Jonathan Gold on Petty Cash, B-Rod Sorta Likes Goldie's

LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold files a review on Petty Cash Taqueria, the latest offering from chef Walter Manzke. Neither a resounding endorsement nor a critical take, Gold runs down Manzke's take on the taco, a culture that runs as thick in Los Angeles. He goes a bit into the taco's place in the culinary landscape before delving into the chef-centric take on the Mexican street dish, including the "bomb.com", which is a real dish:

There really is sea urchin in the guacamole, by the way, or at least in one version of it, called "bomb.com," that also includes a cone of chicharrones, puffy fried pigskins still crackling from the oil. Sea urchin and avocado don't have much to do with one another, really, but the lobes of roe do pretty much have the same texture as ripe avocado, and they express themselves in a mellow, marine aftertaste that lingers until you chase it with a swig of beer.

And of course there's the word on the pig ears, which Gold says was launched by Manzke, as well as the aguachiles and tacos:

And then come the tacos, sometimes all on a platter, sometimes coursed out as if they were on a tasting menu: fried potato tacos with cheese; chewy grilled octopus with charred chiles and crushed peanuts; poached duck gizzards; carne asada with beans; carnitas made with Cook Ranch pork, which is what all the cool kids are using at the moment. The truly cool kids will order the off-menu tacos with toasted crickets and the minty herb hoja santa. The hedonists will just order multiples of the tacos al pastor, made with crunchy nubs of marinated pork shoulder and pineapple cooked on a spit behind the bar and as much tequila as it takes to make it a party.

Meanwhile, Besha Rodell gives a two-fer at West Third's Goldie's, where she lauds the terrific and innovative use of vegetables by chef Thomas Lim, but she's not sure about the consistency of some of the other dishes. The LA Weekly critic does love the cocktails by bartender Brittani Rae. In all, the review seems to show that Rodell likes the place, but only doles out two stars, which would technically be "good." on the five-star scale. [LAW]

The Elsewhere: GastronomyBlog looks at the baked goods at Semi-Sweet Bakery in Downtown, Eating LA likes the brisket at Horse Thief BBQ, Midtown Lunch thinks Genwa is the best Korean food this far west of Koreatown, while Gourmet Pigs checks out Paiche.
·All Week in Reviews [~ELA~]