lazy Susan, and seasoned to be paired with rice, including saucy dishes like the Sichuan fish-fragrant eggplant and Taiwanese-inspired three-cup maitake. Across town at Men & Beasts in Echo Park, which debuted in June, Alex Falco and Huimin 'Minty' Zhu are taking a similar approach through a mostly vegan lens. 'We're continuing that spirit of innovation toward Chinese cuisine,' says Falco, who co-owned the restaurant Minty Z with Zhu in Miami before the couple relocated to Los Angeles. Their collaborative menu, which features many dishes from Zhu's formative years in Hunan province, takes recognizably Chinese dishes like dumplings, salt and pepper chicken wings, and wontons and prepares them with homemade plant-based proteins. Some of the more unique menu items include 'monkey buns,' a mashup of monkey bread and barbecued pork buns made with char siu seitan and a glossy hoisin sauce, as well as deep-fried sesame balls formed with carrot-infused mochi and filled with crushed black sesame paste. The restaurant's adjoining tea room has a separate entrance offering a convivial space for socializing sans alcohol. 'In 2025, we find that people are not drinking much alcohol anymore for health reasons, mostly, but we wanted to do something for our clientele that would still create a vibe,' says Falco. Patrons are encouraged to linger over elaborate tea ceremonies paired with snacks from Men & Beast's main menu. The emphasis on shaping a welcoming environment echoes at Jade Rabbit, with its well-stocked steam table buffet, fast-casual service, and affordable pricing. 'We wanted to make sure that we had something that, from a price point perspective, was very approachable,' says Ng, who runs the business alongside his wife, Kim Luu-Ng. 'We don't come from generational wealth. We don't come from privilege. We wanted a restaurant that was accessible to everyday people like ourselves, especially right now.' The meals at Jade Rabbit are priced with affordability in mind (from $12 to $20) and formatted for convenience, but Ng does not compromise on quality ingredients and creativity. The fast-casual set up may seem familiar to anyone who's dined at a Panda Express, while the food pushes the definition of Chinese American cuisine in more expansive ways. The restaurant's beef and broccoli, a quintessential Chinese American dish, takes cues from Chinese Peruvian lomo saltado. A smattering of beef, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, and fried potatoes gets wok-fired in a savory green bird's eye chile sauce. 'It's an ode to our brethren's diaspora culture in Peru. A celebration of all the diaspora together in one dish. What could be more American than that?' says Ng. Jade Rabbit's kale salad is visually reminiscent of tabbouleh but tastes distinctly Chinese American. A combination of kale, cabbage, scallions, quinoa, and roasted cashews gets chopped finely enough to be eaten with a spoon before cashew dressing spins in. Fine print on the menu reminds diners that the salad may look like it came from a 'California-Mediterranean spread, but dishes like this show how Chinese American cuisine keeps evolving.' Meeting diners where they are is a core tenet of the Chinese American culinary tradition, with flexibility and adaptation baked into the cuisine — first by need, then by choice. Los Angeles's latest newcomers push these age-old foodways in thrilling directions by embracing change and harnessing their personal journeys as a raison d'être. 'I look at other chefs opening restaurants that are Chinese influenced, or Chinese American influenced, and it says a lot about where we are as Asian Americans and Chinese Americans,' says Ng. 'It's heartening to see now, in this particular moment, that we are very much taking pride in who we are and accepting — acknowledging — our cross-cultural identities.' See More:
Eater
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in Los Angeles: May 23
Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: 'Where should I eat?' Here now are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here's our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town. For affordable Chinese takeout: Combo A As food prices continue to rise, getting an affordable but satiating meal is at the top of many people's minds. Cue Combo A, a longtime Echo Park Chinese restaurant that stuffs takeout containers to the brim with chow fun, orange chicken, and beef and broccoli. It's easy to walk out of here with enough food to spread over multiple meals for well under $20, and the quality is far beyond what would be found at a fast food chain. The orange chicken is tossed in a well-seasoned sauce and remains crispy even after cooling down, while the barbecue pork is tender and flavorful. You can even go half and half on combinations of fried rice, chow fun, steamed rice, and chow mein. Add in sides of cream cheese-stuffed wontons, egg rolls, fried chicken, or pot stickers, and wash it all down with boba. 1411 Echo Park Avenue, Suite 101, Los Angeles, CA 90026. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For a group gathering with fantastic bites and sips: BLVD MRKT Getting a group of friends together with varying tastes can be challenging, but not if you know where to go. To make sure there is something for everyone, head to BLVD MRKT, a Montebello food hall made out of shipping containers. BLVD's got a unique charm to it and an even more uncommon model that mentors and showcases new businesses next to more established ones. At the center of the dining courtyard are community picnic tables covered by umbrellas. Star by taking a lap to see what's appealing — in the complex you'll find pupusas from Vchos, a Oaxacan mocha from Cafe Santo, chilaquiles verdes via Los Taquero Mucho, or bites from Cold Pizza (it's served hot), For the Win, and a Mexican Lollipop cider that actually tastes like watermelon candy. Once everything is prepared, sit at a table and let the joy take over. BLVD has excellent programming happening every week, and on Memorial Day Bluey (the animated cartoon series) will be at a meet and greet that kids will adore, along with fruity and creamy paletas with face painting. It's an excellent plan on any weekday or weekend, so start inviting. 520 Whittier Boulevard, Montebello, CA, 90640. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For an elegant Memorial Day dinner in Chinatown: Firstborn For a few weeks after it opened in late March, Chinatown's Firstborn was the talk of the food world, drawing curiosity, excitement, and some eyebrow raises given its location and price. The latter point will probably continue to be in contention, but for now, expect some of the most innovative modern Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles right now. Chef Anthony Wang is treating this like his first feature film and creativity abounds from the plate to the space (FYI, his sister is filmmaker Lulu Wang). Some dishes are brilliant, like steak tartare over soft tofu and tofu gnudi with artichokes. Barbecue cabbage is a show-stopper, scorched like burnt marshmallows but exuding an unnatural sweetness. Combined with the heady leek vinaigrette, it's easily one of the most creative dishes I've had in awhile. Cumin lamb saddle carries traditional Sichuan flavors in a luxurious form with a woven bundle of shredded potato elegant enough for a Michelin-starred restaurant. It's like a reimagined Chinese steak frites with the tenderness and gentle gaminess of lamb that's frankly superior to beef (there, I said it). Order more dishes than you think, as portions are on the smaller side, and expect to pay over $120 per person with a drink or two. If Wang can continue to draw the artsy/well-heeled crowd, I expect Firstborn to gain some major eyeballs come awards season (consider this a culinary 'For Your Consideration'). 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest For an underrated seafood gem in Melrose's 'Michelin Mile': Koast While Kevin Meehan's tasting menu restaurant Kali is under the knife, his new seafood spot down the street should be your Larchmont/Melrose dinner reservation of choice. Speaking to Meehan prior to opening, he considered Koast his ode to the East Coast seafood restaurant, with much nicer touches and some LA style. Raw bites are inventive and well-portioned, like local bluefin with vadouvan or sea bream sashimi with ponzu, shiso, and wasabi good enough to be served at Nobu. Grilled prawns in thyme butter offer the succulence of a backyard barbecue with the sweet, tender complexity of the best shellfish from New Caledonia. The lobster manicotti could be the most fun dish on the menu, properly spotted with finely chopped chives that wouldn't make sense at a red sauce joint. The cheesy, gooey mess studded with lobster chunks is the ideal counterpoint to the raw fish. A syrupy salted caramel brown butter cake topped with whipped cream awaits those who must get dessert. 6623 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Related The 38 Essential Restaurants in Los Angeles Sign up for our newsletter.
