(EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE) — DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, CA — The Experience Magazine stopped by the downtown hot spot Pez Cantina. Located on Grand avenue, just down the street from the Disney Concert Hall, this Financial district staple is known for Mexican food with a nod towards seafood. Whether your enjoying a day at the Broad, or looking for a place with an all day Happy Hour, Pez Cantina Downtown is the place to go.
Chef Bret Thompson, who is also the owner, has come up with fresh gourmet Mexican food that is expertly prepared. When we arrived for dinner, the manager recommended the chips and salsa. I’ve never had chips and salsa like this before. It comes with with eight servings of salsa arranged in a circle around the the chips. There’s a House Salsa, a Salsa Diabla, a tasty Poblano Creama and Salsa Negra.
There’s also a Habanero “Mustard” (delicious), a Salsa Chipotle, and a Roasted Jalapeño. I found that I couldn’t stop sampling the different cups of salsa throughout the meal. I was still discovering new tastes after I had eaten dessert. This was the most memorable chips and salsa I’ve ever had. It was such a treat.
The cocktails at Pez Cantina are hand crafted and full of flavor. We got to try the Classic Margarita (perfect) and the Pez Paloma. The Pez Paloma features Arette Tequila Blanco, fresh pressed grapefruit, tamarind, agaveand a smoking chili arbol. We saw that raw oysters were on the menu. They were fresh, delicious and served with a beautiful dry ice presentation. the cucumber lime picosito is house made and a unique flavor. The tomato-chile raspado was a bit spicy and I enjoyed the flavor.
The stand out dish of the evening were the Spicy Ahi Tuna Tostadas. These little bites feature sustainable ingredients like lime, scallion, crispy onion, and a touch of sesame and avocado crema. I could’ve eaten an entire plate full of these.
After our starters, we got down to business with the Crispy Chicken. This dish comes out with a house made hazelnut chimuchurri sauce. I mopped up every bite with the sauce. The roasted spring vegetables, and the mushrooms had an upper level flavor. I have to say, Pez Cantina, got the proportions just right. The amount of chips and salsa, the size of chicken that was served. Everything was perfect.
There were no leftovers, and no room to eat another bite. However, I wasn’t prepared for the Tres Leches cake. Tres Leches, our Three Cheese’s cake, is a Mexican food standard. I’ve eaten hundreds of Tres Leches Cakes. I wasn’t prepared for how delicious this dessert dish was going to be. Chef Bret prepared this dessert with the right amount of sweetness. Usually, Mexican Desserts are heavy on the sugar. This Tres Leches Cake was sublime. Really just the best Tres Leches cake I’ve ever tried.
The Experience Magazine highly recommends Pez Cantina in Bunker Hill. Stop by for a drink and the bar, or enjoy a night out of gourmet dining in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
