The Brief

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Feb. 10, 2026.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we’ve rounded up the best ways to celebrate with your boo or your bestie.

Whether you’re celebrating with a partner, friends or your galentine squad, there are plenty of date ideas happening all across the Eastside. From paint-and-sip nights and cumbia-and-coffee parties to a cozy late-night dinner with that special someone, there’s something for everyone this Valentine’s Day.

Galentine’s Paint and Sip at 3rd Street Market

Looking for a crafty Valentine’s activity? 3rd Street Market and Cafe is hosting its first Galentine’s Paint and Sip with featured artist Teresa Flores. The evening will include complimentary wine, snacks and giveaways. There are limited spots available, so be sure to grab your tickets now.

For the Love of Resistance at Espacio 1839

This Valentine’s Day weekend, Espacio 1839 hosts the opening reception of “For the Love of Resistance,” a group exhibit that frames art as “a creative response to injustice.” The show will highlight 16 local artists, including Fabian Debora, Rosy Cortez and Jesse Fregrosso. The evening also will feature a CaminArte vendor market, with a portion of sales donated to a local rapid response team, according to Espacio 1839’s social media page.

Amor y Amistad Piñata Workshop at Latinx With Plants

If you’re looking to get crafty, Latinx With Plants is hosting its inaugural Amor y Amistad celebration with a piñata workshop. The evening will include a cocktail hour, a live DJ set by Maiden Mexico, complimentary drinks, a DIY Herbal Love Sachet bar and live screenprinting brought by Signs of Movement. Be sure to get your tickets for this limited-space event.

DIY Milagro: An Amulet of Self-Love — Vincent Price Art Museum

An afternoon workshop led by Chicana artist and altarista Rosanna Esparza will center on creating a personal milagro — an amulet of self-love and remembrance. The workshop is presented in tandem with “Ofelia Esparza: A Retrospective,” an exhibit on view now at the Vincent Price Art Museum.

Table for Two:
A Valentine’s Dinner Experience at Distrito Catorce

Enjoy a Valentine’s dinner experience by Chef Jonathan Perez at Distrito Catorce. Advertised as a “three-course dinner curated to make you fall in love all over again — with food,” the evening will feature two limited-seating time slots. Proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Vezbi Foundation.

Valentine’s Day with Trio Los Caramelos & Romance Nocturno at Eastside Luv

Looking for a date night with live music? Spend an evening at Eastside Luv enjoying romantic boleros, late-night drinks and performances by Trio Los Caramelos and Romance Nocturno. Admission is $20 at the door.

Third annual 'I Love East LA Festival'

The “I Love East LA Festival” is back again this year, taking place over Valentine’s Day weekend. Find over 80 Latina vendors selling bilingual books, thrifted clothing, apothecary, handmade goods and other unique gifts. The festival will feature a fashion show and live musical performances from artists such as Spanish rock band Casi Natural, Chicana pop-rock artist Vanessa Mendoza, and soul band Maria Sanchez and the Midnight Groove, among many others. With Chicana lowriders, an art walk, food trucks, and the East L.A. Farmers Market, there’s something for everyone at this year’s festivities.

Amor Cafe y Baile: Valentine’s Cumbia Edition

Get your boo or bestie and your dancing shoes ready this Valentine’s weekend. Local coffee spot, Cafe Niña, is hosting a Valentine’s Cumbia with radio personality Leslie from the B, keeping the energy high. Attendees can enjoy free coffee and a free photobooth souvenir, plus a free one-hour dance lesson. Cumbia rhythms will be playing all afternoon with music by DJ Phobik. Admission is $20 at the door.

KQBH’s Valentine’s Special at Open LA

Looking to enjoy a Valentine’s special music night? Join the KQBH radio station family this month for their Valentine’s Mixer. Free and open to all ages of the community, the evening will feature music by DJs Brendita Eres, DJ Amdez and DJ Rubbertoe. Free parking is available.

