"With Patricia Escárcega still out on maternity leave, the Times is again turning to Gustavo Arellano for his take on Pikoh, Ricardo Zarate’s casual cafe in West LA. While Arellano finds that some of the dishes really hit the mark, ultimately the place is a bit frustrating when one considers what Zarate has shown he’s really capable of elsewhere. The menu itself, filled with bone broth and activated charcoal bowls, is a “parody-ready setup,” says Arellano, but does get saved in spots thanks to some real creativity: Elsewhere, Zarate and chef de cuisine James Jung hit the mark with “a chicharrón-esque pork tonkatsu served with sinus-searing Japanese mustard,” but overall Pikoh’s dishes “whisper Peru when they should scream it.” Add in some service hiccups and an issue at the bar, and suddenly Arellano is not having such a great time. Still, “a stop here isn’t a mistake,” even if the critic “still yearn(s) for the scintillating ceviches Zarate served from his original stall at Mercado La Paloma.”" - Farley Elliott
