Restaurant: Zozo at Maison Midi (closed or moving?)
Location: 148 S La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 746-4700
Date: February 21, 2024
Cuisine: Nuevo Latino / Southwestern
Rating: Excellent neighborhood Italian
After several meals out of the state, I was excited to try the new place by esteemed Southwestern style chef John Sedlar. Last time he was in LA was with Rivera.
Growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, John Rivera Sedlar had his first taste of Latin cooking in the kitchens of his mother, aunts, and beloved Grandma Eloisa. “My favorite time of year,” Sedlar remembers, “was before Christmas, when they would gather together in my aunts’ kitchen in Abiquiu, the village where Georgia O’Keeffe lived, to make huge mountains of bizcochitos, empanaditas, and tamales. If I close my eyes, I can still smell those fragrant aromas and taste those sweet, spicy, earthy foods.”
Sedlar’s knowledge of global Latin food traditions expanded during the three years his family spent living in Sevilla and Zaragoza, Spain, when he was 8, 9, and 10 years old.
Honest, down-to-earth experiences fueled Sedlar’s drive to become a chef. He worked his way through popular restaurants in Santa Fe before moving to Southern California, where he won a local following in the South Bay region in his early 20s. “But I knew there had to be more than cooking surf-and-turf specials, he says.
Interesting restaurant in a house goods store vibe!
The small menu.
Our wine.
Kennebecs. Papas fritas, sorrel puree. Basically potato chips.
Jerusalem Hummus. Garbanzos, jugo de oliva, za’atar, tortilla arabesque. I can’t eat chickpeas so I didn’t try.
The pita bread was gorgeous, however.
Pato Tamarindo. Duck leg confit, estilo zapoteco. The lovely duck leg had a nice smokey flavor.
Hongo Con Queso. Portobello, crema de queso azul. Basically a quessadilla. Very creamy and mild.
Caviar Tortilla. Maize cake, fish roe, bermuda onion. Really great with that classic creme fraiche and caviar thing.
Snail Forestière. Escargots, jamón ibérico, trumpet, persillade. Tasted like Spanish mushrooms. Really buttery and nice.
Native Farm. Turkey albóndigas, red chile pepita sauce. The turkey meat balls themselves were a touch dry — a turkey problem — but the sauce was great.
Pasture. Abiquiu lamb. chayote chutney, heirloom polenta. Tasty.
Vegetable plate. Nice rustic flavors.
Farrow or forbidden rice or something.
Rattatoulie.
Roasted radishes.
Pork chop special.
Air. Citrus vapor, scallops, sea beans, hoja santa. Very light and “airy.”
More vegies.
Overall, Zozo was very enjoyable and quite reasonable. You do need to order most of the menu because it’s small and the dishes themselves are small. The presentation is generally more rustic and homey than Rivera or John Sedlar’s previous restaurants.
For more LA dining reviews click here.
