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A tasty treat.
So the missus and I ventured forth, into the wilds of Los Angeles recently. All the way from a sleepy, rainy little suberb of Vancouver, Canada. While we stuck mostly with the tried and true areas of WeHo, BH, Silver Lake, etc, we did manage to get to Bell (love a previous review: "Bell, not to be confused with Bel-Air" lol!) and try out this great little Mexican place.
I had the Conquista plate, which was a flat iron steak, oaxaca cheese, on a grilled cactus. Pretty tasty, and the cactus was good. Reminded me of a grilled green pepper. Steak slightly too dry though... . The little tortillas that came with the meal were home made and great! I also had a fermented rice drink which was sweet, but not too sweet. I liked it. I also had the churros filled with dulce de leche, served hot... amazing!
LCM is mole heaven. if you like mole's drive fast to arrive here. The chips come with 3 types. The day I ate here the special was another style mole. So with in minutes of sitting down I tried 4 excellent moles.
We ordered Chile Nogada because of reviews. It was hard to eat. The sauce was sweet, too sweet, for our taste. We also ordered the fish special which was very moist and tasty.
The sauces in the main were not spicy hot. Probably a good thing as there is not beer, wine or liquor.
Maybe too authentic but definitely too sweet. LCM was highlighted in an article as good cheap eats. Good, with reservations but definitely not cheap. I would return for mole but not much else.
Mike
So La Casita was my first visit for this year's fall restaurant week, and a worthwhile one at that. Three of us went, and we each ordered the price fix menu and were all extremely happy with our choices. Here's what we ordered:
Appetizers:
- Azteca cheese fondue: Each bite had a different surprise - one bite had mushrooms, another had cactus, and another had a chili pepper. Mmmm...and even better with extra chili sauce added.
- Red snapper ceviche: Light and refreshing without being overly astringent.
- Chicken tacquitos: I didn't get to try this but my friend said that they were delicious (no comparison to lame store-bought taquitos).
Entrees:
- Mole poblano with chicken: This was my entree of their famous 46 ingredient mole from their grandmothers and included peanuts, pumpkin seeds, chilis, etc. It amazes me how different every restaurant's mole is, and yet how they each are good in their own way. This had a wonderful deep, earthy flavor and the chocolate really came through in the sauce. My only complaint is that one side of the chicken leg was a little tough for my preferences.
- Chili en nogada: Another one of La Casita's specialties. This had a combination of beef, rice, raisins, walnuts, and candied cactus stuffed into a chili and covered with pecan cream sauce with pomegranate. Very unusual flavor combination that somehow manages to marry well. The only drawback was that while this was served warm, it didn't arrive to the table piping hot, and perhaps that would've made it even better.
Desserts:
- Combination of a sweet yam flan, vanilla flan, and corn flan. They were not vastly different from each other in terms of flavor, but my preference was the corn flan which was sooo smooth and creamy. The other two were also delicious, but had a more dense texture (nothing wrong with that, just a matter of taste).
- Caramel filled churros - I also didn't try this one, but my friends said that they were really good, and the caramel wasn't unbearably sweet.
Chef Jamie also walked around to the different tables to chat and talk about the meal. He was super-friendly and explained how they make everything from scratch, keep fats and oils to a minimum, and use traditional recipes passed down from their family. It is definitely clear in their well developed flavors that these recipes have been worked on for many years, and I was impressed by the fact that their dishes were indeed not greasy.
In terms of the rest of the restaurant service, my only complaint was that they didn't quite have the timing of their dishes right. They would bring out the entrees before we were done with our appetizers, for example, and did the same thing during dessert. The restaurant wasn't overly crowded, so I was surprised about this. That said, our waiter was very friendly and helpful with our questions about the dishes.
All in all, I highly recommend La Casita Mexicana. Moles La Tia is still my preference, for their impressive mole and flan selections and quality, but La Casita is still a must-visit. It's a particularly a good deal during restaurant week, because for $26 (plus tax and tip) not only do you get your appetizer, entree, and dessert, you also get a soup (cactus soup) or fresh salad as well as their special house coffee.
We had the Chile en Nogada, too sweet for my taste. So is the Horchata. We also tried the fundido with chorizo. It was good but not that great.
If you like something a bit spicy, try the Chile Relleno.
Good thing I like chips. Only the tortilla chips saved my appettie.
Sorry, I wasn't thrilled to come back.
If you want authentic Mexican, this is it. And by "authentic," I don't mean, "Wow, this salsa is spicy." This place offers something completely different from what you are used to. And don't expect red sauces and a lot of cheese.
This small (maybe 12 tables) family friendly restaurant is located in the town of Bell which is not to be confused with Bel-Air. And for everyone who loves to complain about parking in LA, there is plenty of street parking and there wasn't a meter to be found anywhere. And it's only about a 10-15 minute drive from downtown LA. That's not bad for great food and friendly service at good prices.
Almost everything was wonderful. You start with a small free bowl of freshly-made chips and 3 types of moles. It's so good that you could probably eat 5 bowls of the stuff but that would ruin your appetite for what is to come.
We tried the fundido with chorizo starter and, while you usually can't go wrong by combining cheese and sausage, I thought it was slightly overcooked. I would try something different next time.
The main entrees were both excellent. The three enchiladas (2 cheese & 1 chicken) in the traditional dark mole sauce was insanely good with deep, interesting, slighly spicy, and ultra-complex flavors.
And the chile en nogada, which is probably the specialty here, was incredibly unique, delicious and also beautiful to look at. It's not spicy in the slightest but contains a literal ton of meat, dried fruits and other spices tucked inside of a green pepper which is smothered with a white pecan cream sauce and dotted with red pomegranate seeds. Are you kidding me? It's pretty damn amazing.
The chile en nogada dish came with a tortilla soup which was hot and satisfying.
We tried the horchata and lemon aqua frescas and they were both declicious. I'm not a dessert guy, but the churros with warm caramel inside were also very good.
Do you see now why you don't want to fill up on chips?