Amor y Amistades Paint Night at East Los Tacos

Join local artist Andrea “Mextica” Ramirez on this guided paint-and-sip event. Attendees can pick from five pre-sketched canvases, and all art materials are included. The night will also feature a free raffle entry for each participant and will conclude with a group photo. Free parking will be available. Tickets are $25.

Noche de Corazones at Mariachi Plaza

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Su Salud Está En Sus Manos is hosting a Sweethearts Night at Mariachi Plaza. This family-friendly evening will feature a live DJ and dancing for all ages, community resources, as well as a photobooth and kids’ activity station.

The immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota is ending, said Tom Homan, the border czar for President Donald Trump.

“I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude,” Homan said. “A significant draw down has already been underway this week and will continue through the next week.”

Homan addressed reporters Thursday morning at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the base for the ongoing federal immigration operation in Minnesota. It also houses a facility that the Department of Homeland Security has been using to detain people being held by ICE.

"A small footprint of personnel will remain for a period of time to close out and transition full command and control back to the field office,” Homan said. “I will also remain on the ground for a little longer to oversee the drawdown of this operation and ensure its success.”

“This surge operation and our work here with state and local officials to improve coordination and achieve mutual goals, as well as our efforts to address issues of concern here on the ground, have yielded the successful results we have came here for in the Twin Cities, Minnesota in general,” Homan said.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was set to speak at a previously scheduled news conference later Thursday, to propose a federal surge response package to support Minnesota businesses affected by the immigration operation.

“The long road to recovery starts now,” Walz said on social media ahead of that news conference, reacting to Homan’s announcement. “The impact on our economy, our schools, and people’s lives won’t be reversed overnight. That work starts today.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also released a statement after Homan’s announcement: “They thought they could break us, but a love for our neighbors and a resolve to endure can outlast an occupation… This operation has been catastrophic for our neighbors and businesses, and now it’s time for a great comeback.”

Last week, Homan announced a drawdown of about a quarter of the immigration agents in the state, but that still left about 2,000 agents in Minnesota. Local elected officials have said they’re not seeing much change in their communities so far. Homan said there are normally about 150 federal officers in Minnesota.

Homan previously said that further reductions in the number of federal agents in Minnesota would come if state and local officials provide more assistance in transferring undocumented immigrants with criminal records from jail custody to federal authorities. He also said further drawdowns would be quicker if protesters stop “impeding and interfering” with federal agents.

Walz said earlier this week that recent conversations with White House officials had led him to believe the surge of federal immigration agents to the state could end soon. He said Minnesota is gearing up to move into the “recovery” phase following an end to the federal operation that’s gone on for more than two months.

MPR News editor Andrew Krueger and digital editor Anna Haecherl contributed to this story.

Get more live coverage from our friends at MPR News: Go to MPR News' updates.

With the Lunar New Year starting Tuesday, a certain type of cuisine may be on your radar.

Most of us probably chow down on "Chinese food" without really thinking about what style it’s in or from which region it comes. Given that China is similar in size to America, it would be like eating "American food" without realizing that maybe you’re eating Maryland crab, Louisiana gumbo or New York-style pastrami sandwiches.

If you want to explore further, there's a wide variety of regional cuisines in L.A., from Cantonese dim sum to fiery and numbing Sichuanese food, as well as other lesser-known, delicious styles.

There are eight “great traditions” of Chinese cuisine, plus variations within them. Certain cities like Shanghai are also well known for their own style of food and dishes.

Here’s a guide to 12 restaurants you should check out.

Colette (Pasadena)

Region: Guangdong / Hong Kong (Cantonese)

An array of colorful dishes at Colette in Pasadena

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Cantonese food is one of most common Chinese cuisines in L.A., with Hong Kong cafes and dim sum restaurants all over the San Gabriel Valley. Colette in Pasadena, however, serves some Cantonese dishes that are harder to come by, like Cantonese-style lamb stew. A must-order is the hundred flower chicken (labeled “crispy stuffed chicken” on the menu).

