Plugs — Brianne Chan

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from Jon & Vinny's head of comms + LINKS

Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every week, you’ll get six picks—a restaurant, a bar, a shop, an ingredient, a person, and a treat—from someone in Los Angeles who knows what they’re talking about, plus a selection of Angel-curated links. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only; upgrade your subscription to receive all six!)

#92 is Brianne Chan, the longtime director of comms at Joint Venture Restaurant Group, otherwise known as the Jon & Vinny’s empire. Brianne, a Palos Verdes native, has been working alongside the legendary Los Angeles restaurateurs Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Helen Johannesen for over a decade, handling communications, marketing, branding, partnerships, liquor licenses, notarizing, you name it. Which means Jon & Vinny’s, Helen’s Wines, formerly Son of a Gun, formerly Animal, Cookbook Market, and the catering and events outfit Carmelized Productions are all under her purview. Brianne is also currently a week out from having her first baby! So she’s coming to us today with a special, pregnancy cravings edition of Plugs. Here’s Brianne.

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Restaurant — Otafuku

There are very few restaurants I can take my mom to where she literally has no criticism, and it’s either because she’s getting a crazy deal and doesn’t care whether or not the food’s good or it’s Otafuku. My parents are in the South Bay, so Gardena is the perfect halfway spot for us to meet up for dinner. Aside from the handmade soba noodles they’re known for, my dream bite is their ribeye with wasabi, dipped into their ponzu dipping sauce with grated daikon and green onion, and then topped with a little bit of salt. It is so goooooooood! This is hands down my favorite steak in L.A.

Photo by Brianne Chan.