For a ton of food, with tax and tip, the final bill was around $50 for two. No alcohol, but for what you get, you won't complain. And you just might want to return 10 times to try everything on the menu.
Service was a little spotty but overall, it was homey and friendly. You'll leave happy after coming here.
Well, the food didn't blow my mind or anything, but I like the sensibility.
As with all disappointments, I'll nitpick my way through the meal.
The complimentary tortilla chips with three mole sauces: too sweet, not enough oomph. Great chips, though.
Lemonade with chia seeds: not enough lemon juice. The gelatinous chia seeds are kinda fun. =)
Horchata: too sweet, but I appreciate the lemon.
Soup of the day: served lukewarm. Tasted nice, though.
Chile en Nogada: too sweet. The pomegranate seeds put up a valiant effort, but the pecan cream sauce was so overpowering I couldn't really taste anything else. Pretty one note dish. The tortillas that come with it are good, though. The rice, eh, too sweet. I feel like I'm repeating myself.
Chile relleno: we chanced upon a rather spicy poblano, and missed out on the filling. Nopales usually bores me to death, anyway. If they switched the peppers, so that the spicy one went in the chile en nogada, maybe that would have been better.
Flan: stiff.
If I should return, I think I'd focus on the left panel of the menu instead of the middle panel. Even though less vegetables are involved, I get the feeling that that side of the field is greener.
I don't get it. I went to try those world famous Chile Rellanos that Bobby Flay flew all the way out to California to challenge. My Grandmother could have beat them. I had Tres Carnes. Sorry, subpar Carne Asada and so so Chorizo. Small cup of Refried Beans and thats it. No Rice, No Salad and Rice Soup that tasted like, well..... nothing. Here is what I went away with from La Casita. Great Tortillas. Churros Pretty Cool. But if you want good Mexican Food why go to a stuffed shirt wanna be Hi-Class Cusine. By the way the Chile Rellano stuffed with Nopales, Mushrooms and ??? was Bland, Not Spicy, Not Cheesy, Not Meaty, Hell not worth the time. Next door is a little Roasting Place that had better food for a third of the price. Why do people try to elevate a great base ethinic food to Haute Cuisine.
I DON'T GET IT. By the way, the chips and mole thing. I DON'T GET IT.
La Casita Mexicana is a small, quaint and delicious restaurant. I'm a fan! We went there for breakfast which begins at 9:00 a.m. I ordered the Omelette with nopales and mushrooms with red salsa. My boyfriend ordered the Tres Carnes (Cecina, Asada y Chorizo) which came with nopales and beans. Handmade tortillas hit the spot. I had cafe de olla with steamed milk. They had a variety of dishes on the menu and I would definetly go back for dinner. There is a Mexican feel to the restaurant and and you can almost imagine yourself in a traditional restaurant in Mexico had it not been for the glass company directly in front. There is street parking which we were able to find but only because we arrived at 8:45 a.m. I think if it was later, it would be hard to find parking. The bathroom is clean and also has the Mexican decor. Very delicious...I highly recommend it.
The place is charming and small. The chips with mole served to start you off is pretty good. My hubby and I had heard of this place from a friend of his who follows Bobby Flay and had heard of the competition between Bobby and the restaurant. Well, we decided to finally try it.
To start, we ordered Cafe de la Olla and an Agua Fresca con Limon y Chia. The coffee was very weak. I drank almost the entire carafe and was still sleepy after. The agua fresca was refreshing but loaded with sugar and not enough chia seeds.
To eat we ordered the Chile en Nogada and the Chilaquiles. I ordered the Chilaqueles with Chipotle Sauce and they were supposed to be spicy. Not spicy at all! I was disappointed. I had really expected some kick in it but not a lick of spice. I ordered eggs with the dish and there was nothing spectacular about it. My hubby had the Chile en Nogada and we've had this dish before at Babita...and I must say that Babita still has the best Chile en Nogada...hands down!
Later on that day, we went to La Cabanita in Montrose and ordered their Chile en Nogada to compare and although Cabanita's was better, Babita still has them beat!
One good thing...dessert...churros. I really liked them but my hubby preferred the one from Mr. Churro in Olvera St. We ordered the churros con cajeta and although they were deliciously fresh...they lacked the ooey gooey caramelly cajeta that we expected. Mr. Churro's was full of the gooey stuff.
All in all, a decent place if you're in the area. I don't know that I would travel out to visit again.
After 40 some years of not liking mole I am now, at La Casita.
When the chips came with mole on them it changed my world.
To run into a restaurant like this in the most unlikely part of town made my day. 11 am on a monday morning and I got the last seat in the place.
Had to dine and dash but I will be back as soon as possible for another taste. I had 3 chicken enchilada's that just rocked. They are passionate about the sauces and nothing comes from a can. About $ 12 an entree.
If I lived closer my diet would be shot.
Due to the immense hype and anticipation created by Yelp, this review might be a little biased.
Since we went on a weekday, street parking was pretty easy to find.
We were starving by the time the chips came. Loved the green mole, but the brown one was a little too sweet.
Definitely get the Limonada, well worth the extra cost instead of settling for iced water.
The soup was...bland, but can't really complain over complimentary food.
Tried the Chile en Nogada and the vegetarian Chile. It was an interesting and new taste, especially because it was our first time eating cacti.
The sauce that came with the Chile en Nogada was good at first, but tasted too sweet by the end of the meal.
We expected a change of pace from the regular burritos, and it was. However, the meal didn't quite live up to the expectation.
I do highly recommend the churros con cajeta to finish the meal. Overall, a good meal, but I didn't think it was worth driving 40 minutes for.
I have eaten at La Casita Mexicana on 4 or 5 occasions and the food has been excellent every time. The menu orients itself towards gourmet/fine Mexican food (yes, there is such a thing), not street-style Mexican food, and thus, the prices are on the high side. The somewhat high prices, however, are justified, as the food is of high quality, is full of flavor and is definitely not run of the mill (the stuffed chili is case in point - it is unique and for sure worth a try).
