The plan was to swing by the preview for LACMA’s new Stark Bar, grab a quick drink, and continue across town to my intended Brentwood destination. A couple complimentary starters stopped me in my tracks and waylaid my dinner plans. Chef Kris Morningstar’s chile relleno ($12 on Ray’s menu) impressed me most. He stuffed his wood-fired orange peppers with chorizo and dates. He lavished the chile with a smoked almond cream sauce that benefited from garlic and sherry. Morningstar intends to use larger, spicier Anaheim chilies. That should take the dish to another level. It was still easy to like the rellenos, which had coarse, crumbled pork sausage and just enough spice to tame the dates’ sweetness. The not-quite-as-planned dish bodes well for adjacent Ray’s, a modernized ’60s-inspired restaurant that sees the Patina Restaurant Group and architect Renzo Piano paying tribute to the late great film producer Ray Stark.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.