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peppermonkey
May 12, 2009 10:00 AM
don't agree with any negative comments above. Rivera is great!!! You can't get this food anywhere else. That said don't miss the chile relleno, duck enfrijolada, mole pork chop, and the 3 types of flan for dessert. Make sure you get one of the amazing cocktails from julian. One crowd pleaser is the "scottish maid" - cucumber and scotch, you can't go wrong, or you can pic some random vegetable/fruit and liquor and he can make you something. Everything I've had there so far has been good to excellent with maybe the exception of the double soup shot.
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re: peppermonkey
perk
May 12, 2009 11:19 AM
I agree, peppermonkey. I've been a couple of times, and had very good food and service.
The double soup shot at dinner was disappointing, but the slightly different concept at lunch was very tasty. I'm anxious to go back....I think the food is very creative and unique. -
re: peppermonkey
Actually we ate most everything you mentioned. i.e. duck enfrijolada (this was salty and the duck was real tough) and pork chop (again salty, and the meat seemed dried out) I did really enjoy a couple of the apps and my cocktail was made well and fun. But seating right next to Barbra Streisand was so much fun.
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re: peppermonkey
we also had all the dishes listed above. the duck was oversalted (perhaps not rinsed prior to the cure) and dry. the chile pasilla relleno served chilled was barely passable, but had a fabulous and creative presentation. even plain burrata should not be served that cold. had the bacalao which was undercooked (which we prefer to overcooked), but raw bacalao is pretty tough to stomach and black cod sushi, well, it's just not served. sent back and received a new one 15 minutes later, perfectly cooked. it was our favorite savory dish of the evening. agree that the desserts and drinks were great (blood sugar sex magic was our fave). service was very good.
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re: peppermonkey
peppermonkey
May 12, 2009 02:10 PM
I've been there 4-5x... and nothing I've had was over salty or dry there
Though I like things well seasoned...
I tend to be a fan of bold, stronger flavors and creativity which I think rivera does remarkably-
re: peppermonkey
mollyomormon
May 12, 2009 02:38 PM
I've also enjoyed my meals there. I really love that they serve soapapillas at the start of the meal instead of bread as I've had a hard time finding them elsewhere in LA. And the cocktails really are amazing; I can't wait to have the purple rain one again.
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re: carln
Went at lunch last week and if anything, I thought the food was undersalted.
The salmon lunch plate include mashed potatoes seasoned with something green (not mentioned on the menu), a few baby veggies, and a nice piece of salmon topped with lime rind confit..an unexpected touch that took the whole thing to another level.
The other had the $12 mini taco plate...this time the fish was black cod. (It seems you get fish of the day on these). Three tiny tacos, lots of corn, and not so much fish. He said it was okay but wished he had ordered the salmon again.
Desserts were excellent, especially the crema catalana.
Lunch prices are pretty reasonable for the whole package.
NO problems at all with service.
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Had dinner last night here. Well, in a word, "disappointment" comes to mind. Greeted very coolly by the front, no smiles or even a hello. Three young women at the front, all on the phone. Seated in the "bar" room under an A/C vent and asked to be moved. We were given a fabulous table in their "main" dining room. Lovely server, Leah. Very knowledgeable, friendly with an addictive smile. The four us shared 6 apps and each couple shared 2 entrees. Kind of a blur at this point as much of the food was either not warm enough or overly salted for my taste. The high point of the evening was the table right next to us. A four top of which one of the couples was James Brolin and yes his wife, Barbra.
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re: xoxohh
great summation above. all the meats tasted alike and were overly salted. we read the LAT review as we ate and are aghast at how different our experience (and everyone else we speak to) was. cocktails and dessert are certainly the highlight. fabulous spanish and south american wine list. we much prefer and love YXTA, even if it's not in such a beautiful area of downtown.
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re: revets2
carln
May 12, 2009 07:52 AM
I totally agree with the above reviews. I was there on Monday and had largely the same experience. We walked in to find the 3 hostesses...2 on the phone and one walking the room. One of the 2 on the phone hung up the phone and before helping us, it rang again and she picked it up.
When the food came, i also found it to be over salted (especially the black cod).
I was not very impressed by this place. Its not bad if you go for a drink and have an app or two...but the idea of going back for a full dinner is really not appealing.
I dont know what all the fuss is about. Miss Irene must be getting old.
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