XIBEI (Arcadia)

Region: Shanxi and Inner Mongolia

XIBEI serves oat noodles, characteristic of this Northwest region of China.

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The term “xi bei” means “Northwest” in Mandarin, so naturally XIBEI serves food from the Northwestern part of China, which includes Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Dry and mountainous, oats grow more easily in this area compared to wheat and rice. That’s why you’ll find oat noodles on the menu at XIBEI, including honeycomb-shaped noodles topped with a tomato-based sauce. XIBEI also serves various lamb dishes that are typical in Inner Mongolia, from grilled lamb to lamb soup with turnips.

Hengry (Alhambra)

Region: Guizhou

Guizhou food is known for its sour and spicy flavors

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Guizhou is an inland province in Southwestern China with mountainous terrain. One of the unique characteristics of its food is its sour and spicy flavor, as the area historically relies on fermentation to preserve food. Guizhou is also known as a home to the Miao and Dong ethnic groups, both of whom have their own food traditions. Hengry in Alhambra serves a traditional Miao sour soup, made using fermented tomatoes. (The proprietor’s father visited a Miao tribe in order to learn its recipe). Another Guizhou staple at the restaurant is the spicy chicken, stir fried using Ciba chili paste.

Chef Tian's (City of Industry)

Region: Hunan

Chef Tian’s originally opened in Vancouver, B.C., but recently brought its Hunan-style cooking to City of Industry. Instead of the numbing spice of peppercorns used in Sichuan cuisine, Hunan food tends to use fresh chopped chilies. Some of the signature Hunan dishes here include baby abalone and pork, stir fried with chopped chilies, of course. Being from Vancouver, Chef Tian’s menu also showcases the fresh seafood that the Pacific Northwest is known for. One of the special dishes at Chef Tian’s is the geoduck, a large clam, wok-fired with a heaping pile of chili peppers.

Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine (Alhambra)

Region: Xinjiang

Uyghur food is a combination of Chinese and Middle Eastern influences.

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Xinjiang is an autonomous region in Northwestern China that is home to a Turkic ethnic minority group called Uyghurs (pronounced WEE-gers), who've been in the news because of their persecution by the Chinese government. The food at Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine is a combination of Chinese and Middle Eastern influences. The Uyghur dish called polo is reminiscent of pilaf: a plate or rice with carrots, onion, raisins and lamb. Lamb is the protein of choice in Uyghur cooking, used in everything from kebab to laghman, the traditional hand-pulled noodles stir-fried with meat and vegetables.

Mien Nghia (Rosemead)

Region: Chaozhou (Chiu Chow)

Chaozhou (or Chiu Chow in the Cantonese pronunciation) is a city in the Chaoshan region of the Guangdong province. While Mien Nghia is a Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant, it actually serves Chiu Chow (also called Teochew)-style noodle dishes, as Chiu Chow people have had a history of migration to Southeast Asia since the 18th century, including to Vietnam. Chiu Chow food tends to be more delicate in flavor compared to some of the other regions, so the noodles, like the ones found at Mien Nghia, are served in a light, clear broth and usually topped with fish or meatballs, shrimp, fish cakes and quail eggs.

Chengdu Taste (Alhambra)

Region: Sichuan

Chengdu Taste in Alhambra is recognized as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city

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Today, one of the most popular regional Chinese cuisines you’ll find around Los Angeles is Sichuan food. Numerous Sichuan restaurants have opened here, but this recent popularity can be attributed to Chengdu Taste in Alhambra, which opened in 2013 and was quickly recognized as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Sichuan food is known for its spicy and mouth-numbing flavors, thanks to the combination of chili peppers and peppercorns used liberally in dishes like toothpick lamb or boiled fish with green peppers.

