This Pasadena Panda Express Is the Only U.S. Location for Spicy Wagyu Beef Dumplings

Panda Express is collaborating with shoppy-shop darling Fly By Jing on a line of spicy beef dumplings only sold at the chain’s Pasadena location in Hastings Ranch (3867 E. Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91107). The dumplings, which are filled with American wagyu beef, come five to an order and are prepared in a wok with kale, onions, and Fly By Jing’s Sichuan-inspired Zhong sauce. The dumplings are available from now until June 1.

Panda Express opened its first restaurant at the Glendale Galleria in 1983 and now has over 2,200 locations in the U.S. and internationally. The brand’s Pasadena-based Innovation Kitchen serves as a testing ground for new dishes that may be offered more broadly in the future.

Yo quiero Crunchwrap Supreme

Journalist Antonia Hitchens takes a peek behind the curtain at Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine for The New Yorker to learn how the massive chain goes about developing new menu items, including the cult-favorite Crunchwrap Supreme. “To release about 10 new products a year, Taco Bell’s innovation scientists test roughly 70; to come up with those 70, they consider thousands of ideas,” Hitchens writes.

Kato-inspired fashion

Kato is teaming up with LA-based fashion label Goodfight to make its uniforms available to the public. The “Preservice Line Up” collection, which was inspired by requests from diners to bring a piece of the restaurant home, includes a front-of-house jacket, a reversible kitchen-issue apron, a Japanese seersucker collard shirt, a six-panel hat, and a printed souvenir tee. The made-in-LA collection launches on Sunday, April 30.

Erewhon is a personality

In a recent article titled “Meet the People Working 3 Jobs to Afford Erewhon,” The Cut walks the grocery store’s pricy aisles with some of its most dedicated shoppers, including one person who shells out $200 for an annual membership that grants one free smoothie per month among other perks.

Taiwanese dumpling empire opens second LA location today

Fans of affordably priced dumplings and noodles will be pleased with Bafang’s latest opening in Temple City. An offshoot of the prolific Taiwanese chain, Bafang is best known for its potstickers, ingot-shaped dumplings, bouncy “QQ” noodles, and soy milk-based drinks — all offered at wallet-friendly prices. Doors open today, April 26 at 2 p.m.

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