Daniel Cutler, the chef and co-owner of modern pizza spot Ronan, has been tapped as the next chef of Koreatown’s Here’s Looking at You. Cutler fills the place left by the passing of the restaurant’s co-founder and chef, Jonathan Whitener, as well as the departure of a chef de cuisine in April. Cutler has been currently splitting time between Here’s Looking at You and Ronan, spending three nights at the former, and at least two cooking at the latter. Allan Wan, the morning prep chef at Here’s Looking at You, has also stepped up to fill the gap over the last few months as the kitchen was going through transitions and will continue to collaborate with Cutler in his new role.
With Cutler’s new position, Here’s Looking at You will be bringing back some Whitener classics, like the uni panna cotta and a sprouted broccoli dish, while leaving his touches on other dishes like the chicken liver pate and a spicy Caesar salad.
Here’s Looking at You’s co-founder, Lien Ta, announced Cutler’s arrival in an Instagram post on May 18. Congratulations started to pour in, but she calls the experience bittersweet under the circumstances. For Ta, there was never another option. She couldn’t run the kitchen herself; the only alternative would’ve been to close the restaurant, which was never a consideration. Even though the change was unexpected, Ta and her team are committed to making it work in a way that feels true to the heart of Here’s Looking at You. “We’re all just still grieving, honestly,” she says. “But we’re really happy to still be open and just hoping that everyone still wants to come by and hang out with us.”
Great White in Venice closes temporarily
Venice’s all-day Australian cafe Great White is temporarily closed while its interior gets a refresh. The cafe is slated to reopen the weekend of May 25.
A new menu at an Anaheim tiki bar
Strong Water Anaheim, a 2024 James Beard Award finalist, has announced a new slate of cocktails and dishes for its menu. The lineup includes a black sesame colada with rum, pineapple, lime, black sesame coconut cream, and cinnamon, plus Hainan chicken rice and more.
Catch Khushbu Shah on tour with her new cookbook
Former Food & Wine restaurant editor Khushbu Shah is heading out on tour in support of her new cookbook Amrikan. She’s hosting an event in Los Angeles on May 30 at Now Serving, where she will be in conversation with food writer Tejal Rao. Note: Eater executive editor Erin DeJesus will be in conversation with Shah at her Portland signing.
Standing’s burgers makes a return
The burger pop-up from chef favorite butcher shop, Standing’s Butchery, makes a return on June 2. This will be the first burger pop-up since the passing of Standing’s founder, Jered Standing, in February. It will feature the classic grilled burgers that the pop-up has become known for, featuring grass-fed and grass-finished beef from the shop.