There's a distinct image that might pop up in your head when you think of Mexican food. It may involve a puddle of beans next to over-sauced enchiladas. It may involve yellow cheese and crunchy shells. It may involve trucks and outdoor salsa bars. It most likely does not involve crispy skinned pork belly studded with pungent elephant garlic and elegantly strewn with radish sprouts and micro herbs. But maybe it should.Chef Ray Garcia—a born-and-bred Angeleno—is on the forefront of the modern Mexican food movement that's taking over the city, and Broken Spanish is his swanky flagship. The aforementioned CHICHARRON is one of the best large-format meat dishes in a 50-mile radius, while the LAMB NECK TAMAL is all gamey funk and pillowy tender masa. For dessert, the CAFE DE OLLA is a Mexican firing squad of chocolate, beer, and coffee to the face. The hyper-modern space—a mix of retro concrete breezeblocks, macrame, and greenery—is the perfect spot for that mezcal nightcap.
