Playa Amor Mexican Cocina

101 Best restaurants of Los Angeles

@latimes

"#59 Thomas Ortega smudges the line between high and low, and what we think of as “Mexican” and “American” cooking, at his restaurants Amor y Tacos in Cerritos, Ortega 120 in Redondo Beach and the fast-casual Amorcito at the Long Beach Exchange. At Playa Amor, his beachy, marina-adjacent restaurant in Long Beach, Ortega goes full-bore into his brand of Chicano “pocho” cooking. He makes poutine dolloped with black mole; pasta is tossed in a New Mexico Hatch green chile sauce; and lobster is roasted with clarified butter and served with fresh pico de gallo, Puerto Nuevo-style. Short ribs are justly popular, cooked until they collapse into a fragrant, musky birria. For an ode to Southern cooking via Long Beach, try the paprika-spiced Mexican white shrimp served over a bowl of the buttery, house-ground hominy — Ortega’s smart, delicious take on shrimp and grits. Full bar. Lot parking. Credit cards accepted."