Dinner
The original is better
For years and years I have heard about how wonderful the food is at La Serenata de Garibaldi, and I remember how excited people were that a small branch of that restaurant, La Serenata Gourmet, first opened on the Westside. I tried La Serenata Gourmet, and I was extremely disappointed. The food was unimpressive and the restaurant felt cramp and confining. It has taken me a long time to give the original La Serenata de Garibaldi in Boyle Heights a chance, and I’m glad I finally did.
Located in not nicest part of town, La Serenata de Garibaldi stands out from its neighbors with its charming front entrance. The carved entryway adds class in an area that desperately needs a touch of sophistication. This already sets the tone for the dining experience ahead. As soon as my friends and I were seated, a plate of chips and quesadilla was brought to our table. The chips were a little on the salty side, but they went very well with the red chili sauce on our table. As we peruse the menu, we take in the décor of the restaurant. The same feel we got from looking at the exterior of the restaurant is carried into the interior design. The wooden beams and carved pillars create simultaneously a very classy and rustic ambience. One of the friends I was dining with (for some reason) enjoyed La Serenata Gourmet, but even he was surprised by the difference of the two restaurants. First he felt more comfortable in the spacious setting of La Serenata de Garibaldi. Then he observed that the menu selection at La Serenata Gourmet seemed more like a la carte items, whereas at La Serenata de Garibaldi, each order was an actual entrée.
All of our lunches came with soup of the day, which was lentil soup. The flavor of the soup was quite nice, but for those who don’t like cilantro, you may want to pass on this one. Entrees are also served with rice and beans, but La Serenata de Garibaldi gives you only small portions of these side dishes so that you will focus on your main order.
I tried one of today’s specials, Mexican Sea Bass a la Plancha ($15.95). The sea bass was extremely tender and flaked off easily. The mild sauce had a hint of lime, garlic, and possibly cilantro, careful not to overpower but instead complement the natural flavor of the fish. After I took a bite out of this, I understood why so many diners have raved about the seafood here.
I also sampled what my friends ordered: chicken mole poblano ($12.95) and fish empanadas (13.95). The chicken was very tender as well, and the mole was not overwhelming. We all felt the mole was a bit too sweet, but was still overall delicious. The rich chipotle taste is very evident in each bite.
The two pieces of fish empanadas do not look like much of a meal, but they are in fact a good amount of food. Stuffed with mahi mahi (though this changes regularly) and cheese, the empanadas were quite filling.
The dough was crispy even though it had been sitting in a yellow sauce. I would describe the sauce more, but I didn’t taste enough of it to quite make out the ingredients. I thought about asking our server, but by the time our food was served, the lunch rush started, and all the servers went into scramble mode to accommodate all customers. Despite some of the negative comments I’ve heard about service there, I must say all staff members were very courteous with us at all times.
If you have the room left in your stomach and have money to burn, I recommend ordering flan for dessert. At a steep $4.75 for just plain vanilla flan, I’m glad we ordered it before we knew the price. We were surprised by the cost of the flan when we got our bill, but we understood why this flan is so much more expensive than flans at other Mexican restaurants. This was one of the creamiest flans I’ve ever tasted. If we weren’t full before the flan, we were definitely full after it.
So I doubt I will ever give La Serenata Gourmet a second chance, but at least I now understand why there was so much hype surrounding it when it opened. My advice is to just make the long drive (especially long because of the construction work that is taking place on that street) to try the original La Serenata de Garibaldi. It’s worth it!
La Serenata de Garibaldi
1842 E First St
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 265-2887
La Serenata Gourmet
10924 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 441-9667
By Pauline (see more of her posts).
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Nice post. Gorgeous mole sauce.
Thanks! Believe it or not, there wasn’t a single drop of the mole sauce left on that plate when we were done eating.
Oh, I believes it!
don’t forget that there’s an outpost in santa monica, i think on 4th. since i’m basically chained to the westside and can’t make it to the original, i like the samo one better. more people. more fun. :)
I vaguely recall hearing about a branch in SM. I will give it a chance, but in exchange you have to try the orignal! If I have to, I will personally drive you out there just to show you how much you’ll love it.
I agree that the original location is the best, but the one in Santa Monica ain’t half bad. It’s on 4th Street, across from the Boarder Grill. I have never been to the one on Pico.
B.T.W. I fell in love with the beef tongue medallions at the original location.