LAFeature
Broken Spanish Is Coming Back, & More LA Restaurant News
The LA restaurant news you can use for the week of February 8th.
Broken Spanish Is Back
After a months-long hiatus, Broken Spanish is back. But they won’t be returning to their Downtown LA location. Instead, the Mexican restaurant has announced a one-month pop-up in Hollywood. According to Eater, chef and owner Ray Garcia will be serving a mix of Broken Spanish classics, like chicharron and duck albondigas with nopales, along with new, seasonal dishes and cocktails. Broken Spanish 2.0 is located in NeueHouse, from February 25th - March 27th, reservations can be made through Resy.
Goodbye, Hurry Curry
COVID-19 takes another victim, this time, with the closure of longtime Sawtelle restaurant, Hurry Curry of Tokyo. After 33 years of business, the Japanese curry shop announced on its Instagram that they will be serving their last meal at the end of February. Until then, they’ll be open for delivery, pick-up, and outdoor dining from 11am-9pm daily. They’ve also launched a GoFundMe campaign for their employees which can be found here.
Support Precinct
In a fight for survival, Precinct has launched a GoFundMe campaign, citing rent costs, fees, and a desire to provide support for their staff, many of whom have been out of work since the beginning of the pandemic. Open since 2015, the legendary gay bar isn’t just the largest in the area, but has crucial to Downtown LA’s queer renaissance and redevelopment. The campaign has currently raised $48,880 of their $250,000 goal, click here to donate.
A New Lunar New Year Collab
Ali Wong has entered the arena. The comedian teamed up with Eagle Rock’s Chifa to create an exclusive Lunar New Year meal. Inspired by Ali’s Chinese and Vietnamese roots, Bun 2021 includes vermicelli noodles, pickled vegetables, not-pickled vegetables, shrimp, shredded pork, and a mustard-y soy sauce. Pre-orders begin today, February 12th, and can be placed through their website, though you can also dine-in.
photo credit: Chifa
Extreme Merch Drop: Canter's Edition
The iconic Jewish deli has teamed up with to create a new collection of crewnecks, oversized t-shirts, and snapbacks bearing the Canter’s logo. The drop is the deli’s latest attempt to provide support to their staff, with all proceeds being donated back to people who work there. Click to check out the collection.
photo credit: Canter's
Sip & Sonder Thinks Big
It’s been a huge month for Sip & Sonder - in addition to a custom Van’s collaboration and a new flower cart pop-up, the Black-owned coffee shop just announced the return of their Virtual Black Business Pitch Competition. Created by the company’s founders, on March 18th, ten finalists will be selected to virtually pitch their businesses live in front of a panel of judges handpicked from the Black Venture Capital community. Three winners will receive $5,000 in cash, and all applicants will have free access to two The Learning Series workshops and the live virtual pitch event. Applications are being accepted now through March 7th, click here to apply.
Hiring!
Some of your favorite LA restaurants are expanding their FOH and BOH staff, including Valle, Kali, Little Coyote, Hawkins House of Burgers, Goldbuger, and Today Starts Here in Chinatown. Check out reach respective restaurants’ website and Instagrams for more details.
An Essay + Interview With Maurice Harris
In honor of Black History Month, we got to chat with Maurice Harris of Bloom and Plume. In an essay entitled Maurice Harris On How Bloom & Plume Is A Form Of Magic And Resistance, the floral studio/coffee shop owner reflects on the ethos behind Bloom & Plume, and the challenges he’s faced as a Black business owner. “The society that we have is not set up for me to even have a business, or to be successful,” he explains. “And so the fact that I exist is a form of protest, a form of resistance, a form of standing up for our rights.”
Then, in Where Maurice Harris Finds Inspiration, Joy, & Great Food In Los Angeles, he shares with us his favorite spots in the city, including excellent Brazilian dishes at Woodspoon, soul food at My Two Cents, porridge in Historic Filipinotown Porridge and Puffs, shopping at Union, and a community-oriented cultural epicenter filled with fine art.
For more from our Black History Month collection, click here.
ALL Feature
Maurice Harris On How Bloom & Plume Is A Form Of Magic And Resistance
LA Feature
Where Maurice Harris Finds Inspiration, Joy, & Great Food In Los Angeles
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Who cares? This holiday’s made up, anyway.
“I wanted to create a space that was literally filled with color, that was from a person of color’s perspective, that centered people of color.”
The owner of Bloom & Plume, a floral boutique & coffee shop, shares his favorite spots in LA.