Drove all the way out to bell on good recommendations.
It is quite the trek from LA. Although i thought it was good, i have to say there were a few disappointments. First, menu is very limited. The only unique things on there are the chile en nogado.
I ordered the chile relleno, which was very different then what you usually get. this one is stuffed with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and cactus served with a side of rice. Although it was good, it would have been phenom if there was some good mexican cheese on it.
The entrees were served with a soup that was soooo bland i had to but about 3 tbls of salt in it.
I did like the chips that were served with the 3 different types of enchilada sauce on them, that was great!
Yes, it was good, but do i need to drive all the way to bell CA to have great mexican food? No. there are plenty of great mexican restaurants in LA, this one didn't blow me away.
This place in an eye opener. Authentic mexican food like I've never had before. If you think of Mexican food as tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, even mole, you ain't seen nothing yet!
Start with the alfalfa agua fresca - delicious and refreshing!
Queso Azteca (Aztec cheese) is a blend of 4 cheeses with mushrooms and cactus strips. Bold and flavorful with a interesting texture that's reminiscent of most cheese ... but not quite.
So many different types of mole here. The poblano, the pepiano roja and verde, then there's the white mole made with white chocolate, then the almendras (almonds). Who knew, right?
One of their specialty is the Chile Nogada which is crispy jalapeno stuffed with ground pork, topped with creamy white walnut sauce and drizzled with pomegranate seeds. sweet creamy walnut-y mexican food with pomegranate seeds? It was news to me, oh but it was such delicious news!
Tamalitos de huitlacoche (Corn Fungus Tamales)
As Michael Pollan pointed out, we Americans loove our corn (too much even!). Well, the Mexicans prize this jet-black corn fungus even more!This gave the tamales a nice earthy flavor.
Photos: http://tinyurl.com/d4ovfc
Okay, so we finally decided to try this place. The area is indeed small, the service was good, but the food...yummy! I ordered the mole enchiladas, half chicken and half cheese. Delicious and rich! Good thing it came only with plain, white rice, anything else would've been overpowerd by the mole. The winner of the night was the tortilla soup, it was ammmaaazzinnng!!! And the flan, what can I say, it was a delicious, thick piece of heaven. Overall, the food was great, very strong flavors, great presentation, and attention was excellent.-Ana
You could almost miss this quaint little restaurant in Bell, Ca and not realize there's delicious, reasonably priced food here! i came with a largish group of 9 people, and we easily took up half the restaurant. jaime and romero, the chefs and proprietors and the nicest human beings, created a fabulous multi-course tasting menu of on and off the menu dishes. here is what we ate.
chips w/ not 1 but 3 different moles: chocolate, green pepian & red pepian, which are made from pumpkin seeds and different chiles. my favorite was the green, although all were good, and the chocolate had the most complexity
potatoes - these simple red-skinned spuds were covered in a tangy, tasty chile sauce
guacamole w/ chauplines - excellent guacamole topped with crunchy, smoky little grasshoppers. photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
fish ceviche - refreshing, fragrant and tangy w/ bits of cilantro & chile. photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
4 cheeses, nopales (cactus), mushrooms - one of my favorites, the combination of melty mexican cheese with tangy cactus and mushrooms; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
red pozole w/ pork and tostadas - large pieces of hominy and tender pork give texture to a hearty, tomato-y soup; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
cotija cheese enchiladas - deceptively simple, but so tasty. the chile flavors permeated the little rolls of goodness. photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
chicken mole poblano - the chocolate mole is an acquired taste, but it's very intense and complex here. it pairs well with the chicken. photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
refried beans & cactus salad - the beans were creamy, and the salad was tart, with plenty of crunchy textures; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
cecina de res al chipotle: skirt steak rubbed with chipotle chiles - so simple, so good, with a lot of kick from the chiles; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
filete de pescado: fish cooked with aromatic herbs & chile morita - fish was perfectly prepared, with an infusion of flavor from the chiles; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
stuffed poblano with a creamy sauce & pomegranate seeds - one of the more interesting dishes, a large poblano is stuffed with ground meat and topped with a creamy sauce balanced by some crunchy, tangy pomegranate seeds. pretty to look at too: http://www.flickr.com/...
envueltos de arroz con leche y crema de nuez: fried rice pudding wraps with pecan cream sauce - fried sweet dessert with pudding inside - yum!
guayabas con rompope: guava & mexican style eggnog - light and sweet
churros filled with chocolate - seriously, i could eat a lot of these. crunchy, sweet cinnamon, oh, yes! photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
sweet potato & pineapple - delicate in flavor and texture, the mixture of potato and pineapple were an interesting combination on top of a crispy cinnamon sweet chip; photo: http://www.flickr.com/...
mexican hot chocolate - cinnamon and chocolate. yum.
this is definitely one of my favorite mexican restaurants. they offer gourmet quality food, with an attention to details in an unpretentious, cozy restaurant that is very affordable. tacos may be what we're most familiar with in terms of mexican food, but if you want to get a feel for the range of flavors, i highly recommend this place.
After trying for a while to get a larger group together to go here and not succeeding, we broke down and went on a Saturday afternoon by ourselves. We didn't get to order as much as we would have liked but we weren't all that thrilled with what we did order.
I'm not a fan of mole, so instead of sharing our meals as usual, my lunch partner and I actually ate our own meals. I ordered the Cecina de res al chipotle as I can never pass up steak topped with a yummy chipotle sauce. Yum! I was hoping for a juicy steak with additional heat and liquid provided by the chipotle sauce but unfortunately, got the thinnest piece of steak I've seen which ended up a little tough and dry after grilling. The tiny bit of chipotle sauce, while flavorful, could not save the meat. Making a taco with the provided tortillas and some of their table salsa made for a decent taco but not the best. My lunch partner ordered the tres moles. While he was slightly enamored with the mole poblano sauce and the piece of fork-ternder pork lurking underneath all of the moles, the pepian verde and rojo sauces were not as flavorful and served lukewarm. All in all, we were a little disappointed and will continue to search out other Mexican places.
