Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every Saturday, 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. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only. However, if you’re in the restaurant industry and want a free subscription, hit me up. :))
#10 is Rax Will, a James Beard-nominated food writer who hails from Orange County. Rax is one of our best contemporary journalists on queer food and queer spaces. They’ve written about the efforts being taken to rethink gender’s role in restaurant service (which got a JBF nom!), L.A.’s thriving queer pop-up scene, and the next generation of lesbian bars. And they’ve covered plenty other topics, too, including the intersection of Indonesian cuisine and houses of worship in L.A. Their work speaks for itself, and they’re also lovely and passionate—particularly about food and gathering places. Here are their L.A. plugs.
Restaurant — Kitchen Sink at Muddy Heaven
Chef Kylie Kiyomi Obermeir serves up Japanese-ish fare at pop-ups and events across Los Angeles as Kitchen Sink. For my birthday this year, we dreamed up a happa-inspired menu taking notes from our family heritage served upon mismatched picnic blankets in her Highland Park backyard blooming with native plants. She stirred a *not too sweet* tequila yuzu welcome beverage and served spam musubi pie inspired by Stacey Mei Fong’s 50 Pies 50 States cookbook. Dessert was a matcha and genmaicha buttercream-frosted coconut sponge cake with farmer’s market strawberry curd. If you’re looking for an intimate and special gathering, Muddy Heaven, a.k.a. Kylie’s backyard, is the perfect place.
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