Cascabel

Cascabel does the most brilliant job of being exactly what it needs to be. I wish this were more prevalent in the restaurant world. They do what they do and they do it extremely well. There is a beauty in simplicity just as there is a beauty in providing exactly what is required during the time in which it is needed. 

The entrance reminds one of an old hacienda that has been improved upon countless times without the new engineer consulting the plans of the previous designers. The main entrance doorway feels like it will lead you into a closet until you fast realize that you’re emerging out into one of several distinct dining room spaces. There is a spacious bar area, cool for both sitting at and hanging in. All told, my favorite part of the restaurant is outside.

The outdoor area is a suburban hideaway of the highest degree. Closely approximated to the busy thoroughfare of Riverside Drive. Private enough that you don’t notice the road’s presence. Los Angeles is blessed with amazing weather and the southern part of the San Fernando Valley gets some of the best of this. That’s of course if you like it hot like I do. The Cascabel al fresco dining situation transports me to another place. A convivial, pleasant, and friendly dining situation that almost feels Mediterranean in origin while purveying central American flavors.

One of my favorite simple pleasures in the world is a basket of tortilla chips and a serving of house salsa being placed upon the table to celebrate mine and my dining party’s arrival. How very kind of you. Yes I do love chips in the majority of their forms and tangy salsas of any heat level appeal to me greatly. I would feel slightly sheepish coming in here for free tortilla chips alone but I am certainly not so proud that I’d be beyond this.

The tacos are delicious to my taste. I have tried several varieties. From fried chicken to sirloin steak. Lobster to duck. The zucchini and yellow squash offerings are a revelation. All beautifully presented and engineered with simplicity in mind. They contain exactly what you need and nothing you don’t. These tacos are also appropriately proportioned in a manner that feels very familiar to me. When I first dined here my worry was that they looked small. When I finished eating I realized that I’m completely satiated and Cascabel knows more about what an appropriate portion size is for me than I do.

With a concealed location, convivial atmosphere, friendly disposition, and appetizing food offerings I mark Cascabel as a place I will return to over and over again. I’m very purposefully not in the business of declaring any food purveyors the best of anything. But I’m glad to tell you when a place does what they do to a high standard. Cascabel sits in its rightful place among the few and the proud. Oh and try the mole too. Flavor as deep as a Oaxacan mineral pool. I used to work close by and my team would frequent this establishment for going away parties. I am happy to say that in my colleagues’ leaving, I was introduced to a new friend.