Baco Mercat
Confit half duck with fennel, garlic, pickled pear
The beef tongue schnitzel Baco with harissa, smoked aioli, pickle
The Toron Baco with oxtail hash, cheddar tater, horseradish yogurt
The Bacon and Egg Coca with tomato, ricotta, pecorino
Blistered Green Beans with tomato, fenugreek, basil
Spaghetti Squash with corn puree, brown butter, lime, breadcrumb
Sauteed Broccolini with pickled grapes, basil, mint, cabrales
Caesar Brussels sprouts with pecorino, anchovy, garlic
Seared Scallops with kabocha, baby kale, cardamom, chicken
Veal sweetbreads with semolina, charred tomato, kumquat
Waffle rilletes, duck, raclette, mustard
Fried chicken n’ biscuit with coleslaw, cheddar, yuzu chile
Yogurt panna cotta, candied pecan, meyer lemon, honey
Hazelnut chocolate cream with orange cream, hazelnuts, strawberry
Chocolate banana cake with peanut butter cream, banana custard, semifreddo
Caramel upside down cake with pineapple, hazelnut, semifreddo
Making what turned out to be a surprisingly long walk after the Kings game at Staples Center to recent downtown darling Baco Mercat to meet up with a quartet of folks for late night dining my very first site of the restaurant was a midget climbing a tree outside at the amusement of passers-by…my second was being told that our reserved table would not be ready for another “15 to 20” (in reality, thirty) minutes; so it goes sometimes in Los Angeles, and with food also following the pattern of many of the city’s trendiest spots much of what landed on our table over the next two hours would prove good, but wildly inconsistent.
With service that is efficient by necessity and a space so loud that yelling is at times mandatory our sampling of Baco consisted of a dozen plates and a quartet of desserts; many such as the green beans and Brussels Sprouts simply over-seasoned while the coca and scallops were cardboard and overcooked, respectively. Faring better, though slightly, both signature ‘bacos’ seemed to rely on heavy handed condiments to make up for sinewy, low quality meats.
Moving on to what worked, the kitchen showed a deft hand with both the broccolini and the squash, the later my favorite savory of the night, while both duck preparations were intelligent and well prepared, the confit an excellent balance of sweetness and aromatic tones that boldly met the fowl’s gaminess head on. Additionally taking on another trendy item with the sweetbreads I was admittedly shocked at how gently the gland was prepared having already tasted the rubbery scallops and despite using a lot of acid in both this and the fried chicken biscuit both dishes were unique takes on their respective ingredients that worked very well.
A mixed bag on the savories and atmosphere, desserts would actually prove to be the restaurant’s strong point – all four distinct and interesting, running the gamut from light, citrus panna cotta to dense chocolate cake, the hazelnut dish even managing the difficult task of making chocolate and orange work in a complimentary manner as opposed to the citrus overwhelming the coco and the pineapple upside down cake an absolute must order, the flavors surprisingly delicate with a light smoky note that tastes as though it is cooked over fire helping to tame the otherwise intense sweetness.
With some hits and some misses there is a part of me that definitely ‘gets’ the hype, because with careful ordering I’m sure one could have an excellent meal here – a statement reinforced by the fact that I did not personally select any of the dishes I felt failed while the rest of the group seemed to enjoy the items they selected, if not those I optioned for; a strong testament to using this as a tapas spot where sharing is an excellent plan provided your fellow diners share your palate…and tolerance for long waits and high decibels.