Restaurant: Loteria Grill
Location: 6627 Hollywood Blvd. (Hollywood)
Type of restaurant: Mexican
We stipulated: We were heading west to the LACMA -- giving us a rare chance to hit Hollywood for lunch. We've been big fans of Loteria's Farmers Market location for years -- here's our 2004 review -- but that setting always seemed too frantic and not right for such gourmet Mexican fare. Enter the Hollywood location -- not only is the food served in a more pleasant environment, but they mix margaritas there. Sold.
What we ordered: MIKE: Papa con rajas taco (potatoes with roasted poblano peppers, served with finely chopped onion and cilantro, queso fresco and salsa verde, $3); tinga de pollo taco (chicken, stewed with chipotle peppers and homemade chorizo. Served with salsa roja de chipotle, $3.50); cochinita pibil taco (pork, slowly roasted in banana lead, served with citrus-pickled red onion and chile habanero, $3.50); jalapeno margarita ($12). MARIA: Mole poblano con pollo burrito (chicken in mole poblano, served with sesame seeds, chopped onion and queso fresco, $8.50).
High point: The space is cool, comforting and less hectic (obviously) than the Farmer's Market. And that jalapeno margarita was a nice surprise, tangy and just spicy enough. Also loved the habanero salsa that came with the free chips.
Low point: Flies. Lots of them. Landing on our faces. Distracting us from our food.
Overall impression: A great place for a Hollywood lunch -- and not too pricey (other than the margarita, which, I know, I shouldn't be having on a Saturday afternoon anyway. But hey, it's summertime). And yes, I know meals like this are partly why I need to lose ten pounds, per my doctor. But food this good is hard to resist.
Chance we'll go back: Absolutely. And will bring others as well.
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