Mark S.
Yelp
The top and bottom lines of our evening at Encanto are five stars and a big "Thank you." Between those lines lie thoughtful, clever preparations and service that, for reasons I'll explain below, may have been a tad better than a "regular" diner might reasonably expect.
The first thing one needs to know is that the restaurant offers two menus, a bar https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65395353a0ee323a1fb76595/t/667dd06a9a065a353d61d81c/1719521390110/Bar+Menu+6.26.24.pdf and a full. https://www.encantola.com/ A key difference between the two is that the bar menu offers the familiar Tacos and Tostadas, albeit with creative fillings, while the full menu contains jazz-like riffs on ingredients you've encountered, but not quite in the attention-grabbing combinations Encanto serves up
On to our choices: We began with our customary Mexican restaurant knee-jerk: Margaritas, guacamole and chips. Though the chips might have had more body in order to facilitate the scooping of the fine guacamole, the star and surprise of the starters was the Margarita, well-crafted and carrying a startlingly low price, $10. The bold statement on the menu, "$10 Margaritas, Always & Forever," bespeaks a special knowledge of what moves customers (and inventories), and will doubtlessly become a headline in the "did-you-hear-about" buzz of Los Feliz foodies.
We turned to both the bar and dinner menus for our main courses. My "spartner" went for the Queso Fundido (pepper jack & queso oaxaca, flour tortillas, chorizo--$15), while I chose three homemade blue corn tacos from the bar menu: Birria (morita, pico de gallo--$7) ; Chicken Pibil (achiote-marinated, pickled onions--$7); and Portobello Mushroom (avocado mousse, pickled onions--$7).
With a little help from across the table, spartner polished off the Queso Fundido in great style. In contrast, I struggled to continue after wolfing down the Birria and Portobello Mushroom tacos, which were terrific. (The Chicken Pibil sits in our refrigerator, awaiting its fate.)
And then, by chance, to dessert. Though there was nothing on the printed menu that addressed the subject, I asked our server, Carolyn, whether they offered "closers." To our surprise, she recited a list of items that, of course, included flan. She added at the end of the list that orange flan had been comped.
Though a little puzzled by the freebee offer, we accepted gratefully, and soon found ourselves consuming a round of flan-cum-imagination---neither wiggly in form nor common in flavor. The smooth, slightly firm cream featured tiny pieces of orange, both inside and out. In retrospect, the dish was so unusual that when the Executive Chef, Chris, came to the table to ask us what we thought, we understated our reaction.
Finally, to the service. You may have noticed that I've referred by name to two of the restaurant's employees, including the guy who runs the kitchen. In the course of the meal, we were also approached several times by the bubbly and knowledgeable Manager of Marketing, Amber, as well as the Restaurant Manager, Grant Cabebe, and one of the investors in the group that owns Encanto and eleven or twelve sister restaurants.
We were impressed and flattered by the extraordinary attention, but the morning after we realized that we hadn't seen similar treatment of other customers. We wondered whether a staff member with normally reliable antennae had identified us as "someones," and while we do like to think of ourselves as distinctive in certain quarters, those quarters don't bear our likenesses on either side.
Our inclination is to treat the extraordinary attention we received at Encanto as a manifestation of the enthusiasm of people who are certain they're going to succeed in the mean streets of the restaurant business if they try hard enough. Based upon our experience, and assuming the same quality of food and service we experienced will become the restaurant's standard, we think, and hope, they have a real shot.