ciudad
may 08, 2005
got a chance to meet up with N, who was visiting from SF, for dinner at ciudad this weekend. it was so great to finally get together and talk over a meal at a restaurant that i've never been to before. nothing quite like trying out new places and having good conversation with someone.
^ N with the nightmode light streamers floating around
i've heard quite a bit about ciudad, as it is located in the heart of downtown la but being that it was opened by the same owners as border grill, i wasn't quite sure what to expect. it turned out that the food was "ok" but i wouldn't gush about it. i think i liked the interior and ambience of the restaurant more so than the food. but that's not to say that the food wasn't good. it was just what i had thought it would taste like.
i had their tortilla soup as a starter but i personally prefer brothy types of tortilla soup as opposed to the blended type. this one was average with typical spices and flavors.
N had their romaine hearts with chile rajas, plantain croutons, and cabrales blue cheese vinaigrette. i took a taste of the salad and thought the salad was tasty but the dressing felt like lip gloss. i know i draw strange comparisons. :p
we shared the seared calamari with white beans, peppers, and bilbao chorizo. i would normally find this a bit too salty if i didn't have the bread basket to dunk into the sauce. it was certainly infused with a strong lime flavor and heavily seasoned.
N had the Pollo CiUDAD: grilled chicken on moros with cilantro sauce and pickled tomatoes.
i had the Carnitas: slow cooked pork on mashed yucca, black beans, plantains, and salsa fresca. i personally think the roasted pork is better at versailles but i'm not complaining. the only thing i would have to say about the entire dinner was that the food was not piping hot. i enjoyed the plantains though but the black beans were too mashed up for my tastes.
we both shared the double fudge cake and i was surprised that the cake was pretty good. not overly sweet and very moist and a nice true chocolate flavor to it.
for drinks, N had the pomegranate lemonade (on the left) and i had the minty lime cooler, which tasted like a refined version of the vietnamese soda chanh.
i'm not sure if i would go back again even though i thought it was cute place to dine at. the food, i think could be better but perhaps i ought to give it a second chance another time.
ciudad
445 s. figueroa street
los angeles, ca 90071
213.486.5171
a big thanks to N for driving out to meet me in crazy downtown LA and for the fab conversation. :) and i'm surprised at how much food we two girls can put away! :x
currently listening to: portishead, sour times
