Viva La Barca!

Vijay and I at "The LB," circa 2001

I was very pleased to see that this week's edition of the Los Angeles Downtown News included a glowing review of La Barca, a restaurant that holds a special place in my heart.

Link to article here (text and my commentary follow)

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A Barca Worth the Bite

Why Cops and Coeds Flock to the Mexican Restaurant

by Jay Edwards

La Barca, the popular, family-owned Mexican eatery on Vermont Avenue, attracts all kinds during the week, but on Tuesday nights you get the $2 margarita crowd, also known as the USC crowd. If you don't get there early, I learned, you'll wait in a line outside the door or squeeze into the foyer where you can order margaritas from the hostess to pass the time.

It's a hospitable idea, but because you can't drink on city sidewalks the result of offering cocktails to waiting patrons is that the narrow space inside the door fills with boozy undergrads, elbow to elbow, tipping back salty glasses. But these margaritas make the squeeze comfy; though the tequila is not top shelf, the mix is consistent, strong and just sweet enough. The trouble is getting your order right among the chaos of chatty coeds and frat-daddies. Rocks or frozen? Salt or no salt? Plain or strawberry? For $2 a drink, do the hardworking staff a favor and keep it simple.

Once inside, you'll find La Barca's vibe is ultra-Mexican, with an adobe feel and traditional artwork accented by the same bright reds and greens as the colorful entrees. As we were seated in the rowdy dining area, where the booths overrun with garnet and gold, our server Ricardo kept the margaritas coming.

To cushion the alcohol we ordered queso fundido ($4.25), a Mexican fondue with a nice touch of chorizo that was unfortunately lacking on this busy night. By the time the dish arrived the cheese had become a large, cold mozzarella stick. But a bowl of guacamole ($3.95) was lively, and a chicken quesadilla ($4.50), with the basics done right, was easy to share.

I returned the next day for lunch to dig further into the menu. This time, instead of USC students and faculty, nearly every table in the main room was occupied by uniformed police officers. Turns out that's a regular daytime sight at La Barca.

I slunk into the now quiet back booths and downed water. Ricardo grinned broadly and recommended the menudo. "Mexico's best hangover cure," he said. Healing powers aside, the thick tripe-laden soup was the perfect lead-in to camarones empanizados ($10.25), a plate of huge shrimp fried in a spicy egg batter. It was the best of the wide range of seafood, but the Sopa 7 Mares bouillabaisse, a potent broth comprising several sea creatures with a touch of citrus, was a close second.

A friend from the previous night before soon joined me and tried the expertly fried chimichangas ($7.95) that crunched easily without falling apart. Also on the menu is a variety of signature burritos, including El Coloso ($8.25), which we split and still couldn't finish. Made with pork or beef and everything else in the kitchen, it is as heavy and dense as a sandbag, though tastes much better.

A solid combination plate is La Grandota ($10.50), which delivers an enchilada, a taco, chile relleno and a nice tamale. But for more authentic Mexico, order a meat dish. The carnitas ($9.25), braised pork topped with cilantro and pico de gallo, might arrive somewhat dry, but the superb carne asada ($9.25) is kept succulent by a lime-garlic marinade, dusted with salt and garnished with guacamole and onions.

The dish most acclaimed by regulars is chile verde ($9.25), mounds of cubed pork simmered in a thick mix of onion, garlic, tomatillo and chile sauce that had me mopping my brow.

As is the custom at La Barca, we ate until we could eat no more. By then the cops were back on the beat and a new crowd had filed in. Ricardo soon arrived with that grin of his to report that La Barca's Happy Hour, one of the best in town, runs 3-8 p.m. and had just begun. I glanced at my friend across the table. We still had a few bucks left.

La Barca is at 2414 S. Vermont Ave, (323) 735-6567. Lunch and dinner, Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

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The first time I visited La Barca was during my sophomore year at USC. I immediately fell in love with the food (Mexican cuisine has always been my favorite), awed by the generous portions served at reasonable prices.

My love for the restaurant grew exponentially once I reached legal drinking age during my junior year. Of course, I had a fake I.D. before then, but I was afraid to use it anywhere, especially at a restaurant catering to college kids where the servers were trained to spot such forgery. In those days, the margaritas were only $1.50 during "happy hour," which to this day never ends on Tuesdays. I have to disagree with Mr. Edwards -- at least in that era, the quality of the margaritas was anything but "consistent" -- but at that time in my life, cheap drinks were an imperative and I had no reservations about quality. Even at the current rate of $2.00, the margaritas are a steal.

Long a fan of acronyms, I soon labeled La Barca as simply "The LB," presaging my future success in government bureaucracy. The nickname caught on, at least in my circle of friends, and we soon found ourselves at the restaurant on a weekly basis ingesting good Mexican food and cheap margaritas. I was proud when the servers stopped "carding me" after they began to recognize me as a regular guest.

Before beginning my senior year, I moved from the northeastern edge of the USC campus to the northwestern edge, choosing a fashionable location on Ellendale Place. As the restaurant was finally within comfortable walking distance, "The LB" became my headquarters, and my friends spent many "happy hours" there with me attempting to pretend that the fraternity and sorority crowd surrounding us, who loved the place too, simply didn't exist.

After graduation, I lived in a "slum property" on 25th Street, only a couple minutes from "The LB" -- in those heady days, we'd spend a few hours at the restaurant, hit up the liquor store next door with bullet-proof glass along the counter, and continue the party on my porch. "The LB" gave us a sense of community and belonging when it seemed our entire existence was in flux.

By the by, I've seen a man eat an entire "El Coloso" burrito, and it ain't pretty.

I promised myself that I'd continue to patronize La Barca into my adulthood, but I'm ashamed to admit I haven't been there for at least a year. Visit this gem if you can -- in this city, it's common knoweldge that police officers know where to eat, and the LAPD loves "The LB" -- hit me up if you'd like to enjoy a happy hour or two, enjoying excellent Mexican food while reliving my collegiate past. Viva La Barca!