Chris Yang’s Alhambra restaurant somehow bridges the divide between what my 89-year-old grandmother considers “good enough to wait for a table” and my graduate school friends’ proclivities for orange wines and kid-friendly brunch food. It seamlessly transitions from hash browns with smoked salmon belly when the sun’s out to grilled cabbage dripping with bagna cauda and a perfectly cooked 20-ounce rib-eye for dinner. It’s become my favorite place for lunch, a weekday staple for balanced sets of dry-aged barramundi, plenty of farmers market vegetables and miso soup. On weekends, Yang’s Kitchen is the place to indulge in grilled slabs of sourdough sesame toast smeared with chicken liver mousse and jam, plus giant cornmeal mochi pancakes made with a blend of rice flour and cornmeal for the perfect chewy bite. Wine night happens Thursday through Sunday, with flights from Jordan Chen. There’s soft serve too. — J.H.

112 W. MAIN ST., ALHAMBRA, (626) 281-1035 l YANGSKITCHENLA.COM