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Vegetable paella and more at Otoño in Highland Park
Vegetable paella and more at Otoño in Highland Park
Wonho Frank Lee

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Otoño Revitalizes LA’s Modern Spanish Food Scene in Highland Park

A first look inside Teresa Montaño’s neighborhood paella spot

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Matthew Kang is the Lead Editor of Eater LA. He has covered dining, restaurants, food culture, and nightlife in Los Angeles since 2008. He's the host of K-Town, a YouTube series covering Korean food in America, and has been featured in Netflix's Street Food show.

Teresa Montaño’s sweet new neighborhood Spanish restaurant Otoño will be ready to open in bustling Highland Park on August 7. The former Racion chef has skipped over to this slim, brick-covered dining room that opens up with a welcoming bar area, serving tapas, raciones, and paella with California produce and sustainable meats. Ana Henton designed the warm space, with sleek angles, nicely appointed lights, and some Old World accents. A colorful street art mural comes from PichiAvo, a nod to Montaño’s time in Valencia’s Barrio del Carmen.

Montaño’s menu covers a lot of the well-loved Spanish classics like pan con tomate, gambas a la planca, jamon iberico de bellota (sliced by hand, of course), and conservas. They’re all meant to enjoy with drinks like the loaded gin tonic with botanicals, lavender tonic, and Spanish gin. Bar director Josh Suchan compiles the cocktails, along with Spanish beers and spirits, while wine director Katie Putterlik focuses on natural wines produced in Spain.

Beet morcilla, berries, almond horchata at Otoño
Beet morcilla, berries, almond horchata
Wonho Frank Lee

Otoño’s ambition requires a bit of context to understand. LA hasn’t had a notable new Spanish restaurant since Moruno and Smoke.Oil.Salt., both of which closed after short periods despite accolades. Angelenos should have an inborn affinity toward the cuisine, considering Alta California was once a Spanish colony. More recent entrants like The Bazaar, BCN, Gasolina, and Gabi James do their job of bringing tapas and casual bites, but perhaps no new restaurant in LA aspires to start a conversation about modern Spanish cuisine better than Montaño’s new Highland Park spot.

The chef takes grilled local black cod and places it in a jamon iberco tonkotsu broth, while she’ll be sure to please vegan locals with a farmer’s market paella. Braised octopus comes with a summer bean botifarra and a lacing of chimmichurri. A heftier main might be a 10 ounce Mindful Meats organic dairy beef strip with charcoal potatoes and black garlic. For dessert, a delightful-looking beet morcilla with almond horchata, strawberry gel, and beet meringue.

Otoño. 5715 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA. Reservations on Resy.

Bacalao tonkotsu with grilled black cod, cherry tomato, fava tendrils, and jamon iberico tonkotsu broth at Otoño
Bacalao tonkotsu with grilled black cod, cherry tomato, fava tendrils, and jamon iberico tonkotsu broth
Mind Fish Co. tuna and anchovy goat butter with herb roasted radishes
Mind Fish Co. tuna and anchovy goat butter with herb roasted radishes
Wonho Frank Lee
Farmer’s market vegetable paella with salsa verde at Otoño
Farmer’s market vegetable paella with salsa verde
Wonho Frank Lee
Otono Otoño Los Angeles Wonho Frank Lee
Otono Otoño Los Angeles Wonho Frank Lee
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Negroni
Gin tonic
Gin tonic
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los Angeles
Otono Otoño Los AngelesBar at Otoño in Highland Park. Wonho Frank Lee
A leg of jamon on a stand at a daytime restaurant. Wonho Frank Lee
Costillas de elote with saffron butter
Pulpo a la brasa with summer bean botifarra and chimmichurri at Otoño

Pulpo a la brasa with summer bean botifarra and chimmichurri

Paella at Otoño in Highland Park. Wonho Frank Lee

Otono Menu by MatthewKang on Scribd

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