Holbox

Sharing food with friends has been on hold for the past 18 months, so when friends flew in to town and everyone was vaccinated, masked, and willing to eat outdoors, we chose to celebrate at Holbox (the one in Los Angeles, not the island in Mexico)!

Going on a Tuesday at 3pm meant plenty of parking and no wait, so we ordered a little of everything on the menu and shared it all. The fish and octopus tacos were sublime, with each of the the $6.50 grilled Hawaiian kanpchi done perfectly as were the braised and fried octopus tacos for $6 each.  

The 3 sauces that came with our meal, ranging from not spicy to extremely spicy, so taste them all before pouring them on your food! The roasted habanero was my favorite (medium hot) at the top of the photo.

The Coctel Mixto is basically a 20 ounce cocktail of shrimp, octopus, scallops in their homemade cocktail sauce for $18, that left plenty of extra sauce for your chips to scoop up.

One of my friends loves uni so he got the kanpchi and uni tostada for $20 and devoured it himself since the rest of us were not uni fans :)

We all shared the ceviche del dia de pescado for $12 and loved every bite of the fresh fish and octopus.

I chose the grilled sea bass for the group for $25 the fish was grilled perfectly. We were so full we didn't even touch the rice and beans! We all ate as if we had to make up for the years we had not seen each other, but we left full and happy as we celebrated the joys of living with great food and better company.

Bee Taqueria

When the owner of Pikoh said they were going to open a new place with a new chef Alex Carrasco from Mexico City (but who has worked in many prestigious places around town) in the West Adams neighborhood called Bee Taqueria, I filed it into my "To Be Tried" list, and I am glad I did! 

It is a welcome and very colorful addition to this up and coming neighborhood. Very casual, very unique, and very personable since the chef was both cooking and serving during the weekday afternoon.

The back patio portion is big enough to host a large function or be filled with food lovers on a sultry Southern California evening. They are beginning to host some taco omakase evenings, so I'm sure the place will be packed on those occasions.

I had to get a sampler of the tacos, which came with side beans, pickles, and consommé on hand made blue corn tortillas. Nothing on the menu is over $8 and they offer vegetarian options like beet for those who don't want to partake of the beef, lamb, or pork that were all distinctly delicious in different ways. I'm hard pressed to choose a favorite, but because I am a lamb fan, I slightly preferred the Cordero BBQ.

They were out of the ceviche, but not the fried ceviche made with Sea Bass :) The mix of the crunchy roasted corn nuts, sweet potato, and the acidic squeeze of lime juice, made this a lick the bowl kind of dish.

You order and pay at the window, and they *buzz* you when your order is ready for pickup. Come by before the buzz for this place created lines that will have people swarming!

Brite Spot on a rainy day

A song may say that it never rains in Southern California, but there was a torrential rainstorm which not only soaked the dry landscape, but also chilled the temperatures enough that I caught a cold :( Since I was too sick to make my own chicken soup, I asked my local friends where I could get some and without hesitation, they said Brite Spot. A Mexican spot focused on seafood, for cheicken soup?!?!? Yes, it turns out good cooks, cook well no matter what their specialty may be. Knowing I was too sick to eat there, I took my soup to go, but I was very impressed by the assortment of condiments on the tables and counter; when three of the choices are habanero based and all have been used, it's a good sign!

My to go soup included a very nice baggy of limes, onions, and cilantro, all of which I added to my soup, along with my own garlic habanero sauce.

Their "medium" sized container of soup for $11 held nearly half a chicken, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, corn on the cob, fresh parsley and a clear broth.

A side of rice came with the soup, as well as a choice of tortillas for those who want starch with their soup. I added some of the rice to my soup.

And found there was enough for TWO meals. I also felt much better the next day, so I ate the even more flavorful leftovers for lunch.

Since they are famous for Mexican food, I went back for a lengua loaded taco and at $6 this was not only a full plate, but a full meal loaded with tender succulent morsels and topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. 

I will be back for the whole flash fried fish....who wants to join me?