FRIDA MEXICAN CUISINE
A GASTRONOMIC JOURNEY THROUGH MEXICO

Taking a grastronomic journey through Mexico isn’t as hard as you might believe, especially in Los Angeles where Mexican cuisine is a staple of our daily diet. Fare from all over Mexico can be found in the City of Angels.

While you might prefer a hole in the wall or a family-owned restaurant for authenticity sake, tasty comfort food can be found in some of the bigger chains like Frida Mexican Cuisine with locations in Beverly Hills (their flagship location), Westwood, Torrance, Cerritos and Sherman Oaks.

Don’t dismiss Frida as Mexican mall food, instead think of it as a home to generous, in not oversized, hearty Mexican comfort food.

“We believe that Mexican gastronomy is an art,” the folks at Fida like to say. “It is the perfect combination of textures, rich flavors, colorful ingredients, and culinary methods. Our fresh taste is hand-crafted every day from scratch in our kitchens with the best produce SoCal offers. Frida Mexican Cuisine brings a delightful touch to traditional Mexican cuisine in a modern dining environment for your enjoyment.”

During our recent for family style dinner, we started with the Guacamole en Molcajete with fresh avocado mixed with onion, jalapeño chile, tomato and cilantro and fresh lime juice. This is a great starter item.

Speaking of starter, it’s kind of a no-brainer to being our gastro journey with a cocktail, in this case a classic margarita or Paloma—a refreshing mix of tequila (I prefer mezcal), lime juice, tamarind mix, and Tamarindo Jarritos. Another pleasing cocktail is the Frida and Diego with El Silencio Mezcal, spicy mix and fresh lime juice. Fans of sweeter drinks may want to get the Adelita with tequila, pineapple, cucumber and fresh lime juice. Another popular option is the Michelada Cubana with beer, Worcestershire, Maggi, tabasco, lime juice with a chili-salted glass.

Frida’s tequila selection made it the first restaurant in Los Angeles to receive the T Certificate Award by The Tequila Regulatory Council from Mexico, which verifies they only serve tequilas that has passed all quality standards.

One of our favorite dishes was the Ceviche Tasting, which featured three ceviches: Rasurado, Aguachile, and Frida. The Camarón Rasurado is fresh shrimp with avocado, jalapeño chile, red onions and cilantro, prepared with olive oil and lime juice. The Aguachile de Camarón is fresh shrimp cooked in spicy lime Serrano chile sauce tossed with olive oil, red onion, avocado, cilantro and cucumber. And the Frida is fresh white fish with fresh lime juice, jicama, carrots, red onions, jalapeño chile and special sauce.

A hearty option is the Arrachera Norteña with tender marinated charbroiled skirt steak served with a chicken enchilada Tapatía, guacamole, rice, refried beans and fresh handmade corn tortillas.

But if you really want to oversized—and this is one to share—consider the Molcajete Frida a must-have. Presentation is through the roof with this dish, which includes skirt steak, chicken, chorizo, panela cheese, avocado, cactus and cilantro, with a tomatillo salsa and handmade corn tortillas served with white rice and black beans. Holy moly!

The tasting plates are really the way to go at Frida as they give you a chance to really indulge and taste some of the most popular dishes. And the Mole Tasting does not disappoint. This dish includes samples of green, poblano, black, and red pipian mole over chicken. Served with rice, refried beans, fried plantains, and fresh handmade corn tortillas this is just a slice of Heaven.

These tasting dishes are the best way to do family style dinner and you’d be remiss not to get the Taco Tasting, which features five soft tacos: beef, chicken, pork carnitas, pastor, chicken mole or cochinita pibil.

If you save room for dessert, the Churros with cajeta and berries is favorite for good reason. Other sure-fire favorites include the Pastel de 3 Leches (sponge cake soaked in three different milks) and Flan Napolitano (traditional Mexican caramel custard).

Dining at Frida Mexican Cuisine is fun and festive as the restaurant is lively and loud and is a great setting for a indulgent feast.

Frida Mexican Cuisine is located in Beverly Hills, Westwood, Torrance, Cerritos and Sherman Oaks. Click here for a list of locations.

Story & Some Photography By; Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: Frida Mexican Cuisine