Good Paella in Los Angeles?

[justla]

Hello,
I'm looking for a good paella place in Los Angeles. Not La Paella because I'm going with a non-seafood eater( he's allergic) and they require you order 2 orders. SO, if I want the seafood one I would have to order 2 @ 25.00.

[maxzook]

The best restaurant paella I have had in southern California is at Jonathan's at Peirano's in downtown Ventura ... sixty miles from Hollywood, but worth the drive. It comes in three varieties:

* a crustacean paella with lobster, shrimp, scallops, and crab ($24/pp);
* chicken, andouille, clams, mussels, whitefish and shrimp ($22/pp) ...
* and for your friend, a non-fish version with chicken and linguica ($19/pp).

This is the only restaurant paella I have had with enough saffron that you can smell it when they put the plate down in front of you. They have a full Mediterranean menu with a tapas bar next door, and you can order paella for just one.

Trust me, it's worth the drive.

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J's Tapas
204-208 E Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

[J.L.]

Saffron's purpose in paella is for coloring. If they're putting it in the paella for smell, then they'll need to use so much that the paella would turn red.

Thanks for the heads-up - as a rabid paella freak, I now have no choice but to drive up to Ventura try it.

[Foodandwine]

Thanks Max.. sounds like a nice stop off on the way home from a day of Wine tasting in Santa Barbara.. I have never been to Downtown Ventura, however it sounds kinda quaint. Is that true?

[beefstew4two]

I haven't been to any of the restaurants previously mentioned on this post but I do really like Spain Restaurant in Echo Park. They also have a little retail corner inside and sell Spanish wine, sausages and other goodies.

[J.L.]

Spain Restaurant's paella is really subpar when compared to La Espanola's paella - I really don't understand why Spain Restaurant gets so much love on this board. It's absolutely mediocre.

Ironically, the food from Spain Restaurant tastes more like Argentinian fare (mediocre Argentinian fare), rather than true Spanish cuisine.

[J.L.]

Hola justla,

Chowhound has this amazing option called "search". Type in 'paella' on the "Search this board" page and you will get not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 (count'em... FOUR!) threads on this very topic (most of them recent and relevant!)!!!

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/458008

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/451785

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/423679

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/415726

Bottom line: Go to La Espanola for their (Saturday takeout only) paella, and nowhere else. Each styrofoam box of heaven costs about $9.

[Das Ubergeek]

...and you have to call on Friday to reserve it. Otherwise, no paella for you.

[Foodandwine]

Das, I must have been lucky. The last two times I was at La Espanola without advance notice, I had walked away with paella. First time one order ( flying solo ) and two orders the next time.. we ate there on the side patio ( well seating area ) Love this place. As an aside, I was at the Palos Verdes Farmers Market this morning. A guy in front of Trio was hawking Paella ( actually yelling it out at 10:30 a.m.) seen him there before. Looks good, but did not sample!!

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Trio Mediterranean Grill
46 Peninsula Ctr, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

[bulavinaka]

While there you can also pick up some pretty decent Spanish wines, sausages that they make and are sold only at their shop, and of course, jamon iberico...

[susancinsf]

didn't try it, but there was Paella on the menu at El Rincon Criollo, along with a lot of meat dishes for your friend. See my recent post. I should note, the restaurant isn't upscale at all ..

[hrhboo]

The paella at El Rincon is very disappointing. It's basically the same rice you had with the Arroz con Pollo with some seafood instead of chicken. If Justla does a quick search, this topic has been covered many times with the general consensus being that La Espanola (order in advance to reserve a plate) serves the only worthy paella in LA.