PALADAR's the place

1651 Wilcox Avenue, Hollywood (323) 465-7500

 

This cozy eatery is an ode to Cuba.  In Havana, the "paladares" are an alternative to the expensive, state-run restaurants.  Characteristically small, they offer authentic, home-cooked meals at affordable prices and are actively sought out by visitors that want to experience local cuisine and provincial Cuban life.  Hollywood's version is a celebration of that tradition, a neighborhood eatery domiciled in a historic 1940's-era building, the exterior of which reflects a pre-Castro design sensibility.

 

Paladar's new Executive Chef is Jason Cline, a Floridian influenced by Cuban cuisine.  Pulled from the Four Seasons Aviara resort in Carlsbad, Klein now recreates the traditional dishes that fascinated him and brings a "lighter and more fun" approach by mixing up flavors and spices for wider appeal, resulting in an array of subtly flavored dishes for Angelenos. 

 

The walls are lined uniquely with a plaster and a tobacco leaf finish and the lampshades, also lined with the golden narcotic, cast a warm, honeyed light onto the packed room.  Pictures of vibrant Cuban life line another wall as if silent spectators to the flowing mojitos, satiating plates of cuisine and the boisterous patrons. 

 

Heady mojitos, thankfully spared from the syrupy recipes elsewhere else, come in pineapple, coconut, mango, key lime or the sublime raspberry flavor.  On Thursday's "Love Those Mojito" Nights the elixir is free flowing as you dine. The wine list here prominently features Latin wines from Spain, Chile, and Argentina but is not limited to them.  Start with the excellent ceviche where morsels of white fish are cooked in fresh lemon-lime juice and served with plantain chips to give it a different flavor.  Another notable choice from the Tapas section is the Empanadas - filo pastries filled either with mushroom and cheese or with succulent filet mignon and accompanied by the most delectable dipping sauce made with cilantro, lime juice and parsley. 

 

Traditional dishes such as the Ropa Vieja (meat stew) also find a home here.  Shredded flank steak accented with peppers is piled on a bed of yellow rice, Cuban black beans sweet plantains and light broth.  Other dishes that beg for attention are the Sofritto rock shrimp in a creamy garlic-wine sauce with green bell peppers, onions and plantain cake and especially the pan-seared Mahi Mahi, crispy on the outside, perfectly flaky on the inside and served on a hash of roasted corn and applewood smoked bacon.  The Grilled Pork Chop, one of the signature dishes on the menu is a healthy portion, tender, and with mango-quince chutney, sweet potato mash and a delectable tamarind sauce. 

 

They literally save the best for last with a blissful shredded Coconut Crème Brulee that perfectly cleanses the palate, balances the spiciness of the entrees and compels you to banish every dietary promise from your mind.

 

For those of you who are reduced to the most banal joints in search of a satisfying meal after a night of carousing, here's another reason to rejoice:  on Fridays and Saturdays, Paladar offers the special "Menu De La Noche" consisting of indulgent breakfast dishes from 11:30 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.           

 

-- GD