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle (Monterey Park)

Region: Yunnan

One of the most famous dishes from Yunnan, an inland province in Southwestern China, is called Crossing the Bridge noodles, the name of which comes from a story. Once upon a time, the wife of a scholar would bring him lunch while he was studying on an island in the middle of a lake. The wife would bring a noodle soup with all the ingredients in separate bowls in order to keep the chicken broth warm. She would combine all the ingredients once she crossed the bridge and reached her husband. Today, at Yunnan rice noodle shops like Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle, all the ingredients are still served in separate bowls, and the guest combines them at the table. The restaurant’s name refers to the hot soup cooking the other ingredients in ten seconds. Typical toppings for this noodle soup include thinly sliced meat, corn, pickled vegetables and more.

Liu’s Cafe (Koreatown)

Region: Taiwan

While not part of the People’s Republic of China, the island of Taiwan’s culture and cuisine are certainly deeply rooted in Chinese culture and cooking. Taiwanese cuisine is a blend of the various groups of people who inhabit the island, both in the past and present. It draws from Hakka and Hokkien (Fujian) cuisines, indigenous Taiwanese and influences from Japan, among others. Take for example the iconic dish of Taiwan, the beef noodle soup (niu rou mian). The dish was created by migrants from China’s Sichuan province who adapted the Sichuan beef noodle soup to the local palate. Taiwanese restaurants around L.A. like Liu’s Cafe serve classic comfort dishes such as cold sesame noodles, braised pork belly over rice and Chiayi chicken rice.

Bang Bang Noodles (Downtown)

Region: (Shaanxi)

Biang biang noodles are hand-pulled, chewy noodles that are unique to the region of Shaanxi

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Not to be confused with Shanxi mentioned in the entry for XIBEI, Shaanxi is a province in northern China that actually borders Shanxi to the east. Shaanxi is known for its rich history as its capital, Xi’An, was the eastern end of the Silk Road. It is this history that brings about one of Shaanxi’s iconic dishes: biang biang noodles (the restaurant, Bang Bang Noodles, uses an Anglicized version). Biang biang noodles are hand-pulled, chewy noodles, unique to Shaanxi, that are typically tossed in a spicy oil made with chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and more. They’re also topped with lamb, which is commonly used in Shaanxi cooking.

Auntie Qiu Kitchen (Alhambra)

Region: Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the four cities in China that is not part of any province, and Shanghai has evolved its own style of cuisine, which is generally characterized by its use of soy sauce and its sweeter flavor compared to other regional cuisines. Auntie Qiu Kitchen is a locals’ favorite that serves up Shanghainese street food, including what is perhaps the most famous Shanghainese dish, soup dumplings or xiao long bao. Equally good, though, are the pan-fried pork buns, or sheng jian bao. Auntie Qiu also serves Shanghai-style shumai, filled with sticky rice instead of the more commonly found version of pork and shrimp.

Traditional Guilin Noodles (Monterey Park)

Region: Guilin

Guilin is a city in Southern China that is most famous for its limestone mountains and rice noodles. Guilin rice noodles have been a local specialty since the Qin Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. These rice noodles at Traditional Guilin Noodles are silky and bouncy, typically served with a savory and spicy sauce made of chili and fermented soy beans. It’s usually topped with slices of meat, roasted peanuts, scallions and pickled vegetables, which should all be mixed together with the noodles and sauce. Traditionally, the noodles are served without soup, although these days, places like Traditional Guilin Noodles also offer a soup version.

The Los Angeles Children’s Chorus turns 40 this year, with a staggering list of honors and accomplishments to its name.

Those include a Grammy win (along with the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel) for a concert choir in 2022, performances in countries around the world, on composer John Williams’ 2017 album, on NBC’s The Tonight Show, on Disney+ with Billie Eilish (an LACC alumna) and features in documentaries, among them the Academy Award-nominated Sing! in 2002.