Both of our orders came with bowls of the soup of the day. On this day it was a fideo - a noodle soup which unfortunately resembled alphabet soup in flavor, piquancy and noodle texture. Finally, the biggest dissapointment were the tortillas. They were thick but not pillowy and had very muted corn masa flavor. The tortillas at La Super Rica in Santa Barbara can rest easy.
The service was good and one of the chefs came out to greet us. All in all, this was an ok meal but it failed to live-up to all the build-up that's been fairly or unfairly heaped on this restaurant.
First of all, this place has the most adorable bald headed and mustachioed chefs ever. They are business partners but could be brothers. They have completely different personalities, one is ying and one is yang. Their combined balance of power is what creates their delicately balanced and delicious flavors.
La Casita Mexicana showcases and serves food from the Guadalajaran region of Mexico. I really had a duh moment when I realized I hadn't thought of Mexico as a huge country with regional differences. I was surprised at the subtle, complex, fresh, light, and delicate but very familiar taste of the cuisine served in this restaurant.
I immediately fell in love with the fresh nutty taste of the sauces and moles that reminded me of my Korean grandmothers home ground meals and beans. The fragrant herbs and vegetables in their salsa are enticing in its strong just picked aroma and flavor. Jaime, one of the chefs, grows some of his own herbs. They also import many herbs and seasonings from Mexico. I've eaten many dishes there and there are dishes for every taste.
Chili En Nogada: This dish is a painting of green chile poblano, creamy white pecan sauce, and bright jeweled scattering of pomegranate seeds. When you break the chile open, dark brown ground pork with dried fruits, walnuts, and candied cactus comes tumbling out. Everything in this dish is addictive and incredibly unusual and delicious.
Traditional Mole Poblano with Chicken: The sauce is dark and chocolatey velvet over tender chicken. It is an incredible combination of subtly sweet with juicy meat.
Churros: Hot crunchy sugar coated churros. What more could you want? Wait, there's a burst of hot creamy filling that makes it extra special. Mmmm try it with their Mexican coffee.
Aztec Cheese: How could you not enjoy a combination of various cheeses especially in the masterful hand of the chefs at La Casita? The four Mexican cheeses are melted all over mushrooms and herbs. Mmm
Divorced Chilaquiles: All their chilaquiles are flavorful and crunchy. I liked all their sauces on the light hot chips. In this dish half of the tortillas is topped with salsa verde and the other with a red chili sauce.
This restaurant turned me on to real Mexican food and they continue to offer a variety of delicious and spectacular dishes. Mmmmmm, I can live there if they were closer to me.
I've been going to Casita since before Mr. Flay stopped by...over 5 years and this place is authentically delicious.
First off, my fave beverage is the Agua de Limon con Chia. Best "lemonade" I've ever had in my life.
The meal starts with chips covered in 3 types of mole. Yum yum.
Each plate comes with so much food, you'd better be hungry or ready to take some home for lunch the next day.
Any of the combo plates is great but my all time favorites are the Childes en Nogadas (chiles stuffed with marinated ground beef and rasins, covered in creme with pomagrante seeds) and Emoladas (enchiladas covered in the best mole sauce next to my best friend's grandpa's)
Each meal comes with rice and a soup...nopales (catus) is my fave.
The place is in a not so great neighborhood on a busy street but always busy, a testament to the quality. It's a cute, humble little place with bright colors and decor and no pretense. Even the service has gotten so much better over the years that the last few times I've gone have been excellent experiences.
If you're in the area, you'll enjoy yourself...the food is great/authentic and it's a great place to relax with friends for a great meal.
And check out the panderia next door...the pan dulce is really good.
If you are near Bell, you should definately check it out.
My hubby and I found this place as we were researching wedding food options. Upon first bite, I fell in love with the food. It is excellent and authentic. As others have noted, you receive chips with their famous mole and pepian sauces upon seating. Each entree comes with their soup of the day (simple and tasty). By the way, we selected La Casita to cater our wedding and had a very positive experience. Years later, people are still talking about the food!
If you're not too full after your entree, their desserts are amazing. I especially like their rompope flan and cajeta filled churros. Delicious!
Wow! It was great. Best Mole I've had since coming to California. And I made the trek all the way to Bell just to try it!!
We had the chile en nogada. It wasn't the same dish that won them the throwdown with Bobby Flay, but the waiter recommended it. The pecan cream sauce was sweet and amazing. By the end of the meal, I was dipping every last bit of meat or tortilla I had in this sauce.
We also had the three mole enchilada (chx). They were awesome. The two pepian sauces were good, but the mole was amazing. Have to say it again: best mole I've had in Cali. Even the white rice was good. Super fluffy and flavorful.
The lemonade was good, but not superb. I would save the sweet calories for dessert next time!
You can park on the front curb (look at the curb color and watch the signs) or there is a lot behind.
Note to all: I say it's worth it and I drove 20 miles to get there!!
today i had the queso azteca and the special of the day which was an enchilada in a tomato and cream sause. de-freakin-licious. you really can't go wrong with anything you order here.
secret: make sure you make room for their heavenly flan that is soaked in rum and has the dense texture with awesome caramel. i heart flan and i've never had it better than here.
what can i say that others have not already said? i've been here twice now and can't wait to go back… Read more »
A-MAZ-ING
I'd been waiting to try La Casita Mexicana since I saw these guys whip Chef Bobby Flay with their nopales/veggie relleno on an episode of "Throwdown" in May.
Today, my sweetie and I ventured out for lunch. The restaurant was easy to find & charming inside. The servers were attentive & gracious. These issues are secondary to the fact that the food was truly outstanding. More than worth the 25min trek from Long Beach to Bell.
First served to us were chips with Tres Moles (sauce) drizzled on top. And INCREDIBLE roasted tomatillo salsa. I enthusiastically ate the veggie relleno, which was fresh, vibrant and delicious beyond what I'd imagined. It was served with a creamy soup which was the only thing I wasn't particlarly into. Dave enjoyed his pozole. I stole his radish slices so I could eat every single bit of the salsa!
