La Paella
Last night I finally satisfied a craving I've had for quite some time.
I was spoiled at Tangerine for two and a half years. Their Mediterranean menu was to die for, and the meze menu for the lounge was an unbeatable deal. And working at Continental Mid-Town, I rarely got on the trolley back to West Philly without picking up something from DiBruno's. I couldn't have been happier when my internship at STYLE forced me to walk right past Amada three times a week.
I've been determined to find an experience that rivals Amada here. Granted, Chef Jose Garces is an East Coast culinary legend, but surely there's something similar in LA, a much larger city, with a much higher Latino population. But on Chowhound and Yelp and Eater LA, tapas restaurant after tapas restaurant got skewered by disappointed diners.
Except for one. La Paella, on San Vicente in West Hollywood, was the lone star that seemed to shine, even if that luster only existed because the other restaurants were deemed so dingy. That was enough for me.
The restaurant is tiny, but cute. Two small dining rooms, one atop the other, are surrounded by brick walls and topped with a high wood beam roof. A row of old Spanish wine bottles encircles the room, just out of reach. Plastic-backed dining chairs are comfortable enough for linen-covered tables, of which there are less than ten in the back dining room. It is dark inside, but not so dark as Primitivo in Venice. Our affable host brings over menus and icewater.
At first glance, the wine list is surprisingly affordable. Bottles of Spanish reds are all under $25. Champagne and sparkling wine had the standard markup, but why go there when you can buy a grenache-tempranillo blend for $14?
The menu is divided into two sections. The left side boasts La Paella's tapas offerings, from which you can select hot or cold bites. The right side offers more traditional appetizer-entree-salad fare. But I was here for tapas, so that was the last time I saw the right side of the menu.
I chose six for two guests. Oh, and the staff is all Spanish, which means that service is curt, understated and invisible. That doesn't mean I received bad service; I actually received quite good service. But don't go with the expectations of American restaurants that you create a camaraderie with your server. Nope. He brings things, takes things away, and maintains the table immaculately—silently. It was a breath of fresh air.
The tapas I chose were all winners. Champinones con chorizo were, well, mushrooms with sausage, in a sort of wine reduction. But they were hot, herbaceous and delicious. Gambas a la plancha, like the name indicates, were grilled shrimp. These were served head-on with lemon and were cooked perfectly. Aceitunas Variadas were an excellent selection of marinated Spanish olives. The Manchego con Membrillo was one of my favorites: Manchego cheese topped with thinly sliced quince. With the imported Serrano jamon, the quince brought out the sweetness of the ham, while the manchego and serrano brought out the spice in my wine. The Salpicon de Mariscos was equally tasty, with its acidic marinade lightly cooking calamari, mussels, clams, onions, cucumbers and peppers, ceviche-style.
For dessert, chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream paired well with the house port wine.
The best part of the meal? The tab. An entire meal, bottle of wine, dessert and two glasses of port cost $88. I paid easily double that at Primitivo for a similar amount of food.
Oh, one more thing. The restaurant is called La Paella. This would usually signal to me that I should order the paella, of which there were several varieties. But the menu had this weird caveat where to order paella, it had to be two orders. So the price on the menu reflected a single serving of paella, but you had to order two of the same paella for it to be made. Weird, right? So I skipped it.
I was spoiled at Tangerine for two and a half years. Their Mediterranean menu was to die for, and the meze menu for the lounge was an unbeatable deal. And working at Continental Mid-Town, I rarely got on the trolley back to West Philly without picking up something from DiBruno's. I couldn't have been happier when my internship at STYLE forced me to walk right past Amada three times a week.
I've been determined to find an experience that rivals Amada here. Granted, Chef Jose Garces is an East Coast culinary legend, but surely there's something similar in LA, a much larger city, with a much higher Latino population. But on Chowhound and Yelp and Eater LA, tapas restaurant after tapas restaurant got skewered by disappointed diners.
