comfort food @ baco mercat.

i've been wanting to go to chef josef centeno's baco mercat since it opened late last year. stellar reviews from two of LAs most prolific food critics showed up on the same day last week and i knew i had to get a reservation and visit in before it got too insanely busy and overcrowded for my tastes.

we started with drinks. james loves a good sazerac, so of course, he tried their bazerac (rye, verbena, lemon twist, pernod, house bitters). i had their gin-pop! (gin, baco pop, tangerine shrub - baco pop is their house-made orange ginger juniper soda, and a shrub is a "drinking vinegar" - you can find out more over at serious eats..). james called the bazerac starts like and sweet tea but doesn't let you forget its rye - two things he loves, so i take that as a good thing. i wasn't the biggest fan of gin-pop, but i've never been a fan of ginger soda either, so i probably should have tried the black mint spritz (vodka, huacatay, aperol, lime soda) - but i'll do that next time.

the waiter recommended we order two to three items. we ordered five. and dessert. and i still wasn't full. next time, i'm getting more. and definitely the bazole.

we started with caesar brussel sprouts (pecorino, anchovy, garlic) and the baco chicken and waffles (bacon gravy, fried egg). both were served warm. i wish the salad had been crunchier, but it was just the right level of salty and savory. i think james food-gasm'ed over the chicken and waffles. i'm not even sure how to describe it, it was just really really good. i liked that the chicken came in chunks and was not your usual fried chicken, but the gravy was mind-bogglingly delicious and perfect for soaking up in the waffle.

then came the amergaz picada baco (lamb sausage, horseradish, cucumber). again, this was warm and creamy, cool and crunchy, the horseradish providing just a bit of kick at the very end. octopus and smoked ham hock (chick pea, green apple, arugula) was the mildest dish we got for the evening, and somehow the ham, octopus and chickpeas all sort of melded together texturally.

and finally, the seared foie gras (butter, pie crust, grapes). the foie gras itself was cooked perfectly, and really very delicious, but with pie crust and grapes concoction it came on top of - well, i could eat that for days.

we finished with the banana cream pie (butterscotch, brandy) for dessert and a small pot of handsome coffee (which is another recent LA discovery of mine, that i'll elaborate on another time). i LOVED it, though it's not what you expect - though probably because it uses real banana instead of banana flavoring that most banana desserts get doused in.

in looking back at the meal, and discussing with james, i can really only describe all of it as comfort food. it was all salty and a little sweet and savory, warm and a bit creamy, a bit crunchy and a kick of spice. james and i come from very different cultural backgrounds - his is the american south, mine is taiwanese/californian, and we have very different ideas of comfort food, but somehow we both just found the food we had to be comforting. i already can't wait to go back and try more of the menu, though it will also be very difficult to not order the same things.
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baco mercat
408 south main street
los angeles, ca
213.687.8808