Los Angeles Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
One of L.A.'s most exciting new Chinese restaurants lands in Mandarin Plaza
In Chinatown's newest restaurant, mapo tofu inspires steak tartare, pillowy gnudi are made with tofu (not ricotta) and medallions of table-side-sauced lamb saddle evoke Sichuan's cumin-spiced lamb skewers. Firstborn fills the long-empty former Pok Pok space in Mandarin Plaza with subtle Chinese touches, including jade-green tiles and a window to the kitchen reminiscent of what one might spot in a Beijing neighborhood hutong, or alley. Chef-owner Anthony Wang — who cooked at restaurants such as Destroyer, Auburn and Ink — is exploring the identity of Chinese American cuisine in a manner both true to history and to his own story. 'I've always wanted to explore Chinese cuisine, but I didn't realize how little I understood until I really started this project,' Wang said. 'For the first time in my career I can take a deep dive and look at the expansiveness and the history and culture of not just Chinese food [of mainland China], but also Chinese food in this country and how it's grown and developed over the past 100-plus years.' One of the first cuisines he began toexplore was Sichuan, traveling to Chengdu in 2018 and tracing the origins of its famous chiles and spice — and then researching even further, to a time before the spice trade reached the region. But Firstborn is just as much a reflection of Wang growing up first-generation in Georgia. His sweetbreads in pig trotter ragu evoke his memories of eating pork knuckle at his grandmother's house. The house-made chile crisp that tops the chef's signature fried chicken carries a smoky heat and fruity note via the secret ingredient of Morita chiles, marrying the fragrance of Sichuan and Mexican cuisines in a nod to L.A. His parents emigrated from Beijing in 1989 due to the protests and violence in Tiananmen Square. The family landed in Miami, then a desert of Chinese food and ingredients. Wang's mother began to get creative, substituting American items to whip up the modernized Chinese cuisine that Wang and his sister, Lulu, ate through their childhood: dishes like a kind of beef Bourguignon with Sichuan peppercorn and star anise. Wang thinks of it as 'new Chinese American cooking,' which also makes its way to the bar. Beverage director Kenzo Han (Steep LA, the Varnish) built an 'East meets West' menu that also lifts inspiration from the kitchen, with options such as an osmanthus and fermented rice sour, a sesame old-fashioned, a baiju-and-tea negroni, and a springy martini that involves house-made celery oil and carrot eau de vie. Nonalcoholic concoctions include hojicha orange milk punch and an adzuki swizzle. For dessert, pastry chef Jaime Craten (formerly of Vespertine, Destroyer and Meteora) balances sweet and savory with lighter options like almond tofu with citrus, jujubee and osmanthus, or chamomile custard that's topped with a refreshing apple-and-cucumber granita with a kinako shortbread cookie. Wang calls it an honor to debut his restaurant in Chinatown — adding to the legacy of the area's century of Chinese businesses — and to continue to explore what the cuisine means in the neighborhood, in the U.S. and in China. 'For me,' Wang said, 'It's a journey. This restaurant's open now, but this is something that I think we're just starting with, and it's something that I really want to continue exploring not just throughout this restaurant but throughout my entire life.' Firstborn is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m. 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 537-0142, Beverly Hills' steak-centric Matu now has a westward sibling in Matu Kai, which follows up the 2021 restaurant with some of its greatest hits and a slew of new dishes. Like Matu, Brentwood's new Matu Kai specializes in Wagyu: Plancha-cooked filets, wood-fired rib-eyes, picanhas, New York strips and more are prepared in the semi-open kitchen, sparks and flames often flying. These steaks can be ordered a la carte or in a set menu, though many of the newer items can be found a la carte. Look for fresh Uovo maltagliati in a rib-eye ragu, Wagyu meatballs in pomodoro, crying tiger Wagyu tenderloin satay and more. Like its sibling restaurant, Matu Kai also offers the popular Wagyu cheesesteak sandwich, which is available only at the bar. Matu Kai is open Monday to Thursday from 5:30 to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. 