Scene Setter: Chi Dynasty in Studio City

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Chinese food — in its quality, heat lamp-less form — is a near-perfect recession food. Order a plate of orange chicken and you might find yourself eating it, in a ‘Groundhog Day’-like scenario, for evenings on end. Which is why Mike Israyelyan, the head honcho of the trendy Muse Lifestyle Group, has paired with Jonathan Chi, the owner of Los Feliz’s Chi Dynasty, to open a second Chi location in Studio City.

And the duo has no intention of stopping with the Valley. They have their eyes on a nationwide franchise á la P.F. Chang’s. The second location, which opened quietly last week, is a testing ground to see if Chi really can put the capital ‘D’ in dynasty.

Longevity is obviously key to that equation, and in that department Chi is off to a galloping start: Jonathan Chi opened the original restaurant 27 years ago.

To read the rest of Jessica Gelt’s story, click here.