Gold Dig #57

I think Salazar might be the only spot on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list that he specifically notes for its website, which might seem odd until you check it out for yourself. I won’t even try to describe it, as it’s best if you just experience the awesomeness yourself. My first thought was that the site was a treasure trove of unintentional humor, but after enjoying cocktails and tacos served to me by a cool waiter on their large and trendily designed patio, I came to the realization that their website design was intentional, and I kind of loved them for it.

The Dish

The Salazar menu is all about grilled meats and cocktails. Another win for them in my book. Their tacos are made with housemade flour tortillas topped with the grilled meat of your choice (they have veg too, but if you know me you won’t be surprised that’s not what I went for). Tacos and cocktails on their sunny patio felt like such an iconically perfect LA midday meal.

Girl Next Door

For my cocktail, I tried the Girl Next Door. It was the first listing on the menu, but when I read vodka, elderflower, lime, coconut, and bubbles, I didn’t get any further. It worked out great, as I loved this cocktail and already have plans to go back and get it again.

Tacos – Carne Asada and Al Pastor

The mesquite-grilled carne asada was meaty and tender, but I really adored the al pastor, which had a touch of sweetness and some nice char on it, plus a chunk of pineapple which brought it all together. I could have eaten several more. The housemade tortillas had a nice chewiness with also a bit of flakiness to them that was great.

Carne Asada Fries

There was a generous helping of carne asada on the fries, and the right amount of cheese and sauce to add layers of flavor without completely sogging up the fries. Nice to pick away at while spending a long afternoon in the sunshine, but next time I think I might just go for more tacos.