New York often turns up its nose at Los Angeles--and everywhere else, for that matter--but that great, shining city on the other coast gives us no room to slouch when it comes to eating. New York can't even come close to boasting the variety of restaurants serving Mexican, Persian, Thai and Vietnamese fare. I didn't have the chance to try what LA offers in the vast universe of Asian cuisine, but the first thing I ate, fresh in from the airport, was the legendary ice cream of Mashti Malone's, an ice-cream parlor specializing in Persian flavors like rosewater, pistachio, pomegranate, saffron, mango, etc., in intriguing combinations, some laced (vermiculated, actually!) with noodly faloodeh, or vermicelli. One half of the freezer features these exotic, perfumed treats, while the other caters to less adventurous customers who may consider Neapolitan to be somewhat outré. The shop, in a very unassuming strip mall dominated by Mashti's huge sign, half-English, half-Farsi, also sells irresistible packaged treats, like sohan asal, a honey almond brittle that makes a mockery of the concept of portion control.
LA is the kind of place where yoga classes are canceled due to a full moon, where ancient spirits are honored on construction sites by women with long gray braids and tambourines, but it is rich in one of the most down-to-earth cuisines in the world: Mexican. I enjoyed a wonderful brunch at the new ¡Lotería Grill! on Hollywood Boulevard, right next to the Geisha House, a self-described "combination of five-star sushi restaurant set in the atmosphere of a surreal high-class brothel." Hoo boy! Much more to my taste, ¡Lotería! is the latest venture of chef/owner Jimmy Shaw, who rightfully has quite a following in the LA food world.
I loved this beautifully airy space upon entering. Seated on the patio, where we could enjoy that typically beautiful LA weather and the typical Hollywood Boulevard parade of sidewalk-stargazing tourists and local characters, we ordered smoky huevos rancheros en salsa morita ($10) and huevos divorciados ($10), slathered in salsa ranchero and salsa verde, with a side of the best chorizo I have ever eaten. Among the aguas frescas ($3), we sampled lip-smacking watermelon and lime. We also enjoyed a round of rather tame but delicious jalapeño margaritas ($12), in glasses rimmed with chili and salt.
After the feast, which started off with the requisite but better than usual chips and salsa, we were stuffed but couldn't resist the persuasive charm of our waiter, Frederico, when he recommended the flan de cajeta ($5), which turned out to be a stunner, really the Platonic ideal of this too often disappointing dessert.
Oh, could there be a New York branch of this wonderful restaurant in the cards? ¿Por favor?
1525 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.874.0144
6627 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles , CA 90028
323.465.2500
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