Lasita reopens in Chinatown with a makeover

Pieces of cooked chicken plated on a grassy sheet, surrounded by small cups of sauces.

By Jean Trinh

July 28, 2021 6 AM PT

Earlier this year, Lasa in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza was rebranded as Lasita, a casual Filipino rotisserie and natural wines concept; recently it closed for a couple months for a renovation. Now it’s open again, and former Lasa chef de cuisine Nico de Leon runs the restaurant with owner Chase Valencia, serving dishes such as chicken inasal and pork belly lechon. There’s a new bar snacks menu, which includes smoked eggplant crostini and sinigang shrimp chips, to pair with natural wines.

727 N. Broadway, #110, Los Angeles, (213) 443-6163, lasita-la.com

Qué Padre opening in Pacific Palisades

At Qué Padre, a fast-casual restaurant in the Palisades Village shopping and dining district, chef Isaias Peña’s menu is inspired by various regional cuisines of Mexico. He makes tacos with house-made corn tortillas and fillings such as poached lobster tail in a walnut cream sauce, mole negro, and Bohemia beer-battered halibut. Ceviches feature scallops and the catch of the day. The drinks menu has a robust agave-based spirits selection and cocktails such as a cucumber jalapeño margarita and coffee-infused mezcal with coffee rum and Cynar.

15203 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades, (310) 461-8226, quepadretacos.com

Tortilla chips and a trio of tacos with a pink beverage.

Japanese shaved ice pop-up

Culinary Creation, a curator of Japanese food experiences, is hosting a kakigori (Japanese shaved ice dessert) pop-up event on Aug. 14 and 15. Wanderlust Creamery has created two flavors for the event: hojicha (roasted green tea) with burnt honey hojicha ice cream; and melon (from Weiser Family Farms) in a syrup and espuma, with Hokkaido milk ice cream. Tickets — $15 on Tock for a timed entry at Wanderlust Creamery’s Venice location — include one shaved ice option.

609 Lincoln Blvd., Ste. B, Venice, exploretock.com/culinarycuration

Lady & Larder’s new location

Sisters Sarah Simms Hendrix and Boo Simms have moved their Lady & Larder shop, located in Mar Vista for three years, to a new spot in Santa Monica. The shop includes California natural wines, a beer selection curated by their brother Matthew Simms and goods from local makers such as M. Greenwood Jams, Clark Street Bread and Bub & Grandma’s. Lady & Larder also offers artisanal cheese and charcuterie boards, cheesecakes and gift baskets, and the shop has a “secret lunch menu” Tuesdays through Saturdays with a selection of sandwiches, picnic boxes and salads.

828 Pico Blvd., Unit #2, Santa Monica, (310) 392-1700, ladyandlarder.com

A board full of fruits, flowers, meats, nuts and cheeses

Sázon opens in Huntington Park

Sázon has long been a dream for Zacil Pech and her mother, Maria Del Socorro Vazquez, a longtime street vendor. Del Socorro Vazquez’s menu includes a pozole verde from Mexico’s Guerrero state, which comes with potato taquitos, tostados and chicharron. The corn tortillas and sopes are handmade, and the drinks menu includes micheladas, sangria and mocktails. There’s a brunch menu on weekends, and Pech, who DJs as “Sizzle Fantastic” and is a co-founder of L.A.’s Cumbiatón dance nights, invites DJs on Sundays to spin Latin, tropical, hip-hop and R&B.

7127 Pacific Blvd., Huntington Park, (323) 484-9657, sazonhp.com