Photos: Where chef’s take their moms
A.O.C. started as a wine bar and still has a stellar wine list available. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Its xiao long bao are small miracles; plump, round spheres soft yet firm to the touch. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Other Shanghai-style dishes at Din Tai Fung include lightly marinated cucumbers with garlic and chile. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
There are only 33 seats inside Fishing With Dynamite, making it suitable for small parties and welcoming to reservations. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Squash blossoms stuffed with sheep’s milk ricotta and mint at Bucato in Culver City, where chef Ari Taymor plans to take his mom for Mother’s Day. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
![M.B. Post / Manhattan Beach](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5b6b87c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x379+0+0/resize/586x379!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe5%2F6e%2F3723876334542faee35742aba60e%2Fla-fo-review06-low6r6nc.jpg)
White oak-grilled swordfish is served with marinated gigante beans and lemon curd. (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)
M.B. Post patrons eat dinner at one of the communal tables made from salvaged oak. (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)
![M.B. Post / Manhattan Beach](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b62805e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/586x417+0+0/resize/586x417!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7d%2Fa5%2F9f28fbcb1242473f437dc1a2b96f%2Fla-fo-review08-low6s9nc.jpg)
Strawberry-verbena shortcake with whipped vanilla cream. (Arkasha Stevenson / Los Angeles Times)