Foodievents

Lucky Rice Night Market Hit Helms Bakery on August 4

Angelo Sosa's shrimp sambal
Angelo Sosa’s shrimp sambal Photo: Lucky Rice

Recalling Mark Twain’s words about the rest of the country’s loose stuff all sliding over to California, we’re still seeing a torrent of food events and businesses coming from The Big Apple. On August 4, The Lucky Rice Night Market will debut in L.A., joining recent NYC exports like Hester Street Fair, The Vendy’s, and Lady M Confections. Three years running in New York and organized for the first time in Las Vegas earlier this year, Lucky Rice is a tasting event ($50 general admission/$88 VIP), with one helluva culinary ministry, that celebrates Asian-American chefs and Asian cuisine, making it a fine fit for our fair burg. So, who will cook at L.A.’s Lucky Rice Night Market?

The event, hosted by Father’s Office and Lukshon chef Sang Yoon, will offer a luxurious spin on the food-choked night markets that abound in many Asian cities. From 7:00 to 10:00 P.M., the event will be staged at an open-loft warehouse within Helms Bakery’s furniture depot, HD Buttercup, which will be transformed into a scene of Asian splendor, with lavish pagodas, chandeliers, and Chinese budoirs, organizers say.

While the event is intended to highlight L.A.’s booming scene of Asian cuisine and the chefs who honor it, local stars like Bryant Ng, Mohan Ismail of RockSugar, Good Girl Dinette’s Diep Tran, Jenee Kim of Parks BBQ, Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market, the Jitlada crew, Eat Cake Cafe, and Jet Tila will be joined by L.A.’s own Susan Feniger and the team from Coolhaus, as well as visiting chefs like Susur Lee, Honolulu’s Chai Chaowasaree, Angelo Sosa, Andrea Nguyen, and Erik Bruner-Yang of D.C.’s Toki.

Las Vegas Lucky Rice participant Jordan Kahn, cooking some of the most dynamic Asian-influenced cuisine in town, Japan-fetishist David Myers, L.A. sensation Roy Choi, and a few dozen names from Monterrey Park and Western Avenue are so far absent, but there’s always next year.

LuckyRice will also have a cocktail component with eight (lucky) mixologists preparing two drinks each using sponsor Bombay Sapphire East, including bartenders from Drago Centro, Mixology 101, and New York’s Social Eatz, along with beer from Singha and wine.

Celebrity guests are promised, too, including Lisa Ling and former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy. In addition, there will be giveaways and raffles and all that kind of food event stuff that you try to pay attention to while determining whether your gut can accommodate yet another pork belly bao.

Lucky Rice Night Market, August 4, 7:00-10:00 P.M. Find tickets and extra details online.

Lucky Rice Night Market Hit Helms Bakery on August 4