Great Pork, But Not Quite Tapas at smoke.oil.salt

Photos by Elizabeth Daniels

Chef Perfecto Rocher, formerly of Lazy Ox, teamed up with Adam Fleischman and Lee Weinberg's AdVantage Partners group to craft the funky-named smoke.oil.salt back in April. The Spanish tapas-style eatery took over the former Angeli Caffe, Evan Kleinman's longtime Italian joint on Melrose that closed a few years ago. Since then, the operative word used by most to describe smoke.oil.salt has been "promising" though two of the big hitters (Gold and Rodell, namely) have yet to weigh in on the small plates and wine concept. Here now, the good, the bad, and the otherwise at smoke.oil.salt.

The Word from Patric Kuh: The longtime LA Magazine reviewer doled out three stars, recommending the spring onions, octopus and guatlles a la brasa (grilled quail). He also calls the Spanish wine selection "excellent," and the atmosphere lively and loud. [LA Mag]

The Perfect Pork News: The pluma iberica, a wood-fired filet of pork, was "one of the best pieces of pork I've eaten in a while. Seared to a nice crispy char and medium temperature, it was just so flavorful." [Darin Dines]

The Not-Actually Tapas Rundown: "This isn't really tapas. There are some smaller plates on the menu but also larger-format dishes. Rocher, a native of Valencia, Spain, delivers very authentic flavors: from the Catalan tomato toast with housemade sausages to cod croquetas." [Zagat]

· "I think the tastes of Valencia came through in most of the dishes we ordered. The portions in each dish are just a tad larger than your usual tapas, which makes for ideal sharing for a party of 3 or 4." [Chow]

· "Despite what you might think, Smoke Oil Salt doesn't really strike me as a tapas sort of place. Instead, you get more of a Valencian leaning style of Spanish cooking, divided into both smaller and larger plates." [Kevin Eats]

The Sea Urchin Flan News: "My friend wasn't into the texture of the sea urchin flan. I thought it hadn't set completely." [The Minty]
· "The flavors in this dish weren't working for me. The execution was on point but I wouldn't order this again. We ordered two of the them for the table and ended up sending one of them back after tasting the first one." [Yum Yum Foodie]

The Noise Level News: "My complaint with the restaurant is the noise level.  It is extremely loud!  I've been to many crowded, hip places before that were inevitably loud, but not to the extent at Smoke Oil.  There are two dining rooms, the main one which was calm and perhaps more enjoyable and the crowded, loud room with the bar." [Yelp] —Farley Elliott
· All smoke.oil.salt Coverage [~ELA~]
· All Good News/Bad News Coverage [~ELA~]