Anajak Thai has a summer omakase series. Here’s what to expect

Anajak Thai’s summer omakase

Chef-owner Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai has kicked off his summer omakase series, featuring eight to 10 seasonal and ever-changing dishes heavily driven by seafood. Expect plates like Tiger Blush tomatoes dressed in a palm sugar sauce and pat pong gari curry with Skull Island tiger prawns. The omakase dinner, which runs Fridays to Sundays, is $150 per person, with optional natural wine and caviar pairings for additional fees. Reservations for parties of two to four can be made via Resy.

14704 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-4201, anajakthai.com

Bacari opens in Silver Lake

Bacari has a new location in the former Cliff’s Edge space in Silver Lake. (The restaurant group has other Bacari outposts in Playa del Rey, Glendale and Beverly Grove.) The renovated property features owner and executive chef Lior Hillel’s cicchetti-inspired menu with dishes such as gorgonzola pasta and lamb-stuffed eggplant. Erin Earl oversees the beverage program, which includes cocktails with house-made syrups and bitters, wines, sangria and beer.

3626 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 928-2098, eatwithbacari.com

Bacari has a new location in Silver Lake with a cicchetti-inspired menu.

(Jakob Layman)

Pasta|Bar’s new ‘Family Table’

Chefs Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee have launched a nightly “Family Table” dinner at their Pasta|Bar in Encino. The concept allows parties of four to six to have a dining experience that’s a mashup of the restaurant’s tasting menu with large-format dishes, such as whole fried Loup de Mer with chimichurri, and cavatelli with grilled lobster and peas. Pasta|Bar is part of the couple’s Scratch Restaurants group. Reservations are available via Tock.

16101 Ventura Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/pastabarla

Mikawaya closes after 111 years

Little Tokyo’s Mikawaya, the birthplace of mochi ice cream, has closed after 111 years in business. Founder Ryuzaburo Hashimoto first opened the shop in 1910, selling wagashi, traditional Japanese desserts. The Hashimoto family closed Mikawaya for three years during World War II when they were forced into an internment camp and reopened it in 1945 next door to their original outpost. The founder’s grandniece, Frances Hashimoto, later took the reins of the business; the company is now owned by an investment firm that will continue to sell its sweets under the Mikawaya brand at retail stores nationwide.

mikawayamochi.com

Mikawaya may be closed, but its sweets are still being sold under the Mikawaya brand at retail stores.

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Aliya Lavaland’s salted egg yolk lava mooncakes

San Gabriel Valley newcomer Aliya Lavaland recently debuted its salted duck egg yolk “lava mooncakes.” Pastry chef Alise Mekaswarn, who owns the shop with her husband Henry, created her own version of a Thai kanom pia using French techniques. It’s a flaky pastry that tastes like a mashup between a Chinese thousand-layer mooncake and salted egg-yolk custard buns. Flavors include Okinawan purple yam with coconut and matcha green tea with mung bean.

141 N. Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 103, Monterey Park, (626) 872-6856, aliyalavaland.com

Burritos La Palma’s new tortilla company

The folks behind Burritos La Palma have started a new flour tortilla company, Mejorado. The restaurant chain, which was featured on Netflix’s “The Taco Chronicles,” will be selling tortillas every Sunday at Smorgasburg L.A. Mejorado is a partnership between Burritos La Palma owners Lauren and Alberto Bañuelos, chef Eduardo Ruiz (Corazon Y Miel, Chica’s Tacos) and creative director Steve Pineda. The rounds will also be carried at retailers such as Sara’s Market, Jayde’s Market, La Tropicana Market and Wine + Eggs, with online retailing to come.

enjoymejorado.com