11777 San Vicente Blvd., Suite 134, Los Angeles, (310) 810-2501, A Chicago sandwich shop rife with cultural and familial inspiration recently debuted at the base of the Platform complex in Culver City, with panini-pressed stacks that can include tabouleh, chile crunch, harissa mayonnaise and more. Chef-owner Mitchell Jamra blends his Lebanese roots into some of the flavors of All Too Well, a quick-casual sandwich offshoot of his Mexican-Lebanese restaurant in Chicago, Evette's. All Too Well, while named for the Taylor Swift song, is inspired not by the singer-songwriter but Jamra's family and his long lineage of Chicago deli owners that traces back to the 1920s. The chef's first Los Angeles restaurant offers the Chicago location's most popular items such as the Bombay Chulet, which layers turkey, prosciutto garlic mayo, arugula, stracciatella, fried onion, chile crunch and fig jam, as well as the L.A.-only secret-menu Tunaverse, which tops tuna salad with a red pepper spread that blends ajvar with muhammara. All Too Well debuted as a one-year pop-up within Platform, but Jamra tells The Times that he has plans to stay in Los Angeles far beyond that. 'I'm bonded with the city now,' he said via email, 'and we are in for the long haul!' All Too Well is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 8850 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 101, Culver City, The popular chicken-focused offshoot of Los Feliz mainstay Kismet can now be found in Pasadena. At the latest outpost of Kismet Rotisserie, which sits at the border of Altadena, the whole pasture-raised, non-GMO chickens spin slowly behind the counter, the seasonal vegetables come primarily sourced from local farmers markets, and everything is made in-house. Chef-owners Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer offer rotisserie-chicken plates with sides such as roasted vegetables in tahini; smashed cucumbers in caraway vinaigrette; schmaltzy roasted potatoes; and hummus with freshly baked pita, along with salads, fresh-squeezed juice, bone broth, kids' meals, cookies and pudding cups. Unique to the Pasadena menu is a new, collaborative monthly sandwich special, where proceeds benefit the local chapter of education nonprofit Families Forward. This month find a spicy Niçoise pita sandwich made with Fishwife; in June look for an Italian sandwich from local chef and 'The Bear' culinary producer Courtney Storer. Kismet Rotisserie's newest outpost offers catering, a quick-and-casual format, and indoor and outdoor seating. Kismet Rotisserie is open in Pasadena daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 1974 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena, (323) 412-4400, Kristin Colazas Rodriguez began Colossus out of her home in 2018. Now she operates four outposts spread across San Pedro and Long Beach, and the latest features a full cafe menu, a bakery case flush with croissants and pastries, and an evening-only pizza program just off the San Pedro harbor. The newest Colossus recently debuted at the base of the Vivo Apartments complex, serving morning items such as the signature croissant breakfast sandwich with house-made sweet potato hot sauce, lunch and lighter bites like salad Lyonnaise with fresh croutons, and dinner such as meatballs in gravy, sourdough gnocchi and a range of daily pizzas (in Long Beach, the pizzas are available on weekends only). Whole loaves of bread and pantry goods such as tinned fish, dried heirloom beans and jars of jam are also on offer, and beer and wine are in the works. Colossus is open off of the San Pedro harbor Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 511 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, (213) 444-0077, A weeklong celebration of Latin cuisine kicked off Tuesday with hundreds of participating restaurants — and many offering special items and set menus. Dine Latino Restaurant Week, an initiative spearheaded by the national Latino Restaurant Assn., runs through May 18 and includes more than 200 restaurants spread from Camarillo through L.A. County, as far east as San Bernardino and Riverside, and as far south as Costa Mesa; even a few San Diego restaurants are joining the event, as is one operation in San Jose. The event aims to support Latino-owned restaurants reflecting a range of nationalities and cuisines, including Mexican, Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian and beyond. Find a map of participating restaurants here, with more businesses to be added.
