Franklin Avenue

Rate-A-Restaurant, #20 in a series

Restaurant: Ciudad

Location: 445 South 5th Figueroa, Downtown Los Angeles

Type of restaurant: Latin cuisine

We stipulate: That you have a mojito--preferrably with light rum (the mojito with dark rum is tasty at first, but gets too sweet after awhile). Ciudad was the first place Maria and I ever sucked down one of these Cuban-inspired drinks, which has long since become one of our standard beverages. The mint is finely chopped in the Ciudad mojito, much more than in most other restaurants' versions. That makes the Ciudad mojito go down smooth--and fast. (Chances are you'll slurp more than one.)

What we ordered:Appetizer: Butternut Squash Empanadas with chipotle crema and a watercress salad; Maria: Brazilian Moqueca fish, shrimp, mussels & cockles in lime-scented coconut broth with coconut rice; Ann: Posole Rojo Mexican vegetable and hominy stew with a tomato and chile broth, traditional garnishes; Mike: Seabass

High point: Thanks to its downtown location, there's never a wait to eat at Ciudad -- particularly on the weekend. Service is excellent, we enjoy the festive decor (designed by architect Josh Schweitzer and mural artists Su Huntley and Donna Muir). Oh, and the food's good too.

Low point: Portion sizes, particularly the appetizer, can be just too downright small (or maybe we're just pigs.) The excellent empenada appetizer in particular, comes with only two-- not enough for the three of us to devour.

Overall impression: When chefs like Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger -- the Border Grill founders also known through their books and TV shows as the "Too Hot Tamales" -- get too famous, there's a natural inclination to get cynical about the food or the restaurant. But Ciudad makes you believe the hype is true-- it's such a welcoming place, it's become one of the standard restaurants to visit when you can't think of anywhere else to go-- or when you have a guest from out of town visiting. It's an adventurous menu, but still accessible to people who aren't so adventurous in what they like to eat.

Chance we will go back: We have, and we will.