But the impact on the daily lives of the thousands of young people who’ve been through LACC’s choral music training program is what matters most to artistic director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, who has headed up the chorus for eight years.

The LACC approach to music education

“The audience experience,” Malvar-Ruiz says, “it's not gonna sound right, but it's secondary to me. I think about [the choristers’] experience. The first thing is to create a sense of community, a sense of belonging, no matter where you come from. ... That alone is transformative.”

There’s also the transformative power of working together to accomplish a common goal and of what happens from being able to join voices with others, which Malvar-Ruiz describes as something “physiological.”

“Just think about, in a sports stadium, when everybody sings their team song, something happens,” Malvar-Ruiz says. “ Or in a temple or in a church, when they sing a hymn or a song, something happens. ... There's some innate urge to join our voices with others. And that is also transformative.”

And the ultimate aim, Malvar-Ruiz explains, is to create a positive, fun environment that sets the best foundation for learning.

“When they come here, if we manage to laugh and to have a great time, to learn something, to create beauty together with other people, then that's my job,” he says. “The byproduct is that the audience will love it. That's why I don't worry about it. But it’s certainly the byproduct of what we do.”

And while LACC does have auditions, they’re not about finding out who’s good enough to join.

“ I really believe, we believe, that everybody can sing,” Malvar-Ruiz says. “It's just they haven't been taught properly. So the auditions are more of a placement process.”

‘Music is everything to me’

The students who make up the choir also point to the power of music to help them express themselves and their emotions. Those in the choir today have been through a lot in recent years, from the pandemic to the fires last January.

Tenth-grader Mila Gustafson, who has been with LACC since 2018, lost her family home in Altadena in the Eaton Fire. When it comes to explaining what music means to her, she says, “Music is everything to me.”

 "It's a way of sharing and a way of communicating,” Gustafson explains. “[I can] express all my emotions with it, and I feel like that's very, very important.”

A satellite choir expands access in LA

Established in 2024, the LACC choir at Heart of Los Angeles, a nonprofit in the Koreatown/Westlake area, is part of an effort to increase access to LACC’s programs beyond its base in Pasadena.

Right now, it serves students in grades two through six, but the aim is to expand offerings as the students progress. And there already are glimmers of the transformative effects of choral music on the kids in the LACC@HOLA choir.

Second-grader Hadassa Lopez says she joined the choir two years ago because she wanted to learn to sing.

“At first, I was shy,” Lopez says, “because I was new. But I got used to it.”

You can hear the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus in person at their benefit concert Feb. 22. More information here.

Everyone in L.A. knows that Valentine’s Day is the worst traffic day of the year, but since it’s a Saturday this year, maybe it won’t be so bad? There are plenty of ways to feel the love for the special people, romantic or otherwise, in your life this weekend, from the literal (a matchmaking festival) to the philanthropic (a fundraiser for Minnesota’s restaurants).

If you, like me, refuse to go out on Valentine’s, you could do the most romantic thing possible — and by that, of course, I mean get a head start on your taxes. It’s going to rain anyway. Libraries around the area are hosting free tax prep and filing clinics; find one here.

After crunching some numbers, you’re going to have to dance it all out, whether that’s to the oldies with The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz at the Cerritos Center on Friday, or to indie darlings Pearl and the Oysters at Scribble or British post-punks Dry Cleaning at the Wiltern, the latter two also on Friday. On Saturday, you can celebrate Valentine’s Day with synthpop trio Nuovo Testamento at the Roxy or at Aloe Blacc’s final Blue Note show. Finally, since it’s a three-day weekend, you can stay up late on Sunday at the Forum with Cardi B or at Largo with Suzanne Vega. You can find more music picks over at Licorice Pizza.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn how the L.A. Conservancy is tracking Altadena’s historic sites for the first time and grab a ticket for Sunday’s Go Fact Yourself Live with Dree Hemingway and Eric Winter.

