Exploring Cheap Fast Eats In Chinatown (And Other Headlines)

Thank Gab, it’s Food Friday (or TGIFF)! 🎉 Wait, what is Food Friday? Every week, we'll give you ideas on what to eat, where to go and what to cook — plus the people and stories behind the dishes.

Dining in dynamic Chinatown

For our first installment, we head to Chinatown for some Cheap Fast Eats with associate food editor Gab Chabrán. Chinatown has seen lots of change throughout its history as one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

From various immigrant communities who call the area home to a couple of chefs who like to tinker to create their next great dish, it's an area that offers a wide range of cuisines. The selections reflect both old and new Chinatown restaurants to give you a sense of what it's like to dine in the area.

My words cannot do it justice — so I will give you a taste of Gab’s selections (and you’re going to have to read the rest here!)

• Long Family Pastry - 715 N Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 — At Long’s, the special chicken bun is a crowd favorite. You can also get your fill of shumai dumplings, taro, and turnip cakes to enjoy at home, the perfect parting gift to yourself for future dim sum cravings.
• Perilla L.A. - 1027 Alpine St. BLDG E, Los Angeles, CA 90012 — Anyone who’s been to a Korean barbecue restaurant knows that one of the best things, aside from the glistening cuts of meat grilled in front of you, are the side dishes like kimchi, rolled egg or marinated okra to accompany your meal.

If you want to read the rest of the Cheap Fast Eats series, you can see them all here. Or if you’d rather listen to him talk about delicious food, check out his regular segment on How to LA.

Speaking of How to LA, the hard-working team that brings fresh stories to your inbox (and your ears) got some really nice recognition this week:

The team won an Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Audio Digital Storytelling, Ongoing Series for its three-part series, “Finding Home con DACA.” The series documents host Brian De Los Santos’ first visit to Mexico since he left at 2-years-old, using what’s known as “advance parole” to clear the trip with immigration officials. It’s an intimate portrait of finding oneself when caught between two countries.

If you haven’t listened to the stories, you can listen to them here or read the series - part 1, part 2, and part 3. Big congrats to the whole team for this win!

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Wait... one more thing

Let’s plan for the weekend

The now-disbanded KPOP group Wanna One performed at KCON in L.A. in 2017. Now the celebration of Korean pop culture and music returns this weekend to downtown L.A. for more performances, activations and shopping.

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This week felt longer than usual, or maybe that’s just me feeling the heat wave as I write this, so I am looking forward to the weekend. And while I realize that some of us may end up staying home to avoid the potential effects of a very rare tropical cyclone, others may still be looking for some weekend plans. So here are my three picks, and you can see the full list right here.

EVENT ONE: KCON LA, downtown L.A. — The largest gathering for Korean entertainment and culture fans returns to L.A. this weekend. The daytime portion of KCON takes place at the L.A. Convention Center and the concert takes place at the Crypto.com Arena.

• Related: We have a podcast about the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, as told from the point-of-view of the Korean diaspora in Los Angeles, with host Vivian Yoon.

EVENT TWO: 818 Day, Canoga Park — Celebrate the San Fernando Valley and all its 818-ness this weekend with My Valley Pass and Valley Relics Museum. And, it’s FREE!

EVENT THREE: Zoo Friday Nights - Finale, Griffith Park — Summer’s almost over, and the popular zoo series comes to an end this week. There will be live music, games, food trucks and more.