La Talpa

This post was started June 24th; I am an appalling blogger. La Talpa has a pretty great sign and a nice motif of the sleepy-man-in-sombrero-against-(undoubtedly) painful-cactus which appears not only in the signage but also in the swell stained glass. There is also nothing like a neon arrow to announce greatness. I have no idea what Talpa means; do you?
There is very little lighting both outside and inside, and I hate using flash, so these pictures are going to be dark. The neighborhood is also kinda whatever. We went in the evening of my friend's 21st birthday, which turned out to be a silly decision since they don't have a liquor license. But she had a classy Corona with some lime and all was good. Plus, the service was excellent and the waitress ( a very grandmotherly woman) was very nice. They tell you it is good food and they don't lie.
But it's not great food. It's pretty solid basic food at reasonable prices. The quesadilla was tasty.
This mural that you can't really see is a nice landscape, but not nearly as pretty as the murals previously shown at Tacos La Flama or the murals at El Serape, which will be reviewed as soon as I am able to take some pictures.

Overall, this is more of a neighborhood stop than a destination restaurant, but it's not bad. And it's certainly less crowded and cacophonous than the nearby Don Antonio's which has mean waiters.

La Talpa Restaurant
11751 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310| 479 9884

Tacos La Flama

Okay, I apologize about the effort I have withheld from this blog. I bring you today Tacos La Flama, the establishment which neighbors the previously discussed Chutney's. The two main things I learned from this restaurant are:

1. Some people say 'cilandro' instead of Cilantro or Coriander.
2. Less than satisfying restaurants may have beautiful murals inside.

Thus, the review of the actual food will be short. It was okay, nothing special. I had a burrito and it was sufficient but not delicious. I guess you could say it's pretty good for 'westside Mexican food,' but I think it's really lame to lower standards based on location. This is the kind of restaurant where you order and pick up your food from the counter and then you can eat at a table or not; no service, though. So, all the personality had to come from the woman of the counter, and she was less than happy, that's for sure. Moreover, their neon sign was incredibly uncreative. On the other hand, they do have some market that sells particularly disturbing-to-me cuts of meat. If you are 1) Mexican and/or 2) carnivorous, I may have just unwittingly found you a really great spot for your butchering needs. The mural, however, was stunning. So vibrant!
Do be warned that the parking at this mini mall is a mess!

2404 S Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90064