On the menu at Monterey Park, find Mountain House favorites like the fu-qi special that uses thinly beef offal doused in chile oil; Swing Pork Belly, thinly sliced cuts of meat layered with cucumber; deep-fried Chongqing la-zi (also spelled laziji) chicken; mapo tofu; and mala prawns. Pair larger dishes with hot and sour soup, stir-fried cauliflower, and wok-charred gai lan. Meals can end on a sweet note with sesame rice balls or jasmine tea milk pudding.
The first Mountain House opened in Flushing in 2016, before expanding with an East Village location and 2017, and outposts in Boston and Los Angeles in 2023. Culinary Director Zhi Min Zhu, who has worked with Szechuan House since its first location, leads the kitchen in Monterey Park, alongside a team of chefs brought from Sichuan for the opening. At the new location, look forward to a mountain retreat-inspired interior with 120 seats, complemented by koi ponds, wooden walkways, and traditional dyed textiles.
A new members club in Koreatown
Restaurateur Robert Kim (Mama Lion, Lapaba, AB Steak, Norikaya) is readying to debut his new members club in the heart of Koreatown at Chapman Plaza. Club Hue, slated to open in June 2026, will feature a modern Asian restaurant and cocktail bar set in an East-meets-West dining room. Standard initiation fees start at $7,500, but different membership tiers will be available, including one priced for members under 30.
Zach Pollack’s Santa Monica Italian restaurant Cosetta will host author Katie Parla for a collaborative, family-style dinner on Tuesday, April 28 to celebrate by Parla’s latest cookbook, Rome. For the four-course dinner, Pollack will cook dishes inspired by his favorite recipes in the book; Roman wine pairings will be available to add on. Tickets are available on Resy and cost $125 per person.
Carrot cake cookies at Levain
Spring is (sort of) here, and carrot cake cookies have arrived at Levain to ring in the season. Head to any of the Los Angeles Levain locations to snag a cookie pocked with grated carrots, sweet apricots, white chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans.