pacific time Fueled by the city’s diverse Asian communities and an innovative spirit, Los Angeles chefs reimagine centuries-old culinary traditions. by ROGER GRODY

A BONA FIDE PACIFIC RIM METROPOLIS, Los Angeles is economically and culturally connected to Asian capitals, and its hot dining scene teems with adventurous young chefs anxious to present their own interpretations of ancient Eastern cuisines. A respect for authenticity, a penchant for creativity and the blurring of borders between L.A.’s diverse ethnic neighborhoods all contribute to some of the most exciting Asian dining in America.

BURGERS AND TATER TOTS Culver City’s Ms Chi Cafe is the product of chef/co-owner Shirley Chung, a Bravo Top Chef runner-up, and husband Jimmy Lee, who oversees the front of the house. Here, the chef serves a progressive cuisine in which traditional Chinese techniques are applied to familiar American ingredients. Chung was born in Beijing but mastered classical technique working with Thomas Keller, Mario

Batali and José Andrés—mentors who also encouraged her creativity. Reprising one of her challenge-winning Top Chef dishes at Ms Chi Cafe, Chung offers jumbo cheeseburger pot stickers with tomato-bacon jam, encapsulating the flavors of an all-American burger in a pan-fried Chinese dumpling. She also creates a Pacific riff on tater tots and serves a hedgehogshaped bao filled with molten chocolate for

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