Inside Baroo's Funky Fermentation Kitchen

Baroo is one of the most interesting restaurant openings of 2015, and in Eater L.A. this week, contributor Lucas Peterson takes a fascinating look at Kwang Uh, the chef behind the project, who turned his obsessions with fermentation into an East Hollywood oddity. Most surprising is Uh's insistence that he only intended to open Baroo for one year. Will critical acclaim keep Baroo around for longer?   

Chopped Cheese, the Forgotten NYC Sandwich

First We Feast editor Justin Bolois files a compelling long-read on chopped cheese, a distant cousin of the cheesesteak, which has been a bodega staple in the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn for years. Bolois unsuccessfully tried to track down the origins of the sandwich but met plenty of interesting characters along the way.  

Aziz Ansari Hits up “GibsiHana”

In case you didn't know, actor Tyrese Gibson has his own Benihana-style restaurant in his backyard dubbed “GibsiHana,” and he occasionally invites his celebrity friends over for dinner. One of those guests was Aziz Ansari, who captured a pretty awesome video of himself catching a shrimp in his mouth from across the table. Oh, the lives of the rich and famous … 

In Local News:

  • The Halal Guys, the NYC-based chicken-and-rice purveyors who have already taken Costa Mesa and Long Beach by storm, are setting up shop in Koreatown.
  • SOL Cantina, a upscale Mexican chain with locations in Newport Beach and Arizona, is opening in Playa Vista next week.
  • Want more pie? Local pie slinger the Pie Hole is expanding rapidly this year, with at least five to 10 locations planned for 2016 alone. The next outlet will be located at Hollywood and Vine, and is expected to open in April.

Tweet o' the Week:

Events:

Sunday, Jan. 24: Art & Sushi: Minoru Ohira and Mori Onodera | $200

Michelin-starred chef Mori Onodera (retired owner of Mori Sushi) will serve an omakase meal of traditional edomae-style sushi on carved yellow cedar “i-beams” inside artist Minoru Ohira’s solo exhibition “Iki and Yabo,” a collaboration between accomplished masters of two very different art forms. Tickets will be sold for four seatings, with two to four people at each.

Monday, Jan. 25: Shake Shack Pop-Up at Son of a Gun  

In collaboration with acclaimed L.A. chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Shake Shack will pop-up for one day only to spotlight a menu of signature items such as the ShackBurger and Crinkle Cut Fries served with chef Shook and Dotolo’s malt vinegar aioli, alongside Son of a Gun's Tuna Melt, a special chocolate whoopie pie — or Shackwich — and three refreshing cocktails to match.

Monday, Jan. 25: The Pikey's “Robert Burns Supper” | $28

The Pikey, the English pub in Hollywood, will feature a “Burns Supper,” honoring the life and poetry of Robert Burns. Observed in Scotland and Northern Ireland since the late 1880s, a Burns Supper always includes the customary haggis – a slow-simmered sausage made of sheep’s heart, liver and lungs – and Scotch whisky, both of which were celebrated by Burns in his poem, Address to a Haggis. Look for deals on whiskey, cocktails and other food specials as well.

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