Bar Ama in Downtown LA: Cheese Dip with Chorizo + Toasted Noodles with Octopus and Kielbasa

As a fan of the Lazy Ox Canteen, I had high hopes for Bar Ama in Downtown LA. The verdict is that there were some very good things and some inedible things.

My favorite dish was the queso fundido, aka Tex Mex Queso, with chorizo added, of course. I loved dipping the thick, nicely fried tortilla chips into the creamy cheese with generous chunks of chorizo. The second time I had it, the chorizo chunks were a bit too chunky for a small chip bite and they didn't fall apart when I tried to break them up with my chip. So they need to be crumbled better but it was solid.

The second favorite was the fideo with octopus and kielbasa. It reminded me of Spain's rossejat, a toasted noodle dish I made and wrote about, or a dish I would have at the Bazaar or at this paella spot I loved in NYC. The octopus was soft and cooked just so. The kielbasa gave it some kick and meatiness. The pepitas, or squash seeds that were toasted gave the dish its crunch. The shrimp broth the noodles were cooked in gave the dish depth of flavor. The queso fresco along with a salsa verde sprinkled atop this concoction brought the flavors all together. Big thumbs up.

 

The ceviche was refreshing, served with mango, chile, tomatillo, red onion and radish strips. I liked the sweet and savory combo although this is probably more of a summer dish. 

I was pleasantly surprised by its version of the chile relleno. It reminded more of the chile nogada I had in Mexico City in 2012 than the traditional cheese-filled chile relleno that I'm actually not a big fan of. It had cashew sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and cotija cheese. It was deep fried but so lightly fried it wasn't too heavy. And you know how I feel about pomegranate seeds -- they provided the tangy-ness and texture mix I love to see in dishes. The chile itself was a mild, smaller variety, not the usual chile poblano. It may have been Anaheim chile but I could be wrong. 

Now for the bad. All the puffy tacos we got -- beef and shrimp -- were bad. Maybe I'm not a puffy taco person but the inflated shell was a distraction and didn't add anything to the taco experience. So I wasn't sure why anyone would bother frying something unnecessarily. It's also a pain to eat, which doesn't help. The fillings were on the bland side. All I know is that I yearned for Cholula sauce.

 

The cauliflower in cilantro pesto with cashew and pine nuts was interesting but it was something I could have had in an Indian restaurant, y' know?  The cilantro "pesto" was reminiscent of cilantro chutney found at Indian lunch buffets. I didn't feel like it brought anything to the table, so to speak. 

Don't even get me started on the chicken fried steak we got with fried chicken because they ran out. It was overcooked just by looking at the dark brown breading that was borderline burnt. Then upon biting into the chicken, it tasted like old chicken that had been sitting in the fridge forever. Very bad. Thank God they removed it from our bill because I couldn't take another bite. But that doesn't bode well. Stay away from the fried chicken. I'm sticking to Son of a Gun's amazing chicken sandwich.

The desserts were unimpressive. I love creme brulee and this was serviceable but nothing special. Here's some unsolicited advice (or request!) to the chef: how about churros with a Oaxacan chocolate dip on the side? Or anything with dulce de leche, like mil hojas cake? None of the desserts spoke to us much. But there's such opportunities for greatness. Seize it!

Cocktails are good but strong. I've had Alice's Cooler and El Camino, which are both slightly sweet and citrusy drinks. 

I'll definitely return for that cheese and fideos and look forward to trying more. I hope it doesn't become another Baco Mercat, which I was disappointed with.

Thank you, CTG, for some of these awesome shots!