![[LA Weekly] Bäco Mercat Gets Expanded Hours + Why The Chef Looks So Tired](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/bacomercat-warmlemonpoundcake.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[LA Weekly] Bäco Mercat Gets Expanded Hours + Why The Chef Looks So Tired")
Josef Centeno has had his plate full since his new restaurant, Bäco Mercat, opened its doors in early November. Good thing it’s only half a mile from the Lazy Ox Canteen where he continues as chef.We recently found Centeno perched high on a ladder outside Bäco Mercat wielding a squeegee. It was his first day off in weeks, he said. “But I guess I’m still working,” the chef-owner added with a shrug as he wiped another window clean… Continue reading
![[Blog] Bäco Mercat Now Open: When is a Coca a Pizza? (+ Photos)](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/069.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[Blog] Bäco Mercat Now Open: When is a Coca a Pizza? (+ Photos)")
A couple of days ago, I arrived for lunch early and peeked into the kitchen. Cooks were slamming huarache-shaped rounds of dough onto a hot griddle where bubbles burst forth like boiling lava. These flatbreads became the base for bäcos and cocas, two of the menu’s signature items….The coca I tasted came with confit tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked jalapeno and basil. And it was delicious – the perfect mix of dry crunch and soft, savory sauce. But wait. Wasn’t it just a thin version of pizza?… Continue reading
Locals in downtown’s Historic Core this week were quick to sniff out the area’s newest lunchtime option, Bäco Mercat. The eatery — still in its “soft-opening” — greeted its first customers Tuesday.”We decided at midnight on Monday that we would open doors for two hours the next day,” chef-owner Josef Centeno told us yesterday. “We’re playing it by ear.” Just before noon, Centeno illuminated a glowing red “bäco” sign, signaling the start of lunch. Continue reading
Do you remember El Pollo Inka in West LA on Pico Blvd? From the outside, the place was just another strip mall joint surrounded by boring businesses selling stamps and luggage. But inside, the restaurant felt magical. Scenes of the Andes were painted on walls in bright neon, illuminated by black light. Musicians would play … Continue reading
![[LA Weekly] Jason Michaud’s Local Express to Replace Chimu; Red Hill to Open Dec. 1](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/0071.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[LA Weekly] Jason Michaud’s Local Express to Replace Chimu; Red Hill to Open Dec. 1")
Downtowners who had flocked to Peruvian eatery Chimú to sit on the sun-splattered patio and dine on pollo a la brasa were saddened to learn of Chimú’s closing last weekend. Beginning Monday, the space next to the Grand Central Market will once again serve lunch, says Chimú co-owner Jason Michaud. He will re-open the eatery as Local Express, a scaled-down version of Local, his Silver Lake restaurant that emphasizes organic and locally-grown foods. Continue reading
A chalkboard drawing of a wild-eyed creature pedaling away on a bicycle greeted Chimú visitors on Sunday, along with the word “FAREWELL.” Chimú has closed its doors, or rather, its take-out windows, which served up steaming plates of chancho, lomo saltado, pollo a la brasa and seco de cordero. Continue reading
![[LA Weekly] Your Bäco Update: Josef Centeno’s Bäco Mercat Opens Next Week](https://dainabeth.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/pescobaco.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "[LA Weekly] Your Bäco Update: Josef Centeno’s Bäco Mercat Opens Next Week")
The bäco is back, and this time, in a starring role. Josef Centeno’s Bäco Mercat is slated to open Monday, Oct. 24 for lunch. The chef and owner describes his signature dish as “a sandwich-taco-pizza hybrid that encompasses my style of cooking in a sandwich: a lot of flavorful meat and sauce combinations.” The name derives from Centeno’s concept of a global taco…. Continue reading
The Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles really needs to be experienced in terms of its sounds – not just sights. You can do just that by hitting play on my audio essay… Continue reading
I love my apartment: We had a party tonight at Aburiya Toranoko where I chatted with restaurant owner Michael, a Japanese-Mexican guy who speaks fluent Spanish; Ilan, an Israeli expat with family from Ethiopia; Ernesto and Estela, a couple from Jalisco; and Atsuko, an LA native who ordered a shiso martini in perfect Japanese. Too … Continue reading
“Where’s the wine and cheese?” “I’m sure they don’t have it.” With this overheard conversation snippet, cue your introduction to Downtown Art Park at The Medallion, a new residential complex in the Historic Core that is adjacent to both Pete’s Cafe and Skid Row. Once a month for Art Walk its grounds and as-yet unleased … Continue reading
Lotus land 