Overdoing it, we opted for dessert of caramelized plantains with creamy pecan sauce - which were delicious, but a bit dense for lunchtime (it would've been a perfect breakfast). The Mexican coffee, cinnamony and served with warmed cream, was an ideal ending.
We also drank their lemon/limeade, charming with cactus-fruit seeds -- but I think next time I will skip the sugary beverage and eat even more food... perhaps the mole, yummy...
THANKS, La Castia Mexicana! I will be back!
Chile en Nogada = Glorious.
Tres Moles w/ Chicken OR Pork = Amazing.
Random hole in the wall in Bell, but well worth the drive from Hollywood. The complimentary soup was a little salty for my taste and the horchata was a bit sweet but those two entries listed above... as Fergie would spell it: T-A-S-T-E-Y! Will go back soon!!!
As I've mentioned before, having spent a good part of my adult years traveling around Mexico, I am an extremely picky Mexican food eater. La Casita is probably the best Mexican food I've had here in L.A.
There's are plenty of vegetarian choices. I've only been here for breakfast, and to quote any high schooler, the chilaquiles are the bomb! SO delicious. They also have green sauce, yum. They usually have a vegetarian (yes, vegetarian, not just vegetable) soup choice. The potato tacos are divine. They give you piloncillo with your coffee. All this adds up to one big YUM!
I haven't been in quite a while, so I can't expand on the menu choices, but everything I've had there has been really delicious, and those churros int he picture below are making me want to jump in the car right now!
Wine Orgy Part 4
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Why am I such a Wine Geek???
Pinot with Wild Mushroom Risotto
Syrah with Roasted Pork
Zinfandel with BBQ ribs!
1999 Spottswoode Cabernet with Mexican Food. Holy Shit! I Guess I was drunk. Well by now into the Orgy we were hungry. So I poured from my personal collection this wine. You tell yourself do the right thing and have the perfect meal with the perfect wine. All that should really go out the doors. "Just Drink what you like and Like What you Drink" We were really on a quest this night. Toasting our family members that passed on. Seeing our children become the property of the US Army. Why not have an Orgy to celebrate.
So Why Mexican food then. In a Simple word perfection!
Yeah the Wine really doesn't go with the food well but I couldn't allow my Brother and best friend show me up. So while I ate my Chile Relleno stuffed with Mushrooms and Nopales
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I kept believing I was eating the most amazing Steak ever. The Red sauce around the plate has just the right amount of heat and the Nopales mixed inside add a layer of tartness to balance the heat.
La Casita Mexicana is what I call Upscale Mexican Cuisine. The restaurant is very small inside and that night there Mariachi's were blowing my ear drums out as they performed. Overall this is a must try place. There Mole's are one of the best in Los Angeles. My best friend couldn't get enough so he decided to buy another plate just to take home for his mama!
This is my second trip to this restaurant. The first was a couple of years before the Bobby Flay Throw Down Episode. Since then more and more yelpers have been wanting to try it. As critical as some have been. I would give this place 10 stars if I could.
Wine Orgy Over!
cheers!
Recently went to this place with co-workers from Texas and Arizona and wasn't too impressed. I read all the reviews and i think it was just too hyped up and set up for a big disappointment. We went on a Wednesday for lunch and the place was about 30% full. The service was ok, nothing to brag about. The menu is small with not that many options. We started with the queso fundido and it was ok, the best part of this was the home made tortillas. I ordered the flautas with a side of mexican rice, they were good but nothing special. The rice was a disappointment. Their lemonade is good and the chia seeds add a special flare. My coworkers ordered the mole, chile relleno con hongos y nopales and enchiladas tres moles. Nobody complained about their food but one of my coworkers was left wanting more. We finished our lunch with the churros and cafe de olla. I have had better churros and cafe de olla and i will leave it at that. Their pipan verde is good, probably one of the best i ever had but overall the restaurant still left me wanting more.
I went here because Bobby Flay threw it DOWN here. I had to eat the chile relleno. I thought it was really interesting. It is all vegetarian with cactus and mushrooms. The flavor as robust and the dish was nice and light. Apparently Jonathon Gold is a fan also seeing that he included them on his list of restaurants for The LA Weekly Gold Standard Event so it HAS to be good...right?!?!
Check it out if you're in the area.
I am currently watching Bobby Flay "Throw It Down" with the owners of this restaurant and can not… Read more »
Is it worth driving to Bell to visit La Casita Mexicana, unless your version of Mexican Food is Taco Bell the answer is no. Perhaps the secret non-menu items may prove differently, but this is a fairly standard Mexican place that competently serves Mexican food.
Started the meal with tortilla chips accompanied by their three moles (pepian rojo, verde, and poblano), the chips were crisp on not oily and each mole was tasty. I am not a big fan of the traditional mole negro but this was amongst the best I've had. By far the best part of the chips was the salsa that came on the side, that was super good.
The Agua de Limon con Chia ordered by my date was also pretty good. It wasn't overly sweet and had a nice tang to it.
The wait staff was confused by our ordering when after ordering one entree, we next told him we wanted the appetizer of the Queso Azteca. Is it really that hard or even necessary to make a big deal out of having to cross out the order of the entree so the kitchen knows what order to prepare and send each dish out, especially when the whole order consisted of only two entrees and the appetizer and the dishes were not paced and were sent out as they were prepared. At least he wrote down the order, one of my biggest pet peeves are waiters who choose not to write things down since they are so great at their job, funny how they usually mess up your order...
The meal proceeded as follows;
Soup of the day: Soup was placed in front of each of us and waiter walked away without explanation as to what it was. The soup comes with the entrees. It looked like a chicken based stock thickened with flour or tortilla chips and red from either chile or tomatoes. The waiter eventually explained it as a different kind of soup reciting ingredients that included the chicken stock, flour thickener, chiles and other spices that were listed too quickly I decided not to ask for a repetition. The waiter did not know what the soup was at first and attempted asking another only to remember and recite what was mentioned supra.