Los Angeles Times
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The 10 best memoirs of the 2020s, from Mariah Carey to Michelle Zauner
Calling all bookworms! Welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. Calling all bookworms! Welcome to the L.A. Times Book Club newsletter. I'm Meg. I write shut up and read, a book newsletter. I'm also on BookTok. I just flew through Amy Griffin's 'The Tell.' Her memoir — a powerful investigation of repressed memories, sexual trauma and the quest for perfection — took me less than two days to finish. Instead of walking to the gym, I took the train, just so I could have more time to read. Then I picked up Lauren Christensen's 'Firstborn.' My waking hours were at the mercy of the memoir, a moving account of the loss of her first child, Simone. I fought off sleep to keep reading and when I awoke, the book was the first thing I reached for. I turn to the stories of other people's lives to make sense of my own. There's no memoir I won't read, except for Melania Trump's. I'm a glutton for the juicy celebrity tell-all, but there is nothing like being surprised by an unexpected or unknown author. As we approach the decade's halfway mark, I thought I'd share some of my favorite memoirs from the past 5 years, as well as the titles I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this year. 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey' is best experienced as an audiobook. Carey's memoir is an incisive deep dive into her elusive persona. Come for the reflections on her long-spanning career — and the true account of her rags-to-riches story — but stay for Mimi bursting sporadically into song. André Leon Talley's 'The Chiffon Trenches' is also a wonderful audio experience. His distinctive voice oozes charisma and authority, and his front row seat to the fashion world provides 50 years' worth of stories—about Karl Lagerfeld, Diana Vreeland, and of course, Anna Wintour. Dr. Michele Harper pulls back the curtain on life as an emergency room physician in her debut memoir, 'The Beauty in Breaking.' Through her patients, Harper discovers how to heal, all while contending with the racism and sexism in an overwhelmingly white and male-dominated profession. 'Minor Feelings,' Cathy Park Hong's book of essays, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Memoir. In her collection, Park Hong blends cultural criticism and memoir to examine the covert racism that is pervasive in our country. Her work is a celebration of her identity as an Asian American artist and a call to question white colonialist notions. A member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Elissa Washuta unpacks the commodification of Native American spirituality in 'White Magic.' Through layered essays, Washuta explores the effects of colonialism on sacred practices, as well as her heritage, and her struggles with men, drugs and alcohol — and how magic runs through it all. When I first read 'Crying in H Mart' by Michelle Zauner, I stayed up all night to finish, and I wept the whole way through. In her debut memoir, Zauner (who performs under the alias Japanese Breakfast) celebrates mother Chongmi's life, and mourns her early death. Zauner's tender tribute — and reckoning of who she is without her mother — is transformative. Suleika Jaouad's 'Between Two Kingdoms' is one of those memoirs that will knock the wind out of you. Jaouad's world turns upside down when she receives a leukemia diagnosis at 23. Four years later, she has survived, but is unsure of how to reenter the world, so she set out on a 100-day road trip to find out. My copy of 'In Love' by Amy Bloom is stained with fat teardrops. After Brian Ameche, Bloom's husband, receives an Alzheimer's diagnosis, he decides to end his life on his own terms. Bloom details their journey to Switzerland, where a nonprofit offers legal suicide, and paints us full vignettes of their love story along the way. Ina Garten's 'Be Ready When the Luck Happens' is a a four-course meal — plus dessert. Garten's words sing off the page. Reading her memoir makes you feel like you're in the kitchen with her, and Jeffrey! Getting a glimpse into Garten's life story is fascinating, and her cheerful demeanor and can-do attitude will galvanize you to chase your dreams. 'Grief Is For People' by Sloane Crosley grapples with the complexities of loss. She shared a piece of advice in an opinion piece she wrote for The Times in 2024: 'Give the grieving person a reprieve from the interrogation, the lion's share of which they will conduct themselves. Give them this for the same reason you would offer to do their dishes or run their errands: so they can get some rest.' Honorable mentions: (Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to whose fees support independent bookstores.) Anyone who's anyone is going to be at The Times' Festival of Books next month, including National Book Award winner Percival Everett, 'Wicked' director Jon M. Chu and aughts pop icon Joanna 'Jojo' Levesque. Scheduled for April 26 and 27, the 30th anniversary of the annual literary festival brings more than 550 storytellers to the USC campus across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. Itching for a mystery? Here are the four best crime novels to read right now, taking you everywhere from Alaska to Maine to Kaua'i to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is pressing pause on his press tour for his new book following his vote to move forward with Republican spending legislation last week. In 'A Better Ending,' James Whitfield Thomson looks back on the events of summer 1974, when his younger sister Eileen died at the age of 27 from a gunshot wound to the chest. His sister's death was quickly ruled a suicide, although it bore all the hallmarks of murder. There have been so many noteworthy memoirs released in the last five years, and the next five promise to make this a decade filled with notable works. Here are 10 due out in 2025 we can't wait to read. See you in the stacks — or on Goodreads!
