Dinner at Rivera Restaurant (Los Angeles)

So back in May 2013, Johnathan Gold, who is a food critic for the L.A. Times,  published a list of the "101 Best Restaurant in Los Angeles."  As self-proclaimed foodies, my husband and I decided that we would try to visit as many of these places as we could.  Mr. Gold's list contains a huge variety of places, from Michelin-starred, well-known places, to smaller hole-in-the-wall gems.

So we read the list, and one of the first places we decided to try was Rivera restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles.  We chose Rivera primarily for two reasons: First, because it is in an area of Downtown L.A. that we  rarely visit.  It is fairly close to Staples Center, however, if we are headed there, we will usually eat somewhere at L.A. Live.  Second, because it was supposed to have a great collection of tequilas, and my husband is a sucker for tequila.  
 

My first, general observations were that Rivera had a good overall atmosphere,  and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.  The place specializes in "Latin-fusion" cuisine, from various parts of the world, so we had to ask our waiter some questions about the menu and he was happy to oblige.  We each started with one of their unusual cocktails.  My husband loves Mezcal, which comes from the agave plant, but is smokier than tequila.  Therefore, he tried a drink called the Barbacoa, which consisted of lemon juice, agave nectar, ginger, chipotle, lime, mezcal, red bell pepper, and a piece of beef jerky for garnish (yep, actual beef jerky)!  It looked like this:

 Now, I'm not a tequila or mezcal drinker, but I had to have a sip.  It was quite complex, spicy and smoky, but it was very tasty.  I had a cocktail called a Jane's Addiction, which was similar to a vodka lemon-drop, but not as sweet, and very refreshing. Rivera was definitely off to a good start!

Next, we ordered two appetizers:  First, we had the housemade tortillas with "Indian butter."  The tortillas had edible flowers pressed into each one, making them each little pieces of art.  They were beautiful, and I had never seen anything like it.

The "Indian butter" was more like a very smooth, and also spicy, guacamole.  Spread on top of the tortillas, it was delicious.

Second, we had a platter of jamon iberico, which is a type of cured ham from Spain, and considered to be the finest ham in the world.  The pigs are fed only acorns and herbs to allow for superb marbling of the ham.  The jamon comes from the thigh and hind leg of the animal.  We received a generous portion of the jamon, along with housemade sourdough toast to eat it with.  It was also very tasty.  The leg was proudly displayed in the middle of the restaurant, like a trophy for all to see, as the cooks gently shaved portions off of it and on to large platters.

For our main courses, I had brazilian feijoada, which was described as seared jidori chicken breast, with brazilian bean and chorizo sausage stew, with a malbec reduction.  (We are suckers for anything with chorizo in it!)  The chicken was prepared in the "sous-vide" method, where it is sealed in an airtight plastic bag, and then submerged in a water bath for longer than normal cooking time.  The intention of this method is to cook the food evenly, and not to overcook the outside, which keeps the meat juicier.  It was quite effective as the chicken was very juicy, and the chorizo and bean stew was an excellent accompaniment.

My husband had duck enfrijolada, which was braised duck with blue corn tortilla, black bean puree, chevre, and red wine chile sauce.  It came with some purple potatoes on the side.  The dish was beautiful, with edible flower petals on top.  The flavor was more sweet than spicy, and he described it like a BBQ'd pulled-pork sandwich, only with duck meat instead.  It was a little one note, as the tortillas became a bit mushy with all the sauce and the bean puree.  It could have used some type of crunchy element to give is a bit more texture.  The purple potatoes were pretty, but tasted just like regular potatoes, and did not add much to the dish.

We were pretty stuffed by the time we finished our entrees, but my husband wanted some tequila for "dessert", so we decided to scope out the dessert menu.  My husband ordered a tequila off of their extensive list, however, they were out of the one that he chose.  Instead of just telling him they were out of that tequila, the bartender (excuse me, "mixologist") personally came over to our table and asked my husband about his tequila preferences, and then gave him some suggestions for similar alternatives.  The bartender then brought over a couple of different tequilas for my husband to sample.  I thought this was a very classy move, and exuded the type of good service that should be expected with an expensive meal. One of the tequilas that the bartender gave him a sample of is pictured below.  My husband ultimately chose a tequila he had tried before, however, he was able to discover something new, which is always a sign that the bartender knows his stuff!

While all the tequila discussion was going on, I spotted something on the dessert menu that I had to try.  It was called xochimilco.  (I mostly just wanted to hear the waiter pronounce it!)  It was an ancho chile chocolate cake, with avocado mousse, lime pepper sauce, and a spicy pepita brittle.  The description sounded so unusual and delicious, we decided to split it.

Once again, the plate was beautiful.  The sweet and spicy flavors worked fantastic together, and whatever else the chef put in the avocado mousse made it taste like a sweet, avocado frosting for the chile spiced, chocolate cake.  My husband also said the dessert paired really well with his tequila.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable meal at Rivera.  The food was beautiful, as well as, quite tasty.   I would say we both enjoyed this culinary adventure, and we would recommend it to anyone headed into Downtown L.A. looking for a special meal.