Broken Spanish Comes Back to Life as a Colorful Comedor in Culver City | Eater LA

"Back as a colorful, intimate comedor in Culver City, chef Ray Garcia’s modern Mexican-American restaurant resurrects the spirit of Broken Spanish (which closed in 2020) with menu allusions to B.S. Taqueria and a warm, plant-filled room. Inside the sharply angled A-frame, the iconic serape American flag, macrame, and hanging ferns meet warm neutral interiors by Candace Shure and lush greenery from Plantitas Verdes; polished chestnut tables, textured ochre walls, and hazy pendant lights evoke convivial, home-style comedors of Mexico. Hospitality starts with botanas: pea guacamole on a low-profile tostada topped with julienned heart of palm and carrots, fennel, and salmon roe; spicy duck meatballs in salsa chipotle that beg for extra tortillas de nixtamal and pair best with refried lentils from the original Broken Spanish. Entradas include a smoky Caesar in umami-rich black garlic dressing and fideos verdes, a dry, green pasta layered with anise, tarragon, hoja santa, and fennel. The cooking leans into complex salsas and Indigenous Mexican ingredients, from pollo rostizado over an almond salsa reminiscent of mole almendrado with hazelnut salsa seca, to chilpachole de camarón inspired by Veracruz’s huatape, to enchiladas verdes balanced between tomatillo salsa and homemade crema; the beloved chicharrón in garlic mojo returns, and a tres leches bundt cake dotted with candied marigold closes the meal. The bar shakes a classic margarita lifted with salt foam and a Paloma made with house grapefruit soda, pours local beers from El Segundo Brewing and Skyduster, and features gems like Casa de Piedra’s Blanc de Blancs and Aborigen’s Clandestino chenin blanc. For Garcia, Broken Spanish Comedor marks a statement-making return to the Alta California movement he helped launch: “I feel like it will resonate… We’re just getting started, but I’m proud of the work we’re doing.”" - Bill Esparza