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No soup that makes me sad
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Seafood stew was best part
Guess I will just go for tasting menu then, damn you Holbox!
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The cashier said I should come early for the stew or come on a weekday.
I didn’t know that many people like seafood stew
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people with taste
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Stew seems to be a colder weather dish.
It’s June so I think we may not see it again until the fall.
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congratulations
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Huge congrats! (Selfishly I’m bummed it’s going to be more crowded, especially before LAFC games.)
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There is so much cool culinary stuff going on in LA right now. Such a great representation of LA at the new Holbox
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But over the course of the pandemic, particularly during an outdoor lunch of blood clams and meaty grilled kanpachi collars, I began feeling more urgent about its singularity: the swath of people it reaches, the balanced brilliance of the food, how perfectly the setting embodies L.A.
Cetina had similar feelings about the location. He’s looked at spaces to potentially move Holbox; the current situation doesn’t allow for an alcohol permit. Ultimately, he decided to stay. “This is where this food came from,” he said recently. “I’ve never worked for another chef, other than my dad. Sorry, Dad. I’ve never clocked in to another kitchen, I never went to culinary school. The food that we’re serving, it was born here at the Mercado.”
i fully agree that the location is a key element of the magic of Holbox, and really is why it most captures the soul of LA more than any other restaurant currently. and i am extremely grateful for Chef Gilberto for leaving the money on the table in order to stay at this community center and maintain this invaluable connection to place and people
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They’re booking up fast if y’all are wanting to try the tasting menu.
We had to reserve for August.
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live sea urchin and scallop ceviche
tostada de atun - baja california farmed blue fin tuna ceviche, avocado puree, arbol-peanut sauce
oysters
taco de pescado al carbon - mesquite grilled baja kanpachi, guac, pico de gallo, morita sauce
baja fish taco - classic crispy battered local rokfish, crema, mayo, salsa roja, cabbage, pico
grilled kanpachi collars - two mesquite grilled baja kanpachi collars, rice, black beans, avo, pico & handmade corn tortillas
churros con chocolate - house-made churros with chocolate sauce
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Very disappointed when I went last week they didn’t have uni or blood clams. So good.
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I will be there on 8/24. What date are you going?
Agree completely with @set0312 assessment of the tasting menu. Definitely highlight of year so far and deserved of restaurant of the year, esp now after the remodel.
Did not check to see if anyone shed tears of joy, but damn, the experience is fantastic. the relaxed setting was reminiscent of previous mochica tasting menu and got you excited that food this good could be coming from a food court kitchen.
the price point is just right and such a rarity in this day of $250 (and up) per person tasting menus and omakases. All non alcoholic drinks (sparkling, lemonades etc) are included as well.
Sergio manning the seafood counter. Our crowdsourced cookbook purchased during the pandemic.
our conchas did not include razor clam and we got 2 oysters and blood clam as well as geoduck. For some reason this photo won’t upload.
The cold dishes were great as usual and exactly like the a la carte menu. The hot dishes are truly the star. They were different, exciting, and enlightening. The sauces were all lick the plate worthy, esp the crab fat salsa macha with the dungenous crab taco. Love the way he tells the stories of each dish, esp the tortilla respada and how he uses the uncooked masa from that to make the abalone tamale. any of the hot dishes could battle it out of bite of the year but our favorite was abalone tamale.
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@hppzz lol you’ve made my day. I seriously wrote that review wondering if my brain was a tad broken. So glad to know that you enjoyed.
crying tears of joy in my living room
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This, too, brings me tears (of joy).
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got @hppzz’fluenced and brought some kleenex with me just in case.
everyone knows holbox’s alc menu is great but their tasting menu is at another level. i’m really impressed how much the tasting menu has improved from just a year and a half ago.
the cold dishes are really good but the hot dishes are excellent and I think where sergio really shines. I didn’t need any tissues but I was saying wow a lot.
highlights
- shigoku oyster, santa barbara sea urchin
- fresh sea urchin from sea stephanie fish
- the tetela using kanpachi liver instead of cheese was brilliant
- the perfectly grilled and sweet diver scallop with roe and x’catic salsa
- bluefin tostada on house made raspada tostada. the tostada takes a couple days to make and had that blistered chicharrones texture.
- crab taco, wish this was on the alc menu
- expertly grilled lobster with that butter sauce and cabbage stuffed with knuckle meat, fish and rice.
- masa in the abalone tamale
at $115 this might be one the best qpr in the city. i enjoyed this meal as much as my recent dinner at providence. well deserving of restaurant of the year.
@boourns review forthcoming?
big geoduck energy
geoduck ceviche
blood clam (baja, ca)
black magic oyster (pei), smoke trout roe, cucumber
shigoku oyster, santa barbara sea urchin
santa barbara sea urchin, santa barbara white seabass ceviche
kanpachi curado - citrus cured baja california omega azul kanpachi, aguachile, avocado
tostada de atun - farmed baja bluefin tuna on house made raspada tostada, arbol-peanut sauce
tetela de higado con camaron - kanpachi liver, black bean, blue and yellow corn tortilla, salsa verde, cucumber salad, wood grilled transparentSea prawn
callos a la plancha - freshly shucked diver scallop (maine), grilled roe, x’catic salsa
taco de jaiba - dungeness crab, local oaxaca cheese, crab butter salsa macha, bolita azul corn masa
the butter
langosta - mesquite grilled maine lobster, saffron-butter-lobster sauce, stuffed cabbage
tamal de abulon - abalone tamale, yucatan style masa colada, abalone sauce
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This has ftc buyout written all over it… pretty impressed that dishes seem to be changing kinda often.
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