"Carnal makes some of the city’s most beautiful interpretations of Oaxacan cooking. One course might be a humble avocado taco, or a glossy tuna tlayuda sprinkled with chile-dusted grasshoppers. The next will be grilled octopus bathed in a three-chile sauce that changes personalities the more you eat it. And, by the end of the night, you'll have seen a server pour epazote-infused shrimp bisque around delicate, seafood-stuffed tetelas, and watched the chef brûlée banana custard. Sounds fancy, right? photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp Nope. Carnal is actually quite casual. Like its seafood truck sibling Simón, this Highland Park restaurant gets a whole lot done in just a little bit of space. Their narrow black room resembles a miniaturized theater, with an open kitchen and 500-something corn cobs dangling above your head. It feels so obviously like a restaurant run by people. The chef’s cousin—who, on some nights, runs around taking orders—is generous with dish recommendations, as well as his thoughts on why the chef should swap out enfrijoladas for enmoladas on their brunch menu. He's so charismatic that he could sell us a timeshare we don't even want. Because there are only four, at most five, people working at Carnal at any given moment, the host who shows you to your seat will also probably be the one dousing mole over a juicy duck breast tableside. On busy nights, this also means that the restaurant's wait times and the texture of your tlayuda’s tenderized tuna may be less than ideal. Still, Carnal is so welcoming that we'd send anyone who wants to take things slow with some fresh atole and a few drippy chicharrón tacos topped with pork cracklings. photo credit: Jessie Clapp The combination of Carnal’s DIY aesthetic with its high-end food is refreshing, even boundary-pushing as far as expanding LA’s definition of what Oaxacan food can look and taste like without needing to preach about it. When Carnal plays with traditional ingredients—like adding buttery, sliced lengua to your morning chilaquiles or swapping out fish for mushrooms in its mouth-jolting ceviche negro—nothing feels contrived. These are simply reimagined Oaxacan staples that make us want to clap, like those annoying people who applaud when the pilot lands the plane. And you get to eat them in an intimate room, washing down the meal with a mug of café de olla. The chef’s cousin says it’s good for digestion, and he’s never steered us wrong so far. Food Rundown photo credit: Jessie Clapp Agua Frescas Sorry pal, there’s no booze at Carnal (yet). Good news, the delicious agua frescas are more than enough. We especially like the pulpy agua de tamarindo with the sugar and tang of a well-balanced lemonade, and the tepache that hits you with the bold acidity of fermented pineapple then mellows out with the warmth of melted piloncillo. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Ceviche Negro This vegan ceviche zaps every functioning taste bud you have. It’s intensely bright and acidic in an I-can’t-stop-eating-this type of way, and the charred tomatillos give the marinade a smoke smooch that balances everything out. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Tlayuda de Tasajo This was the first dish we ever tried at Carnal, and it instantly revealed to us how special the place is. It's stunning and infinitely interesting. The fish is pounded until delicate like satin, the tamarind aioli is sweet and tangy, and the crumbled grasshoppers add crunch and little flecks of chile to every bite. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Taco de Chicharrón Chicharrón two ways, both executed to perfection. This giant taco is rich, so order to share it if you’re not exceptionally hungry. It comes on a thick, supple handmade tortilla filled with salsa-stewed chicharrón that disintegrates the moment it touches your tongue. The pork crackling topping is there for extra texture or maybe to show off. Probably both. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Taco del Mercado The simple, high-quality ingredients do all the talking here, so order this if you need a break from bold flavors. It’s just creamy guacamole, big crumbles of salty queso fresco, and those chile-dusted grasshoppers in a handmade tortilla. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Pulpo a la Diabla The grilled octopus tentacle is tender, but what’s more impressive is the chile sauce it’s bathed in, which like the chef plucked the best qualities of various peppers and harmoniously slapped them together. There's sweetness from chipotle, full-mouth smoke from guajillo, and snappy heat from chile de arbol. The sweet plantain puree at the bottom is a little sweet, too, and great for scooping up leftover sauce. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Aztek Duck The kind of showy dish Moctezuma would eat on his throne. Silky, nuanced mole negro is drenched over a nicely cooked duck breast with a huarache on the side so you can break it apart and funnel everything into your mouth. A must order. photo credit: Jessie Clapp La Veracruzana With Lengua We’ve shared this dish with tongue-neutral friends and tongue-friendly friends (who we swear are just friends), and the general consensus is that anyone who eats meat will love this dish. This sliced tongue cuts like butter and is served with a briny, tomato-y sauce that compliments the fatty meat. Enjoy with tortillas, of course. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Banana Brûlée On very rare occasions do we come across a dessert that’s unlike anything we’ve had before. This is one of them, and it's perfect for people who don’t like their desserts too sweet. The sweet-savory banana custard (made with has cotija cheese blitzed into it) is brûléed in its own peel, which is eccentric, beautiful, and genius." - Sylvio Martins