Events

Attune Sound and Light Experience

Saturday, February 14, 4:30 p.m. 
Various locations
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

It's almost impossible to miss the latest installation from NOW Art — the public art collective will launch sound and light experiences across multiple L.A. and Long Beach locations on Valentine’s Day, featuring works from artists like Sarah Rara, Odeya Nini, L. Frank and more, all focused on the theme of “Amplify Love.”

Wild Mushroom Fair

Sunday, February 15, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Ayres Hall at the L.A. County Arboretum 
301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia 
COST: FREE WITH ARBORETUM ADMISSION ($18); MORE INFO

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Courtesy the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

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Celebrate the mighty mushroom at the Arboretum’s annual Wild Mushroom Fair. Aside from having the BEST poster for your favorite college kid’s dorm room, this event is for all my mycelium fiends and Michael Pollan fans out there. Whether your taste is magic or morel, you’re sure to meet some fungis. Come on, it’s Valentine’s weekend, after all.

Dudamel Conducts Beethoven and Lorenz

Friday through Sunday, February 13 to 15 
L.A. Phil 
111 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A. 
COST: FROM $112; MORE INFO 

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

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Juliana Yamada

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Dudamel, Beethoven, Cate Blanchett, Jeremy O. Harris — need I go on? These heavy hitters are all on hand for Harris' new interpretation of Goethe’s Enlightenment tale, Egmont, narrated by Blanchett, and with the Beethoven score sure to be a jewel in the crown of Dudamel’s final L.A. Phil season. The program also includes the world premiere of Ricardo Lorenz’s Humboldt’s Nature and Yunchan Lim performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto. If you’re the flexible schedule type, there’s even an 11 a.m. performance on Friday.

Altadena Walk Club

Saturday, February 15, 9:30 a.m. 
Meet at Unincorporated Coffee
3045 Lincoln Ave., Altadena
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Celebrate Altadena’s rebirth with a walk that ends in coffee — the best kind of walk. Bring your dog, your friends, your kids — it’s all ages, all abilities and all caffeine levels.

Hard to Read

Sunday, February 15, 6 p.m. to late
Variety Arts Theater
940 S. Figueroa St., Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Taking place within the immersive art installation What a Wonderful World (on through March 20 — more on that soon, watch this space!), this event is a roaming night of live activations and readings staged throughout the spaces of the historic Variety Arts Theater. There will be performances by 10 different artists, an all-ages coloring space and much more. 

L.A. Matchmaking Festival 

Saturday, February 14, 12 p.m.
Benny Boy Brewing 
1821 Daly St., Lincoln Heights
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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If you’re single and ready to mingle (sorry guys, I’ve been out of this game a while), the Next Fun Thing folks are hosting a huge (and free!) Matchmaking Festival for Valentine’s Day (not awkward at all, promise). There are tons of events for whatever you and your potential sweetheart are into, from an oyster-and-cider pairing to an apple-pie-eating contest to, ahem, a banana condom relay. Love is in the air!

L.A. Loves MN fundraiser 

Saturday, February 14
Now Serving
727 N Broadway, #133, Chinatown
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO

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Show your support for our friends in Minneapolis at the L.A. Loves MN fundraiser at Now Serving, the cookbook shop in Chinatown. The “ultimate baker’s box” full of treats from local pastry chefs will be available for pickup; orders open on Feb. 11. Donations will be shared between Haven Watch and @thesaltcurefund, which provides emergency grants to restaurants in Minnesota.

Tiana Gee x Maydan Market

Through early March 
Maydan Market 
4301 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams 
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO

Chef Tiana Gee of Filipino/soul food fusion pop-up SoulPhil is bringing a limited-time residency to the new Maydan Market in West Adams. Timed to coincide with Black History Month, L.A. native Gee will serve up adobo short ribs, coco nana pudding, cornbread and more reflecting her Black and Filipino heritage at the Club 104 space.