Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Ex-Salazar Chef To Open Spot In Hong Kong Neighborhood Because Apparently It's The New Frogtown
(Photo by Keith Tsuji/Getty Images)
()
Yes, Echo Park is the new Silver Lake, and Highland Park is the new Echo Park, and Lincoln Heights is the new Highland Park. So, what's the new Frogtown? Kennedy Town in Hong Kong, of course.
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Esdras Ochoa, 35, the Mexico City-native who opened Salazar in Frogtown last May, discusses his upcoming restaurant 11 Westside. The joint is set to open in August on the ground floor of a luxury condo building in Kennedy Town.
“This area is what Frogtown was — it’s up and coming, kind of hidden,” Ochoa says, reports the Times.
As Hong Kong Tatler notes, 11 Westside will serve a mix of Ochoa's signature Mexicali fare and tacos. The Times adds that the kitchen will also serve some dishes incorporating local flavors—think carne asada fries with Korean short rib aioli, or a barbacoa-flavored noodle soup.
Support for LAist comes from
"I want to bring a lot of elements from where I was born, in Mexico City," Ochoa continued to the Tatler. "I want to have carne asada, carnitas, and maybe we take it back to the styles of Sinaloa, or to Nayarit. I want to do a braised stingray taco with chipotle and peppers and tequila, braise it with butter, and serve it on a handmade corn tortilla."
You should also expect a bar (called The Wilshire) in the back of the 4,000 square foot space helmed by Daniel Eun of Koreatown's The Normandie Club.
So how did the chef behind Salazar, which was named one of GQ's best new restaurants in 2016, wind up in Hong Kong? As Ochoa tells the Times, Jon Chan, who opened Hong Kong's Boba Bear in Koreatown back in 2010, was a customer at Salazar. He approached Ochoa and said he wanted to start his own restaurant. “They flew me over here for a week, and I fell in love with the city,” said Ochoa. “It happened so fast.”
Now here's an insight from Ochoa on the difference between L.A. and Hong Kong to leave you with. "What I love about the city is that you get a Gucci store and then there’s a guy selling fishballs on the sidewalk," the chef tells Tatler. "It’s not like LA—you’d never see a guy slinging tacos or selling hotdogs on Rodeo Drive."
11 Westside will be located at the ground floor of The Hudson, 11 Davis Street in Kennedy Town, Hong Kong.
Related: Salazar Is Still Worth The Wait After More Than A Year In Frogtown
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
Best of LAist