Chichen Itza Pulls Me Away From Mo Chica With Their Prices (And Crispy Baked Tamal)
One of the things I missed most about L.A. during my 4 year excursion was Peruvian food, so much so that within a week of moving back I didn’t bother trying to find the best Peruvian spot in L.A. (or the most Midtown Lunch’ish). I just returned to my old standby… Mario’s (on Melrose). And when I discovered it was too expensive to qualify for a Midtown Lunch I hit up Inti a few doors down. Once my craving was satiated, I asked for some better (preferably under $10) Peruvian recs from you guys- and Lunch’er “luckyme23” pointed me to Mo Chica, the modern Peruvian food court joint that opened last year in the Mercado La Paloma- just south of downtown.
Mo Chica is no hidden gem. “The Guru” is all about their ceviche, LA Taco praised their market driven menu, and Profiled Lunch’er Pat wrote that the place takes Peruvian ingredients “about as far they can go.” Only one problem… practically all of the menu is over $10! So when I made my first trip to the Mercado La Paloma last week, I felt inexplicably drawn to Chichen Itza.
Come to think of it, it’s not inexplicable. It’s because I’m a cheap bastard.
Posted at 11:30 am, April 7th, 2010 under Chicken Itza, Downtown, Mexican.