Next came the queso azteca, it was the best dish of the night. The queso is a blend of four mexican cheeses with mushrooms, cactus, chile slices, and spices melted and blanketed between plaintain leaves. It was accompanied by fresh tortillas. The portion is massive, but should be eaten quickly since the cheese as it cools becomes a little chewy/rubbery. The tortillas with the cheese and the salsa from the chips were delightful.
My date had the pork mole three ways, i.e. poblano and pepian rojo and verde. The pork was not very tender and lukewarm when I tried it. As I stated the mole poblano is not my favorite but my dinner partner said it was pretty good, but was not wowed by it. She also felt the pork was not the best she's had. I found the pepian mole a little too gritty at times. Reheating the leftover mole the next day made the grittiness worse.
The Mexican rice that came with this dish tasted as if it was cooked using a shrimp broth rather than chicken stock and was a much more vibrant red than I am used to. The rice was interesting, it had a funny bite, I can't quite put a description to it, but was moist and rich/buttery in flavor.
My entree was the fish fillet with chile morita served with white rice. The fish was on the verge of being overcooked and did not take much of any flavor from the spices or chile morita. It was a disappointment, there is not much worse than flavorless overcooked fish. The morita chiles included on top of the fish were bursting with flavor but looked like more of a second thought add on for looks rather than flavor. The rice was good, it had some veggies and a buttery flavor without being oily, but it also had that interesting bite to it.
No dessert was ordered and we opted to try the cafe the olla, that from my recollection is coffee cooked over a stove with cinnamon and pilloncillo (mexican brown sugar, the funny looking cone things you seen in the market). The point of the pilloncillo and cinnamon is to add their unique flavor to the coffee done by first boiling water with the sugar and cinnamon reducing the mixture to intensify the flavors and then brewing the coffee. Here, it seems like you are served regular coffee straight from the pot (coffee maker) that has cinnamon added to it and the piloncillo is given to you to use as you would normal sugar. The filtering of the coffee grounds was not the best around and a stomachache resulted from the poor cafe de olla.
After the coffee there was no real inkling to want to try the dessert, although the churros did look tempting.
Overall, La Casita Mexicana looks like it can make basic Mexican food a feat that is surprisingly difficult to find in Los Angeles. The flautas, enchilladas, and chile en nogado I witnessed go to other tables look like they were prepared right. Nothing extraordinary here so not worth the hype of the trek to Bell.
You can excuse yourself for initially passing over La Casita Mexicana, because this place is located in damn Bell, a place nobody ever intentionally ventures to drive out to except in the circumstances of finding good diesel gas prices or depressing examples of mini-mall architecture. But upon the advice of an esteemed source we never doubt, we took the half hour trek down the 5 to the 710 and found ourselves walking into what is obviously a restaurant normally frequented by locals, but renowned enough that new faces are noticed but not unwelcome. Brightly mottled earthen hued walls help shape a lower case "d" shaped room, the negative space occupied by a large weathered, dark gray wooden facade in traditional Spanish Mission architecture (a building within a building) which houses the cooking staff like a fort. Instead of arms, the chefs brandish knives and pans to busily churn out meals to a mix of young and old patrons who all seem eager and happy to have found themselves wise enough to drop by for dinner here for Cinco de Mayo instead of the usual margarita splashdowns.
We found a table positioned right across from the kitchen where we could watch a couple of young cooks under the watchful eye of either owners Campo or Arvizu . The smell of fresh tortillas wafts languidly through the air, only interrupted by the recognizably sensuous gurgle-crack of hot oil bringing something...anything...to golden perfection. A small bowl of tortilla chips come painted with a tri-colour of moles, a first offering laid in front of us like a pet to its dinner bowl. We descended upon it in kind, enjoyed accompanied alongside fresh lemonade mixed with miniscule chia seeds freckling the pale green concoction. A plate of fried cheese, cut into triangles, fried to a faded orange naughahyde finish, all casually arranged across vibrant green plantain leaves with cilantro and onions, an edible Kandinsky, was next. Salty and plain, the cheese rewards with a satisfying texture and taste not unlike perfectly cooked fried tofu. Cream of rice soup, with broken fluffy rice hidden in the depths of a cashmere broth that only reveal their presence at the last moment before swallowing a spoonful preluded the main course. Strangely, upon initial smell and taste, the rice soup exuded a recognizably Korean character to it. The bright specks of red pepper and a light presence of garlic were the likely culprits for the case of first taste mistaken identity.
Emily ordered the vegetarian enmoladas de queso, a trio of three skinny tortilla bound swimmers floating on their backs ontop a pool of mole mud, a presentation bisected by a startlingly pristine band of crumbled Cotija cheese and flanked by an extra bowl of cactus salad and plate of white rice artfully topped with a bright red dried chile ontop. The mole was peppered leather, a richly complex medley of spice, fragrance and a hint of sweet powered by a recipe of 46 ingredients combined together like a Voltron of undefeatable flavour. I ended up breaking my month-long commitment to vegetarian fare upon seeing a menu offering of spiced ground meat, dried fruit, walnuts, candied cactus lathered with a creamy white pecan cream sauce all embellished with ruby red pomegranate seeds quite possibly stolen from an Armenian jeweler. I've had chile en nogada before, but upon first bite I knew I was really having it for the first time here. Cutting open that first piece of the large chile pepper, the ground meat, nut and cactus mixture spills out like a mortally wounded pinata, the contents avalanching into the thick pool of cream which binds each fork full, occasionally punctuated by the tart firecracker pop of pearl sized pomegranate seeds. Though I was unaware at the time that chile en nogada at La Casita Mexicana takes a full day to prepare, I knew I was tasting something wonderfully special. Imagine passionately kissing someone after they've eaten a large spoonful of the richest vanilla ice cream, and you have a close approximation of how urgently exciting each bite tasted, felt. And if that wasn't enough, the white rice accompanying our dishes filled my head with images of hard bound book pages being quickly leafed through as each fluffy kernel passed over my tongue thanks to its sublime texture and gentle flavour. Intermittently I'd land a large forkful of this rice to reset my palate from the sweet-savory seduction of the chile en nogada, a steady back and forth tempo played until both large plate and side plate were empty and I pushed them away with the satisfaction I could eat no more until my next visit to La Casita Mexicana. I hope to return soon to try their selection of desserts, their breakfast fare and some of their hardier meat dishes. In the meantime, I'll dream of that dreamy-creamy first kiss and try to get these darn chia seeds out from inbetween my teeth.
