Mezze Gets 2.5; J.Gold is Fascinated by Chimú

1) West Hollywood: Virbs is back, and she goes Greek at Mezze, where "[y]ou'd never recognize the place as Sona," as designers have opened up the space and embraced a large, long skylight. SIV sounds impressed with Cornell University graduate and Chef Micah Wexler's novel take on mezze as he brings "in dishes not only from Lebanon but also Syria, Morocco and Turkey." Mezze choices are plentiful and rotating; SIV pleads: "Please, please order the spring tabbouleh, alive with masses of chopped parsley, green garlic and fava beans, more greens than bulgur, which is the way it should be." There's really nothing bad about Mezze, so, one wonders about that other half a star. Making a rare comment about service, SIV signs off noting that Mezze is, "[l]ow-key but serious... [it] neatly sidesteps any scene in favor of lusty cooking and authentic hospitality." [LAT]

1) Downtown: Mr. Gold sniffs out Peruvian even in the darkest corners of this city. New to downtown's Grand Central Market is Chimú from Mo-Chica and Lazy Ox prodigy Mario Alberto Orellana and partner Jason Michaud (Local in Silver Lake). The non-Peruvian chef has basically created "a happy marriage of Centeno's imaginative cuisine and Zarate's aesthetic of elevating Peruvian recipes with modern techniques and fine ingredients." It already sounds like the new hot place downtown. Orellana's pollo a la brasa "is unusually crisp, served with a sauce of pureed black mint instead of the customarily fiery aji, and ... french fries and a little cup of the spiced cheese sauce usually reserved for papas a la huancaina." Reassuringly, in a time of heightened pretension in dining in Los Angeles, Gold writes, "The first time I was there, the guy behind the counter apologized for the commonness of pork belly, which he insisted had become a cliché..." The pork belly goes on to win Gold's heart. May it win yours too. [LAW]

The Elsewhere: e*star LA goest all Tinga on us, Gourmet Pigs tries Ukranian at Roxolana, Midtown Lunch likes the tiny sandwiches at Fundamental L.A., and ShopEatSleep rocks and rolls at MB Post.