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<\/a><\/p>\nCorn congee from Firstborn in Chinatown. Rebecca Roland<\/p>\n
Summer is in full swing at Chinatown restaurant Firstborn<\/a>, its menu currently rife with warm-weather produce like juicy tomatoes, nectarines, and peaches. Going down the menu during a recent dinner, I searched for any opportunity to make the most of the season, opting for dishes like heirloom tomatoes with nectarine and jasmine, steamed egg topped with tomato and nori, and corn congee dotted with tender bits of pork belly. Although the more year-round dishes like the Chongqing chicken and barbecue cabbage were still absolute hits, the summer dishes were unparalleled. Instead of obscuring the produce, Wang made it the star of the dish, building flavors around the corn kernels in the congee or the ripe nectarines. Even now, days after eating at Firstborn, I wish I had a pot of corn congee in my fridge, or some fresh tomatoes to top my steamed eggs with. If headed over for dinner, consider sitting at the bar to watch bar manager Kenzo Han work their magic. The dining room is gorgeous, but grabbing a seat at the mortadella-colored stone counter, sipping a savory martini between bites of chile-inflected fried chicken may be the best way to do dinner here. After wrapping up Firstborn, head over to neighboring Steep or Cafe Triste for another cocktail or glass of wine. 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012. \u2014 Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California\/Southwest<\/p>\n Peach salad from Wife and the Somm in Glassell Park<\/p>\n Peach salad at Wife and the Somm in Glassell Park. Mona Holmes<\/p>\n Now that stone fruit season is at its peak, it\u2019s time to get in as many peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and plums as possible. We only have a short range to get this kind of fruit when at its sweetest, which is, if we\u2019re lucky, typically from May all the way through September. Thank goodness Los Angeles restaurants are doing incredible things with summer fruit, including Wife and the Somm in Glassell Park. This Northeast LA neighborhood find is such a cozy nook with an even more charming patio covered in grapevines. This is the place to take an intimate group of friends to share four dishes (and the cinnamon bun) while sharing gossip, personal victories, the newest lip color, or how to fight emerging fascism. Whatever you do, order the peach salad. Chef Frank Saporito curates his yellow and white peaches from Juicy Fruit Orchard and layers them with mascarpone cheese, honey powder, fresh mint, and an agave lime vinaigrette. It\u2019s refreshing and ideal in 90 degrees, especially with a glass of something bubbly and crisp, something Wife and the Somm has in droves. 3416 Verdugo Road, Glassell Park, CA, 90065. \u2014 Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California\/Southwest<\/p>\n Lemon-pepper buffalo wings from Marathon Burger in Venice Beach<\/p>\n Lemon-pepper buffalo wings from Marathon Burger in Venice Beach. Nicole Adlman<\/p>\n Marathon Burger \u2014 opened by the team behind the estate of late Los Angeles rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle \u2014 became a long-line sensation when its Melrose location debuted in early 2025. Just a few months later, Marathon set its sights on the Westside, opening a burger stand steps away from the ocean on the Venice Beach Boardwalk<\/a>. Here, beach revelers can find wagyu smash burgers, vegan portobello mushroom patties (not gluten-free, unfortunately, but one can dream), chicken wings in myriad sauces, milkshakes, and seasoned fries. To my surprise, the wings stood out from the burger pack, coated generously in tangy buffalo sauce and then sprinkled, at my request, with the joint\u2019s lemon-pepper seasoning. Every bite offers the ideal ratio of buttery, to vinegary, to peppery flavors so invigorating that dipping the wings in ranch becomes an afterthought. 1827 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291. \u2014 Nicole Adlman, Eater editorial manager<\/p>\n Spicy beer-steamed shrimp from the Backyard at the Hollywood Bowl<\/p>\n Matthew Kang<\/p>\n Simplicity reigns at the Backyard, a kind of remnant of the now-closed Tavern that the recently shuttered A.O.C. in Brentwood eventually replaced. The fully outdoor restaurant at the Hollywood Bowl is only available to those attending the venue, but weekend tickets for classical concerts can be extraordinarily affordable. Of the two Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne-led restaurants at the Bowl, I prefer the Backyard for its airy ambience, where you\u2019ll hear the orchestra warm up as the sun sets. It\u2019s a cheerful place, where crunchy watermelon and purslane come along with ripe peach slices and crumbled feta. The spicy beer-steamed shrimp feels like a wild Oktoberfest take on shrimp cocktail, with large, juicy shrimp kissed with paprika and other spices. Dipped into the tangy cocktail sauce, it was hard to put down, though instead of washing it down with hefeweizen we were sipping a wild skin-contact orange wine from Portugal. There\u2019s really nothing quite like a night at the Bowl, especially one that starts with a tasty appetizer like this. 2301 Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068.\u2014 Matthew Kang, correspondent, Eater<\/p>\n House Special Ch\u00e8 from Bake & Ch\u00e8 in Rosemead<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n