Bobby Flay's throwdown got me to bookmark this place a few months ago, and I finally made it down there last night.
The food was awesome! I recently took a trip to Mexico City and this place reminded me of the food I had there.
Appetizer: Queso Frito- little fried triangles of Mexican cheese...sooo good.
Soup: Pasta soup with chicken stock base- very mild and I loved it.
Entree: Tres Moles de Pollo- Fresh made Mole sauces really hit the mark.
Entree #2 : Cheese Enmoladas- Dry cheese enchiladas with dark Mole sauce. Very Unique and tasty.
Beverage: Home made Lemonade with Chia seeds- Fantastic
Desert: Fried banana with creamy pecan sauce- WOW
I wish La Casita was closer to home because I would really like to explore the rest of the menu, I'm sure I would be a regular if I lived near by.
Total for two was $45.
I will definitely return next time I am close.
I came here maybe about a year ago. I believe I had the enchiladas en 3 moles. They were pretty good! BUT the queso fundido with chorizo and the tortillas and the chips w/mole & my aqua fresca were TO DIE FOR!
If ever in the Southeast L.A. area... go there!
La Casita is a restaurantito, chiquitito in Bell, mostly known for it's mole. They serve their yellow corn chips with three different moles: traditional (which has traces of chocolate or cocoa in it), green mole and pipian (yellowish). All passable!
I'm not much of a mole person, so I went with the more healthy option. The vegetarian chile relleno (1) - a poblano pepper stuffed with mushrooms and cactus (nopales - such a great source of fiber) in a tomato and onion salsa. The rice that came along with it tasted like Spanish Jasmine rice. I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty and filling it was. I even took about half of it home and had it for breakfast the next day.
I can't remember what the soup of the day was called, but it was very savory and tasted like it could be creme of carrot (maybe with a little bit of zucchini) with pureed rice. It was good.
Two of my friends got the carne asada plate and it looked really good as the plate was covered in grilled onions, homemade tortillas, beans and rice. It was a generous portion, too. They took about half of it home as well.
Service was just eh. After sitting there for about 10 minutes, the waiter asked if I wanted something to drink. I was waiting for a 4 more people, so I told him water would be fine. Another 10 minutes later another waitress asked me if I wanted something to drink and I told her water. The original waiter came back and said, "I'm so sorry about the water, but better late than never, right?" What? Better late than never? That's what I should write on the tip section of the receipt.....the 3rd time I visit the restaurant! Punk!
We went to La Casita Mexicana for the 2nd time last night, this time with my inlaws (my hubby's family is from Mexico) and I wondered if they would like it or find it passable as authentic Mexican cuisine. My FIL can cook, he used to be a professional chef, so his opinion is important! And they really liked the food here. The give you a free chips bowl with their three moles (traditional, pipian rojo and pipian verde) and this is delicious - I really like all of these sauces. We had the Queso Azteca appetizer- very delicious. It's a blend of four white cheeses from what the waiter told us, with mushrooms and cactus, served in a plantain leaf and with delicious homemade corn tortillas. Their homemade tortillas are SO good and not greasy at all. So yummy for a cheese hound like me! We also liked the complimentary soup- a mild bean soup served with a garnish of cotija cheese, a roasted chile and with crispy tortilla strips. I believe there's a bit of chorizo in the soup for flavor. It's good and very traditional. I had the mole' enchiladas (chicken) - they were delicious. The mole' here is sweeter than my FIL's and a bit less chile but it's still really good. My husband had the chile nogada and my MIL had the vegetarian chile. My FIL had the three meats with chorizo and his came with tortillas, side of beans and side of cactus so he could make tacos with it. I tried one of the meats (the thin steak) and it was good although very crispy. We all loved the dishes and I had to take some of mine home, the sauce is quite rich on it. I thought my husband's chile nogada (it came with the seasonal pomegranate seeds) was wonderful and different- the walnut cream sauce is sweet and there is ground pork stuffed inside. Very tasty but good! The restaurant itself has a pleasing simple decor and the waiters are very efficient and friendly. Bell itself is not exactly the best neighorhood in the world, but parking out front seems safe enough and if you park close enough I'm sure it's fine. One downside is no beer, wine, or alcohol or any sort (no margaritas- which would have really completed this meal). This restaurant was featured on a Bobby Flay throw down for the vegetarian chile relleno. I personally prefer the Chile Nogada to the vegetarian one, but overall prefer my rellenos with cheese in them. Not your typical Mexican restaurant, they have a different type of cuisine and experience to offer.
Solid, delicious Mexican food. A bit unusual, interesting, worth a try. Their dark mole sauce is fantastic, to my taste buds, and their red and green pepian sauces are a nice and subtle contrast. Service has been very good both times, fried cheese appetizer is very good, main dishes all very good too (Enmoladas, Nogada, 3 moles), and I love their horchata and lemonade. The starter chips and 3 moles really put you in a good mood!
Recommended.
**** UPDATE!!!!****
TRY THE WHITE MOLE!!!! O-M-G. The best stuff I have ever allowed in my mouth! Chicken enchilada with WHITE MOLE SAUCE.
I promise...YOU will be glad you did!"
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I decided to have dinner at La Casita Mexicana in Bell last night. Hey, it's not every day I get a wild hair up my butt and decide to venture out of my posh surroundings to the barrio.
The location is very -- what's the word I am looking for...ethnic.
In other words, everything is Hispanic-fied.
