CleverRoot

f a l l 2 0 1 7 | 7 7 Tintorera, Los Angeles, CA Maycoll Caldéron, chef at Mexico City's Huset, lucked out by snagging a primo outdoor space in Silverlake for his first American restaurant, Tintorera. Named for the kitschy 1977 shark-hunting thriller, Tintorera pays tribute through its décor to Acapulco's golden years in the 1950s (everything is vintage and comes straight from Mexico). The seating is entirely outdoors on a romantic patio strung with lights and fringed with palms and giant bird of paradise plants. Vines clamber up a tall brick wall embellished with a mural of the goddess of the sea surrounded by sharks. Caldéron gets the restau- rant's seafood fresh every day, as well as, most importantly, fresh masa for the torti- llas. His signature tuna tartare with jalapeño emulsion, radishes and avocado is terrific. The kitchen turns out some killer ceviche and aguachile, too, but the dish closest to his heart is his mother's arroz con pollo suffused with a saffron-accented adobo. For dessert, his mez- cal ice cream with sal de gusano (agave worm salt) is brilliant. Behind the bar is David Mora, one of Mexico City's top bartenders; Caldéron, meanwhile, oversees the wine list himself, filling it with crisp, minerally whites from Baja California, South Africa and New Zealand that pair especially well with his seafood-centric cuisine. In addition to mezcal, the bar stocks small-batch, lesser-known Mexican spirits such as Sotol, Raicilla, Bacanora and a liquor distilled from an agave called sisal. The best thing? Tintorera is open through the afternoon and into the late-night hours. Tintorera, 2815 Sunset Boulevard (Sil- verlake), Los Angeles, CA, (323) 741-0055, www.tintorera.la Xochi, Houston, TX This year the James Beard Foundation named Hugo Ortega as "Best Chef: Southwest," an award long overdue. Ortega's restaurant Hugo's remains a beloved fixture in the Houston dining scene, but his latest project, Xochi (pronounced so-chee) is garnering all the attention right now. Inspired by the flavors of Oaxaca, Ortega delves deep into the intricacies of the Mexican state's glorious cuisine—reveling in rare chiles, indigenous herbs, heirloom corn and even Oaxaca's cherished grass- hoppers. Try the tender masa cakes topped with roasted pork ribs or the triangular blue corn tetelas perfumed with hoja santa and filled with cheese and mole coloradita. For the mole aficionado, his mole tasting menu is a little bit of heaven. Platos fuertes include Texas black-footed chicken in a deep, velvety mole negro and dry-rubbed pork shank with Istmeño peppers and roasted pineapple. Desserts from Ortega's younger brother, Ruben, are sophisticated riffs on chocolate and cacao (they roast and grind their own). I'm coming back for a quintessential Oaxacan street food—tlayudas (giant tortillas cooked over wood) topped with grilled skirt steak and black beans. Xochi, 1777 Walker Street, Houston, TX, (713) 400-3330, www.xochihouston.com Cala, San Francisco, CA Two years ago, famed Mexico City chef Gabriela Cámara moved to San Francisco and opened Cala, a contemporary Mexican seafood restau- rant. A Bay Area cousin of her wildly popular Contramar in CDMX's Roma Norte, Cala is still one of the hardest reservations to secure in S.F. It's fascinating to see the way Cámara has adapted Contramar's iconic dishes to celebrate California ingredients. Her famous tuna tosta- das are made here with smoked trout, chipotle, avocado and fried leeks. She makes an abalone version, too, and tops grilled local oysters with carnitas and nettles—now that's bold.Enfrijo- ladas (tortillas dipped in black bean sauce) are garnished with queso fresco, soothing purslane and a fried egg. As a main course, you'll want the lamb barbacoa served with freshly-made tortillas and the grilled, butterflied rock cod for two smeared with a spicy salsa verde. And don't forget to order her sumptuous black- ened roasted sweet potato with marrow bone salsa.Weekend brunch is always a sellout, so it's wise to reserve well ahead. If you can't get in for dinner, go for lunchtime tacos on weekdays in the back alley: It's standing service only, but so good. Cala, 149 Fell St., San Francisco, CA; (415) 660-7701, www.calarestaurant.com PHOTO: MARCUS NILSSON Chef Gabriela Cámara of Cala in San Francisco, CA. ■cr PHOTO: PAULA MURPHY Xochi's Tlayudas, a Oaxacan street food with tortillas cooked over wood and topped with grilled skirt steak and black beans. Chef Maycoll Caldéron of Tinoterera in Silverlake, Los Angeles, CA. PHOTO COURTESY OF HUSET

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