Andrew Ryce

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Andrew Ryce

People come to Taron Bakery for two things: lahmajune and spicy cheese beorek. You’ll see old married couples ordering anywhere from one to a dozen flatbreads—less spicy than others around town, but soft and meaty—to stack and eat at the tables outside, with at least one beorek on each table. Imagine a turnover made from bread dough wrapped around stretchy Armenian cheese and studded with bits of jalapeño and red pepper.

1 month ago | theinfatuation.com | Andrew Ryce

Ossy’s bakes their from-scratch lahmajune to order, so the flatbreads here are rustic and bubbly like a Neapolitan crust gone wild. The meat paste could use a little salt, but the lemon wedge they provide adds a crucial brightness. Just know that you’ll have to go to their newer second location on Glenoaks Blvd. to satisfy your lahmajune cravings because the original Ossy’s Bakery doesn’t serve them anymore. Pretty good: You’ll likely be satisfied by a meal here, especially for a specific situation.

2 months ago | pitchfork.com | Andrew Ryce

Christian Fennesz wrote The Last Days of May for an installation at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The longest piece of the Austrian artist’s career, the 24-minute composition is alternately pretty and foreboding, with a long, droning core occasionally jostled by sudden changes. It’s substantial enough to feel like a Fennesz album in miniature.

2 months ago | theinfatuation.com | Cathy Park |Sylvio Martins |Andrew Ryce |Garrett Snyder

The world is full of unspeakable horrors, but at least there’s a hot pot place in the Century City mall with talking delivery robots, a giant self-service sauce station, and a guy who’ll do an improvisational dance at your table while hand-pulling noodles. Hai Di Lao is an ideal big group spot when you can’t get into Din Tai Fung or you’re in the mood to wear an adult bib in public (they provide some along with plastic baggies for your phone).

2 months ago | theinfatuation.com | Andrew Ryce

Chong Qing Yaomai offers sweat-inducing Sichuan hot pot in the heart of Old Town Pasadena, near a cigar lounge and a Buca Di Beppo. Their Chongqing-style beef oil soup base holds its own against any spot deeper into the San Gabriel Valley, though several non-spicy (and vegetarian) broths are available when you need a break from the heat. They have a great seafood menu, including rose-scented shrimp balls and fish balls that explode with gooey centers of mentaiko or egg yolk.