Rivera - Fine Latin Dining Experience In The Heart of Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles)

Rivera

Backlogs, queues, however you refer it, I have a backlog problem for my blog. Thankfully, with good pictures and occasional note taking, it has allowed me remember most of my meals. As I was going through my old food pictures, I came across my dinner at Rivera back on Thanksgiving of 2009. With Chef John Rivera Sedlar as one of the chefs on tonight's season premier of Top Chef Masters season 3, I figured it's as good time as any to post this. Since this dinner was almost a year and half ago, I'll go with the ever popular picture post.

piquillo relleno - Stuffed spanish pepper, chorizo, gruyere, jerez, avocado oil

caballito de sopas dobles - Two latin soups, different flavors, different temperatures

Usually two soups are served, but on this particular night, the soup that was brought out was the butternut squash. I would have to say, it was fantastic!

tortillas florales - Housemade Nixtimal Tortillas, "Indian Butter"

This is one of the must order items at Rivera.

conchas - Oysters of the day, cucumber caviar, mezcal

patates xips - Caviar, chipotle-lime crema, kennebec potato chips

You really can't go wrong with caviar.

melon de mar - Poached maine lobster, compressed melon, chile verde gelee

arabesque - Scallops, eggplant, preserved lemon

duck enfrijolada - Goat cheese, stacked blue-corn tortillas, black bean puree, chile rioja sauce

trucha - Tasmanian sea trout, saffron quinoa, yellow gazpacho sauce

maya puerco pibil sous vide - Banana leaf braised pork shoulder, peruvian potatoes

pomegranate

Palate cleanser. It's time for dessert!

baba cachaca - Citrus, dulce de leche

bizcocho de avellana - Hazelnut-chocolate sponge with orange-cava sorbet

torta xocolata - Chocolate torte, drunken pineapple

Now, this is Rivera, how can I forget about the cocktails here? Even if you're not hungry, Rivera is one of the best cocktails bars in all of Los Angeles.

Tony Manzana

This is easily one of my favorite cocktails. As what many have said, it's an "adult apple juice."

Tejocotes

Blood Sugar Sex Magic

Blood Sugar Sex Magic is probably my favorite cocktail here in Los Angeles. With ingredients like basil and whiskey, those are not typically my favorites, but for some reason, it just works.

Trio of Infused Tequila

La Bamba

With the meal complete, Chef Sedlar invited us for a tour of the kitchen and along the way, he showed us the use of the famous stencils that appears on the plates of most dishes at Rivera.

Step by Step Process

Even though it's been awhile since this meal, I definitely remember this being a fantastic dinner. Great food, drinks, and vibe, what's better than that? Good luck Chef Sedlar, I'll be rooting for you on Top Chef Masters!

Me and Chef Sedlar

Rivera Restaurant
1050 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 749-1460
Website