By Merv Hecht Restaurant Snapshot
LARES, A CULT MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN an offbeat location, serves excellent food. Forty years ago, this now prosperous family-owned place occupied an unattractive store-front frequented primarily by Spanish speaking people, like my friend Dr. Jorge Quiroz, who took me there. Now renovated and remodeled, Lares features an upstairs bar and dining room which features guitarists, sometimes from McCabe’s, a well known nearby guitar shop. Last year a fire upstairs interrupted the bar scene temporarily but hopefully by now things are back to normal. Some would call the neighborhood a restaurant area offering diners choices ranging from McDonalds across the street to the very upscale Valentinos just one block away.
WHERE: 2909 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica CA 90405. tel. (310) 829-4559.
WHEN: Open every day from 8 a.m. to 1a.m. BEST DISHES: What I eat here depends on which meal I’m having. For breakfast or brunch I like the Machaca. That’s eggs fried with shredded beef, onions, and peppers. It also comes in a burrito, but I prefer it on a plate with the flour tortillas on the side, and I stuff them, and myself, by myself. Lunch is a difficult decision.
I’ll often have the chili relleno, which I think is the best in town. The breading is not too intrusive and the cheese stuffing is the right texture. The chicken mole is good. And the carnitas is excellent, but sometimes more than I can eat. For dinner the steak is a great value and a hearty serving.
There are some less popular dishes, like the tongue in sauce, which are worth trying from time to time.
BEST FEATURE: This is as good as it gets for Mexican style food. I’m particularly fond of the hot chips and very spicy salsa that comes to the table right away, requiring, for me, an immediate bottle of beer. Ask for the extra hot sauce as well as the regular salsa (which is also pretty spicy). An appetizer of guacamole is a good idea.
WORST FEATURE: Sometimes you have to be a person that likes to be in the middle of a crowd to eat here. When full, it gets to be almost like a big party. And then there’s the art.
WHAT TO DRINK: Everyone seems to have a marguerita in hand. I always start with a Dos Equis blond. They have a reasonable house red and white wine. There’s a full bar, so take your pick.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.