Except for one. La Paella, on San Vicente in West Hollywood, was the lone star that seemed to shine, even if that luster only existed because the other restaurants were deemed so dingy. That was enough for me.
The restaurant is tiny, but cute. Two small dining rooms, one atop the other, are surrounded by brick walls and topped with a high wood beam roof. A row of old Spanish wine bottles encircles the room, just out of reach. Plastic-backed dining chairs are comfortable enough for linen-covered tables, of which there are less than ten in the back dining room. It is dark inside, but not so dark as Primitivo in Venice. Our affable host brings over menus and icewater.
At first glance, the wine list is surprisingly affordable. Bottles of Spanish reds are all under $25. Champagne and sparkling wine had the standard markup, but why go there when you can buy a grenache-tempranillo blend for $14?
The menu is divided into two sections. The left side boasts La Paella's tapas offerings, from which you can select hot or cold bites. The right side offers more traditional appetizer-entree-salad fare. But I was here for tapas, so that was the last time I saw the right side of the menu.
I chose six for two guests. Oh, and the staff is all Spanish, which means that service is curt, understated and invisible. That doesn't mean I received bad service; I actually received quite good service. But don't go with the expectations of American restaurants that you create a camaraderie with your server. Nope. He brings things, takes things away, and maintains the table immaculately—silently. It was a breath of fresh air.
The tapas I chose were all winners. Champinones con chorizo were, well, mushrooms with sausage, in a sort of wine reduction. But they were hot, herbaceous and delicious. Gambas a la plancha, like the name indicates, were grilled shrimp. These were served head-on with lemon and were cooked perfectly. Aceitunas Variadas were an excellent selection of marinated Spanish olives. The Manchego con Membrillo was one of my favorites: Manchego cheese topped with thinly sliced quince. With the imported Serrano jamon, the quince brought out the sweetness of the ham, while the manchego and serrano brought out the spice in my wine. The Salpicon de Mariscos was equally tasty, with its acidic marinade lightly cooking calamari, mussels, clams, onions, cucumbers and peppers, ceviche-style.
For dessert, chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream paired well with the house port wine.
The best part of the meal? The tab. An entire meal, bottle of wine, dessert and two glasses of port cost $88. I paid easily double that at Primitivo for a similar amount of food.
Oh, one more thing. The restaurant is called La Paella. This would usually signal to me that I should order the paella, of which there were several varieties. But the menu had this weird caveat where to order paella, it had to be two orders. So the price on the menu reflected a single serving of paella, but you had to order two of the same paella for it to be made. Weird, right? So I skipped it.
Trackbacks
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February 4, 2008 4:50 PM
Malibu is Burning wrote:
As many food writers do, I try to dine at a restaurant as many times as possible before writing about it. For some reason, however, I wrote my review of La Paella after my first dining experience. And since it was so swimmingly positive, I thought I'd go back again with two more foodie friends and see if La Paella could match its December showing.This time, it was a Tuesday, right at the peak of dinner service, and I saw the same two waiters from my first visit. The restaurant was about half full of middle-aged couples and groups engaged ... -
February 4, 2008 4:50 PM
Malibu is Burning wrote:
As many food writers do, I try to dine at a restaurant as many times as possible before writing about it. For some reason, however, I wrote my review of La Paella after my first dining experience. And since it was so swimmingly positive, I thought I'd go back again with two more foodie friends and see if La Paella could match its December showing.This time, it was a Tuesday, right at the peak of dinner service, and I saw the same two waiters from my first visit. The restaurant was about half full of middle-aged couples and groups engaged ... -
February 4, 2008 6:34 PM
Malibu is Burning wrote:
As many food writers do, I try to dine at a restaurant as many times as possible before writing about it. For some reason, however, I wrote my review of La Paella after my first dining experience. And since it was so swimmingly positive, I thought I'd go back again with two more foodie friends and see if La Paella could match its December showing.This time, it was a Tuesday, right at the peak of dinner service, and I saw the same two waiters from my first visit. The restaurant was about half full of middle-aged couples and groups engaged ...
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