LA restaurant life and death
HLAY forever and Baby Bistro for right now.
After spending seven years on the East Coast, I started visiting LA with more regularity in 2018. Work and a general distaste for New England pulled me West. A love of food took over my life, inspiring trips to Maine and Providence and New York to feel a part of whatever the Bon Appetit extended universe deemed cool at the time. I was 25 and aimless. LA immediately began to feel like home. The dining scene was a big reason why.
That summer, Bill Addison published a piece for Eater titled, “Sorry New York, California Is Just Better Now.” In it he wrote:
Now, with a reach that spans the continent, California holds the space for both deep tradition and wild experimentation. It is the most powerful force in food today. I know this in my marrow. As Eater’s national critic for over four years, I wander some corner of this land nearly every week. But constantly I find myself wanting to return to California, not only to revel in the obvious (but still radical) freshness of its food, but also to witness the unbridled creativity coming out of its two major cities.
There’s a big, beautiful picture of Bavel’s bright dining room topping the essay. Bestia’s sister restaurant was the hottest opening of the year, and my introduction to LA’s dining moment. The bar filled with hanging plants. The big menu and impossibly staffed kitchen. The Nebuchadnezzar old fashioned, lamb neck shawarma and unmatched dips. The blend of incredible highs and impeccable consistency. A system set up to always deliver.
After recent trips to the now LA institutions, a friend sent me this text a few days ago:
Took a friend to Bestia last night for his birthday (his choice). I can’t think of many places where the food and execution are every bit as strong 13 years into a run as it was 1-2 years in. Same with Bavel.
Consistency like that is miraculous … They should have an award for endurance like that. They can call it the LeBron James of Restauranteurism Award.
Here’s Looking At You was never going to be that kind of restaurant. The globally-inspired small-plates spot opened in 2016 by Jonathan Whitener and Lien Ta was always a little too experimental and evolutionary by design to prioritize endurance. But its Koreatown dining room has hosted most of my favorite nights in Los Angeles by being more Bulls-era Derrick Rose than King James, more heart-filled whirlwind than relentless machine.
On my first trip to HLAY, I took the wrong train home on the LA Metro and accidentally ended up a block away, deciding to swing into the bar rather than reroute. I stayed for hours, throwing back tiki cocktails, getting lost in conversation with the staff and wondering how the hell they put together dishes like their famous heirloom tomatoes and lap cheong or frog’ legs with salsa negra. From the jump, HLAY blended innovative flavors that could push you out of your comfort zone with the warmest possible service, led by Lien, an essential and beloved figure in LA dining. I’m slowly accepting I’ll have my last meal there in just a few weeks.
On Tuesday, Lien posted about HLAY’s final, for real closure, adding that this also marks the end of her restaurateur era. HLAY kept pushing through the pandemic, Whitener’s tragic death, the closure of its sister restaurant All Day Baby, the fires, LA’s weird dining out malaise and the day-to-day constraints of trying to make it in California.
I’m not sure when I first met Lien. She’s one of those rare people in any industry — but most often someone you meet in hospitality — who immediately remembers your name, looks you in the eye and gives you a hug upon each return, asks about your job and your friends, carries an obsession to make your couple hours in her presence the best of your week. Not because it’s good for business but because it’s ingrained in her bones. For seven years I’ve told every friend who comes to town to go straight to HLAY. I knew they’d love the food, but more importantly I knew Lien and her team would take the care of them.
If this is truly the end of Lien’s run, LA dining is a lot worse off. Click through the results of
’s survey of local food culture for , and you’ll see a city in a state of flux, far removed from that 2018 peak. Most respondents said they only visit new restaurants once a month or once every few months, but there aren’t regular neighborhood joints filling in those gaps. To the question of, “Which LA restaurant is most intriguing you right now?” one respondent said:Honestly, none … As a person who has always been industry adjacent with good friends and my partner opening and working in Michelin star restaurants-I just can't find a sit down restaurant that feels satisfying both cost and experience (food and service) wise.
Yet all this ebb might be heading toward a new kind of flow. Those questions and concerns faded away as soon as I sat down at Baby Bistro last night, the now-permanent location for Miles Thompson and Andy Schwartz after operating as a roving pop-up. The room is transporting, like its own blend of Olamaie and Birdie’s inside of Chinatown’s Alpine Courtyard. I love this menu:
While you don’t have to order the whole set — there’s a pretty patio for drinks and snacks — you absolutely should. The limited options are a relief, and make for a groundswell of creativity on the plate. In trying to recount favorite dishes this morning over Courage Bagels, I ended up spewing the whole spread — squid, cucumbers & yuzu kosho vinaigrette; turnips, tofu & raspberries; pine nut cookies with a cucumber cremeux and rhubarb; a bass and steak better than most entrees I’ve had this year; beans; toast; terrine. A four-glass, $50 wine pairing that’s a no-brainer addition. Chatting with friends one table over while paying the check, we raved about the execution and maturity despite it only being night two.
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Great vibes and even better food, with a strong point of view that feels specifically LA vs. a Hillstone copy or everything going on in New York. Raving about a place this early is a little dumb. But Baby Bistro gets me excited to enter back into a flow state of LA dinners outside of the house. They plan to switch up parts of the menu every few weeks, following the market and Miles’ passions.
HLAY forever has been a rallying cry for Here’s Looking At You for years. Perhaps saying it so often was a sign that the people who loved it knew it would burn bright but eventually find an end. I’ll miss it all the time. If it has to go, at least it’s leaving as LA’s ebb starts to break. HLAY forever.