"As you walk through Agnes’s massive barn doors in Pasadena, don’t be alarmed if you’re hit with a sudden wave of bucolic euphoria. There’s a full market and cheesery up front, an open hearth loaded with sizzling meats in back, and giant wooden rafters soaring above the dining room and back patio. This restaurant isn’t the first place in LA to dip into Midwestern nostalgia, but it’s the only one that goes all-in. A native Midwesterner is at risk of yelling, “There are cheese curds and puppy chow on the menu?!” to no one in particular. And biting into dishes like cornbread eclairs topped with silky chicken liver mousse and loaded baked potato dumplings that taste exactly like a loaded baked potato could cause visceral flashbacks. If you didn’t grow up in the Midwest, or can’t even point to it confidently on a map, who cares? You’ll still be eating immensely delicious food." - brant cox, kat hong, arden shore