La Casita Mexicana

Thanks to chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu, Bell has become a dining destination. The Jalisco natives opened their upscale La Casita Mexicana in the South LA nabe in 1999 and have since become TV personalities, more famously defeating Bobby Flay in a chile relleno Throwdown. Try the duo’s meat-filled version, chile en nogada—roasted Poblano packed with ground beef, dried fruits, walnuts and candied cactus, topped with pecan cream sauce and pomegranate seeds—is a colorful display of the Mexican flag. Housemade corn tortillas are similarly patriotic with red (guajillo chile), green (cactus paddle) and white (corn), the perfect accompaniment to a plate of Tres Moles that features three types of mole: traditional poblano and two types of pipián, creamy pumpkin-seen based, sauce. Start the meal with chia seed-laced lemonade and end with a stop at the adjacent tiendita to pick up South of the Border pantry items. Yes, the culinary duo encourage home cooking, but it’s hard to compete with flavors this good.