J. Gold Digs the Modern Mexican Vibe at Ray Garcia's Broken Spanish

Just in time for Esquire’s announcement naming Ray Garcia their chef of the year, Jonathan Gold at the Times drops a review for Broken Spanish. The colorful new entrant to the South Park dining scene has been scooping up the accolades with both hands of late, and Gold himself seems largely taken with the place, the food, and bartender Mike Lay’s expansive cocktail program.

Touting the offal options and odd bits like chopped pig snout, Gold lauds Garcia as a modern Mexican visionary, saying:

His technique and his sourcing are pure high-end California French, but his palate, as also expressed at his B.S. Taqueria, seems to be pure Eastside pocho. He may spend a lot of time involved in Alice Waters-style community garden projects with kids, but you would not be surprised to run into him downing bootleg suadero from a truck at 2 a.m.

Gold goes on to recommend the tamales and the sous vide octopus, while stepping back from the cooked lamb’s head that has been getting so much attention.

The Elsewhere: LA Weekly finds Sichuan-style fried chicken in the SGV, LA Magazine offers a step-by-step guide to Korean barbecue (sounds familiar), and TimeOut LA talks brunch.