Dada Echo Park - Review - Echo Park - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"A visit to Dada feels a bit like sneaking into somewhere you’re not supposed to be. There’s no sign or sidewalk entrance—just an unmarked door in an alley behind Little Fish and Dada Market. Once inside this bar-restaurant hybrid, things get more intriguing: off to one side, there’s a white-walled skylit dining room with couples in vintage denim picking at crudo, on the other, a dance-friendly listening bar where DJs spin vinyl on weekends. Despite the mysterious entrance and layout, what Dada offers is fairly straightforward: a tight menu of simple Mediterranean-ish dishes prettied up with herbs and flowers, plus wines and juice-infused cocktails. The smaller plates—like cannellini bean spread with toasted sourdough, and a vibrant green risotto—are good for splitting over drinks, and there are a few shareable entrees if you’re sticking around for a full meal (the branzino is a good call). Dada makes for a nice under-the-radar weeknight dinner that won’t take up your whole evening (you can be in and out in about an hour), and the bar scene is the right amount of mellow, even on weekends. If you need a place for a group of friends who’ll be happy spending Saturday night eating grilled lamb chops, sipping on gin spritzes, and grooving under a disco ball, Dada can handle it all. Food Rundown Cannellini Dip This will hit the table first, and there’s a high chance it’ll be gone before anything else shows up. It’s got a nice pool of chili oil in the middle, and the thick slabs of Bub & Grandma’s sourdough are exactly what you want to drag through it. photo credit: Cathy Park Green Risotto Despite reading like a juice cleanse on the menu (spinach, kale, asparagus—you get it), this decadent and shareable risotto is a satisfying way to bulk out your meal with creamy, cheesy rice. photo credit: Cathy Park Grilled Branzino The elements of a nice piece of fish are here: crackly skin and soft, flaky meat. The fresh fava beans break up the soft fish with a pop of texture (though you might have to chase them around the plate). photo credit: Cathy Park Lamb Chops Use your hands for these—it’ll probably leave a streak of lamb juice on your wine glass, but you’re going to want to gnaw every piece of meat from the bone. photo credit: Cathy Park" - Cathy Park