Turning Japanese (and Chinese, Thai, Etc.) at the LUCKYRICE Festival Los Angeles

Hungry for some tasty Asian tidbits? If you are lucky enough to live in San Francisco, Las Vegas or Miami, then mark your calendar for the next LUCKYRICE Festival, coming soon to your city. It's happening September 6 in San Francisco (hosted by Chef Morimoto), October 5 in Las Vegas and later in the year in Miami. Offering (as LUCKYRICE founder Danielle Chang says) "flavors from Taiwan to Thailand," the food orgy allows you to "eat your way around Asia" without buying the plane ticket.

This crazy balloon animal was the centerpiece in the main room of the LUCKYRICE Festival.

We got to experience the second annual LUCKYRICE Los Angeles Night Market Festival on July 27, 2013, which was actually held in Culver City (which we locals know is actually not Los Angeles) at the Bookbindery. Chef Sang Yoon of Lukshon and Father's Office fame served as the night's host for the event featuring over 20 restaurants that celebrates the Asian culinary experience. He led the charge serving up three dishes from Lukshon, including Pig Ear Terrine (a bit too out there for me); the vegetarian Green on Green (English Peas, Romano Beans, Fava Beans, Haricot Verts, Spring Onions); and Modern Lomi Lomi Salmon served with pickled Maui onions and a tomato gelee.

Chef Jet Tila.

Chef Jet Tila, an L.A. native who is best known for his "Iron Chef America" appearance up against Morimoto, recently opened the Charleston Restaurant and Supper Club in Santa Monica. He offered up a Northern Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Braised Beef Tendon, and while I'm not a big fan of eating tendon (or internal organs, unless I am starving on a desert island), the flavors of the soup were a Thai lover's dream. Kris Yenbamroong of the uber-hotspot Night + Market served a wonderful Tuna Ceviche, but it was no surprise that Katsuya, those amazing Japanese restaurants in Brentwood, Hollywood and Glendale, had my favorite tasty tidbits of the evening. I kept pouncing on their Hamachi Hand Roll and Tuna Hand Roll, both so fresh and delicately spiced that I found myself wandering back over to their Dragon Lounge for more.

I did the same with the Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Rosé NV; that bright bubbly paired perfectly with most of the Asian flavors. Others went for the cocktails cooked up with presenting sponsor Bombay Sapphire Gin – the Hinoki & the Bird Matcha Rickey and the No Vacancy China Doll were big hits.

And the biggest hit of the night didn't have anything to do with food or drink! It was the balloon animal hats (and other permutations, like swords, vests, etc.) that wowed the crowd. The lines at that booth went almost out the door!

Some of the goofy balloon designs everyone was sporting at the LUCKYRICE Festival in Los Angeles.