Baco Mercat - Los Angeles

BacoMercat is located in downtown Los Angeles.  Opened by Josef Centeno, who has done stints at Restaurant Daniel, and more locally Lazy Ox Canteen, their signature dish is the baco.  The baco is a flatbread sandwich filled with different ingredients.  The original baco had pork belly, but the menu has expanded since its inception.

Menu

The restaurant is rather small and tables are situated very closely together.  You will get to know your neighbors by the time you leave.

Grapefruit Soda

I tried one of their signature sodas which is vinegar based.  The Grapefruit tastes nothing like grapefruit as I could not get past the vinegar which is rather strong.  It tastes like apple cider vinegar.  I thought the vinegar would be more subtle, but this smacks you in the face with a huge uppercut.

Caesar Brussels Sprouts

The Caesar Brussels Sprouts ($11) is a take on the classic salad.  The Brussels sprouts are shaved thin.  What surprised me about this dish is that it is a warm salad.  The dish is bursting with flavor and is a great take on a classic.

Baby Yellow Beet Salad

The Baby Yellow Beet Salad ($10) features beautifully cooked and tender beets with the funk of blue cheese and the tang of a yogurt based dressing.  Pickled onions add another sour note, while the radishes add some punch.

Baked Crispy Eggplant

The Baked Crispy Eggplant ($13) is a take on the classic eggplant parmesan.   The use of Japanese eggplants add a softer texture than the regular eggplant.  The tomato sauce has the right amount of acid, while the cheese is just meltingly good. 

Original Baco

Opened Original Baco

The “Original Baco” ($12) has pork, beef carnitas and a salbitxada sauce with peppery greens.  The pork belly was almost nothing but hard, and almost impossibly chewy fat.  There were only a few small pieces of beef, which were tender and flavorful.  I did not like the salbitxada sauce which is a Catalan sauce made with tomatoes, almonds, chilis, parsley, garlic, vinegar and olive oil.

Carne Picada

The “Carne Picada” ($13) is a flatbread type pizza with a spicy beef almost reminiscent of a deeply spiced chorizo.  It also contained pine nuts, goat cheese and more of the salbitxada sauce, of which I was not a fan.

The appetizers were great, flavorful, somewhat inventive and something I would order again in a heartbeat.  Had I known that I would not like the salbitxada sauce, I would have stayed away from the baco and “coca” (flatbread pizza) that were ordered.