Chinatown

I love L.A.'s Chinatown. It's changed alot over the years. It used to be the central location for everything Chinese in Los Angeles. Now, Chinese restaurants, shops, markets, etc. are represented by many areas: Monterey Park, Sierra Madre, Alhambra to name just a few. L.A.'s Chinatown still has some great Chinese restaurants and artisan shops as well as an influx of Vietnamese places.

This past Saturday we were invited to an art opening at the L2kontemporary Gallery on Hill Street. Our friends, artists Keiko Fukazawa and Dennis Callwood were featured. Keiko is a ceramics profressor at PCC and USC, Dennis is a photographer and instructor in Los Angeles. We met this talented couple years ago at a mutual friend's home. Dennis' studio is in our area, so we run into him running errands around home. Both Keiko and Dennis are extremely creative and colorful individuals.

Photographer, Dennis Callwood

Ceramtist, Keiko Fukazawa

Keiko's installation from "China Project"

Keiko's installation from "China Project"

Keiko and Dennis always wear hand-painted clothes! This particular exhibit featured Dennis' black and white photos from his body of work called "Erotica: Wheel of Fortune." When I asked Dennis about the location of these shots, he told me many were taken at the Adult-Con Expo here in Los Angeles. Keiko's pieces are part of her "China Project." It was a small exhibit, but packed with interesting people and inspiring artwork.

Our friend, Joan joined us for the evening. We had a delicious dinner at the Mandarin Chateau on Broadway, just a few blocks from the gallery.

I found a few reviews of this restaurant on Chowhound....one of my fave sites to research restaurants in L.A.

Delicious Dumplings

Gingered Beef with Scallions

Mixed Vegies
My next trip to Chinatown will be during the day so I can explore all of the great shops!