From the Sopp Chevrolet to the Mexico Tires Center to La Taqueria Mexico to the Lingerie Mexicana and even the EsStarbucks.
I never realized Latinos were into crappy coffee concoctions.
La Casita Mexicana is nestled away between the Lingerie shop and another restaurant that surely lives in the shadows of La Casita's fame and glory.
It's a very small operation with a cozy seating capacity of 30-40.
We had the window table and enjoyed the passersby -- kids running along side a busy street at 9pm, a gang of slightly older kids dressed like they were shooting a Lil Wayne video, rotund couples strolling along devouring some kind of sweet bread...ahhh, city of Bell Gardens.
The inside decor is very bright with warm tones. Latin paintings and art work neatly hang on the walls while countless certificates, magazine clippings and awards proudly adorn every inch of the restaurant.
We started off with chips topped with three different kinds of sauces; one mole and two pepian sauces and sesame seeds. Beats the old greasy chips and runny salsa, I'll tell you that.
We quickly inhaled the two bowls of these chips.
The menu is in both Spanish and English providing a thorough description of every dish.
I was torn between two chile rellenos I saw on Bobby Flay's Throwdown episode; the chile relleno with cactus and mushrooms or the chile en nogado.
Since the waiter knew I was going by what I witnessed on the TV program, he suggested I try their popular chile en nogado.
The description of this particular dish was more on the sweet side than I had expected. Dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and pork?
His recommendation toyed with my mind and I gave in.
Jeff ordered the three enchiladas each with their own special sauce.
The only downside to this dish is that they use the same three sauces on the chips. So, when you get your enchiladas, you feel like you've been there - done that with 10x the intensity.
The mole was delicious -- however, the enchilada was stuffed with cotija cheese, which is extremely salty.
The sweet spicy of the mole and the smelly salty of the cotija cheese just didn't seem to mesh well on the pallet.
The other two chicken enchiladas with the pepian sauce were delicious.
My dish finally arrived.
I could smell the different spices -- especially the cinnamon.
The cream sauce was sweet -- much sweeter than I anticipated and the cranberries on top really gave this dish more of a dessert taste.
The chile was crisp and light -- the pork mixture inside was nutty and fragrant...
I can't say I was too jazzed with this dish. After 3-4 bites, I was quickly over the sweetness factor and focused on the rice instead.
This is their most popular and highly praised dish on the menu...and I can understand why. It's different and unique -- nothing like I have ever experienced. However, a little too candy-ish for the long haul.
I will definitely be back for the chile with cactus and mushrooms. Great place, great food and great experience.
I have yet to eat here -- so, I technically can't review this place...
However, I shall rank La…
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If you're not of Mexican descent and always wanted GOOD Mexican food, THIS is the place to go to. This place is not your typical fast-food Mexican place, where the food is terribly greasy and doesn't sit well in your stomach.
Everything is made to order, carefully organized onto your plate. They have great appetizers; try the fried cheese! The tortillas are freshly made. It is the perfect place to sit and have brunch with your family on a Sunday.
If you're a fan of fish, I recommend the fish fillet, "A La Plancha". It is by far THEE most appetizing grilled fish I've had in a really long time.
Everything is good on the menu, you just have to see for yourself =)
My sister works at BCBG corporate headquarters, located in industrial and fast-food-saturated Vernon, California. When I was visiting recently, my dad and I went to go have lunch with her. Thanks to a Yelp search, she discovered that La Casita was a 5-10 minute drive from her office, and we decided to go check it out.
Some things we loved about the place:
-The uniqueness factor (it's hard to find authentic and non Tex-Mex Mexican food in California)
-The tortilla chips served with a mole sauce
-The mushroom and cactus chile relleno (the cactus was super tender and the tomatoes and onions on top added a nice richness)
-The mole enchiladas
Some things we didn't love:
-The service (our server acted very impatient with us, and he took a long time to actually take our order)
-The soup that was served as a free starter (it had a very strange creamy flavor)
If you live or work anywhere near Bell, you will be happy to know that an authentic restaurant serving flavorful cuisine is close by. However, unlike other reviewers, I probably wouldn't brave L.A. traffic just to come eat here.
We too fell victim of coming here after watching Flay's Throwdown. To sum it up, it was a rather disappointment. We ordered the chili relleno, of course, and it was just OK. Not spectacular, not awesome, just OK. I ordered the meat dish with 3 different meats. The overall taste of the food was bland. It was missing flavor. Plus, my meat was dry and rubbery. The good thing about eating here is that you don't feel like you gained 10 pounds afterwards. It's not greasy, and the ingredients seem fresh. Service is great, fast, and friendly. Overall an average experience.
Oh, almost forgot. They don't serve alcohol!!! No beer!!!
My stepdad and I went here because we saw it on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. It was clear during our meal that the Food Network chose this restaurant to "throw down" because the novelty of the chile rellenos would make for good TV, not because the food was particularly good. The chile rellenos (stuffed peppers) were stuffed with cactus, mushrooms, nuts, dried fruit, pomegranate seeds, etc., instead of your typical beans, salsa, cheese, rice, and meat. The food itself, once you get over its uniqueness, is only ok.
To be fair, the mole sauce and the green and red pepian sauces were good. The best part of the meal was at the beginning when they brought the chips out with the three sauces on them. The soup of the day (tortilla soup) was bland. The chile relleno Negado, which my stepdad ordered, was flavorful and pretty good but not mindblowing.
I ordered the chicken in green pepian sauce. While the sauce was good, the chicken was bland, dry and overcooked. It was so bad that I sent it back and ordered the pork in green pepian sauce. Again, the sauce was good, but the pork was without any flavor of its own. So stay away from those dishes and order the chile relleno instead. As I said, the chile relleno is pretty good.
We Are Now Open For Dinner!
Neighborhood: South Los Angeles
Family Special 1
Los Angeles, CA
Huntington Park, CA
Category: Mexican
South Gate, CA
Category: Mexican
Bell, CA
Category: Mexican
Bell, CA
Category: Restaurants
San Gabriel, CA
Category: Latin American
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