tintorera, silverlake.
the strip of sunset boulevard that stretches from silverlake to echo park is a strange, mixed bag of strip malls, restaurants and auto body shops. don't get me wrong, i love it and spend lots of time and money there but it's not the prettiest part of LA. tintorera dropped into the neighborhood and became a lush, hidden oasis behind a bright teal wall.
stepping into a hidden oasis.
#itsamexicanthing mural.
mezcal verde: mezcal, ancho reyes verde chile liquor, peppermint, aperol & fresh lime juice; aguacate: tequila, avocado, horchata & pineapple juice.
bad hombre: bourbon, tamarind, white vermouth, lime juice & worm salt.
specializing in mexican seafood and cocktails, i find tintorera dreamy in so many ways! we've been twice and tried many of the appetizers and entrees at this point and while not all of them have been home runs (sorry, baseball still on the mind), a few dishes seriously blew us away and our meals have been quite good overall.
crab tostada, chili mayo, fresh herbs.
red snapper aguachile, cucumber, red onions, macha, avocado.
tuna tartare, jalapeno emulsion, radishes, chili oil, avocado.
of all the appetizers, i'd say the tuna tartare and steamed mussels really stood out. i could eat bowlfuls of both! i don't know why i've never had mussels in mezcal before, but i hope it's the next big thing because it is so, so good.
scallop tostada, citrus vinaigrette, chilies, radishes.
red snapper ceviche, blue masa, fennel, habanero, avocado.
steamed mussels, mezcal, basil, mint, chili.
baja tuna, ginger rice, avocado, cilantro, cherry tomatoes.
roasted seabass, sweet potato, mustard vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes.
roasted red snapper, sesame emulsion, snap peas, radishes.
the entrees we've had are really good, but not amazing. for me, i just really wanted to keep sipping cocktails and make a meal out of the appetizers. the baja tuna over ginger rice was awesome, but it felt better fitted for lunch than dinner. and i usually don't like pineapple with seafood, but i actually really enjoyed the roasted seabass with salsa verde, cauliflower and pineapple.
roasted seabass, salsa verde, cauliflower, pineapple.
corn bread, cajeta, caramelized popcorn, mezcal, ice cream.
toasted brioche, local goat cheese, organic honey.
probably the most surprising thing for us is how good the desserts have been. despite being quite full both times we were convinced to share something sweet and every time we scraped our plates clean between full mouthed oh-my-gawds and this-is-so-goods. i can't tell you which is better between the cornbread or the toasted brioche (a specialty from chef calderon's popular mexico city restaurant, huset), just order both!
2815 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
