Adventures in Starry Kitchen

The behind-the-scenes story of America's most famous underground restaurant, featuring more than eighty-eight deceptively simple and unbelievably delicious pan-Asian recipes and dozens of luscious full color photos. In 2008, as the American economy cratered, newly unemployed Nguyen Tran and his newly unemployed wife-to-be, Thi, opened an off-the-grid eatery in their small Los Angeles studio apartment. Word of their fabulous food quickly spread, turning their culinary "speakeasy," Starry Kitchen, into an underground sensation-and the #1 Asian fusion restaurant in L.A. on Yelp. Threatened by the city's health inspector, Nguyen and Thi transformed Starry Kitchen into an acclaimed and wildly popular pop-up restaurant in a downtown sushi joint. But their success was only beginning. As their clientele exploded, thanks to raves in the Los Angeles Times, Nguyen and Thi moved to a bigger space of their own in Chinatown, where they helped make the neighborhood the epicenter of L.A.'s burgeoning food scene.
Adventures in Starry Kitchen chronicles Starry Kitchen's DIY evolution-"this beautiful accident gone right"-the mayhem, mishaps, misdemeanors, milestones, and amazing meals that have contributed to (and nearly derailed) its success. As they tell their story, the Trans share more than eighty-eight easy-to-follow pan-Asian recipes-mouthwatering and flavorful comfort cuisine, including Claypot Striped Bass, Buttermilk Beer Beignets, Singaporean Chili Crab, Double-Fried Chicken Wings and, of course, Starry Kitchen's trademark Crispy Tofu Balls. Whether you're cooking for two, four, or sixty, Adventures in Starry Kitchen demonstrates you don't have to be a desperately hip (or even trained) chef to master sensational modern food that will amaze and delight.