Restaurant: Oyamel
Location: 11712 San Vicente Blvd.Brentwood, CA 90049 310.826.9222
Date: November 21, 2017 & November 20, 2018
Cuisine: New Mexican
Rating: José Andrés is a stud
I try to hit a new José Andrés place every-time I’m back in Washington and this time it’s:
His New Mexican joint.
Funky bright decor.
Guacamole station. lol.
The menu.
Classic mojito. Somehow they were out of sugar cane!
New style mojito with foam. Tasty, but went quick.
Chips and salsa. Classic, but I like the roasted salsa and the chips were light and freshly fried.
After seeing the guacamole station how could we refuse?
Freshly made to order, with green tomatillo, serrano chile, crumbled queso fresco and a basket of fresh tortilla chips
Queso fundido con tequila. Melted Chihuahua cheese flambéed with tequila and served with fresh hand-made tortillas. Yummy and gooey.
Cheese quesadilla for my son (11/20/18).
Ceviche verde. Striped bass marinated in lime juice with avocado and tomatillo. VERY zesty.
Ceviche de atún Pacífico. Ahi tuna with Maggi-lime marinade, scallions, avocado, toasted pecans, fresno chiles and crispy amaranth.
Ensalada de palmitos. Fresh Hamakua Farms hearts of palm, orange, radish, chayote, peanuts with a tamarind dressing. Nice flavors.
Ensalada de Alex-César Cardini. The classic Caesar salad of Romaine lettuce, anchovies, Parmesan cheese, a soft boiled egg and house-made croutons.
Pescado Baja California Taco. Crispy masa tempura-battered mahi-mahi with shredded cabbage, house made chile de arbol mayonnaise, Mexican crema and a salsa Mexicana of tomato, onion and cilantro. A little bit of heat.
Yucatan style bit barbecued pork taco with pickled red onion and Mexican sour orange (11/20/18).
Camarones a la parilla. Grilled wild caught Gulf Coast white shrimp with sautéed squash, red chile, epazote and avocado. Like Mexican gambas pil pil.
Albóndigas enchipotladas con queso doble crema. Meatballs in chipotle sauce with crumbled ‘double cream’ cheese and cilantro.
Black beans stuffed with cheese.
Tamal de mole Poblano. Shredded chicken tamal with a mole Poblano sauce of almonds, chiles and a touch of chocolate, topped with Mexican crema, sesame seeds and onion.
Costillas de res con salsa huitlacoche (11/20/18). Local dry-aged beef ribs in ancho and arbol chile rub, mesquite smoked with salsa huitlacoche.
Like all of Jose’s places this was fun and full of zesty flavors. So beats out our local modern Mexican Tallulahs. Wish we had one nearby.
