All posts filed under: Restaurants

City of Gold: Thoughts and My Favorite Restaurant Reviews

Call it Gold’s Midas touch. The new documentary City of Gold could be a full-length film packed only with restaurateurs sharing the story of how LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold saved their struggling business. Whether the subject is a single mother from Ethiopia at risk of closing who now races to make enough doro watt to feed Gold’s rabid readers or three Oaxaca-born siblings prepping long-uncool cricket tacos for Gold, his dinner companion Ruth Reichl and the 300 seats of diners angling for their taste, the Los Angeles food community clearly appreciates Gold’s dogged determination to find, research and evocatively describe the many cuisines, carts and far-flung restaurants of the sprawling city.

Contramar

The Best Tacos in Mexico City (and What to Do after Eating Them)

It would be ridiculous to go to Mexico City only for the tacos. So here’s a workaround: I’ve rounded up my four favorite tacos in Mexico City across all price ranges, and included the best things to see (or buy) nearby. Contramar This Roma temple to seafood is like the Gjelina (or Rasika or Nomad) of Mexico City — a hotspot place where the food actually rivals the stellar people-watching. Lunch is primetime here, when the bright space is packed with immaculately dressed locals diving into tuna tostadas and bright ceviche paired with icy rosé. The kitchen works magic with fish, particularly when it comes to the Carnitas de Pescado (above). An order presents four golden corn tortillas mounded with tender, meaty chunks of fish (cooked in lard to amp up the flavor). The culinary team tops each with cilantro, onion and chunks of pineapple for a dish that is a more ethereal take on the classic pork. Stick around for an order of coconut flan and an extra glass of wine. Then … Head for the National Museum of Anthropology, …