Los Angeles hosted Eater Off Menu, a one-night gathering that brought together chefs, restaurants and emerging food ideas at the historic Tam O'Shanter in Atwater Village. Presented in partnership with Cathay Pacific, the event spotlighted the city's wide-ranging dining culture through inventive dishes, desserts and cocktails.
A cross-city menu of bold ideas
Participating kitchens included Holbox, Pasjoli, Café Telegrama, Lawry's, Quarter Sheets, Ji Rong and Kidori, joined by visiting names such as New York's Dean's and Portland chef Gregory Gourdet of Kann. The program moved across cuisines and formats, from Mexican seafood and Peking duck to yakitori and French dip sandwiches.
Among the evening's memorable creations were a 40-foot sheet cake by Quarter Sheets' Hannah Ziskin, Dean's dramatic stargazy pie, made-to-order Lawry's spinning salad, Holbox scallops and Café Telegrama's sweet and savory ricotta pancakes. Mister's ice cream sandwiches, created by Molly Baz, rounded out the dessert offering.
Cocktails meet food culture
Thunderbolt and Night on Earth explored contemporary cocktail trends with a banana-miso carajillo, a passion fruit refresher featuring Hpnotiq, and compact classic martinis. The drinks program reflected how mixology increasingly shares the same experimental, ingredient-led spirit shaping restaurant menus.
The gathering also highlighted the social side of dining: a shared table where established favorites and newer culinary voices could introduce guests to distinct approaches, ingredients and traditions. From precision-driven seafood to playful pastry, the event framed food as both a craft and a cultural conversation.
Eater Off Menu points to a future in which food events can become creative platforms, connecting local talent with global culinary exchange and giving audiences new ways to experience dining culture.
