Dani Z.
Yelp
I don't necessarily like to give 5 stars right out of the gate as I've experienced having an excellent first experience at places and follow up visits not earning the keep - but today's lunch at Tapizon is worth the highlight.
Let me start with the only negative - unless there is parking behind the location, the majority of available parking is street parking, as there are only 2 spots (and a handicap) in front. We came in for a late lunch and easily backed into the parking spot available.
We were greeted by a very friendly woman (an owner, possibly?) who laughed with us as we talked about the temperature being too chilly for outdoor seating. She took us to a table under the full building covering that is on a heated patio.
We were then greeted by our amazing server, Jan. By the way, this will be far from the only time the word "amazing" will be used.
Jan started by asking if we had ever dined here before, and with the answer of no, he shared with us the most popular items on the menu and answered all of our questions. Along the way, he also made a great wine pairing suggestion.
We ordered the following: Pão De Queijo with Avocado Butter, Cheesy Dice with Acái dipping sauce, Pão De Quijo Mango BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Tapi Brisket Pot Pie. Pictures included. Only one beverage, the beautifully served Passionfruit Juice with Black Tea.
The Pão balls were served fresh as they happened to have just come out of the oven. In contrast to most Brazilian restaurant's small balls, these were easily the size of 3 or 4 of the cheesy gluten-free wonders! The avocado butter was an absolute first, very original, though tart like lime (likely to prevent the avocado from turning brown/black). (Pro tip: if you prefer a sweeter dip, ask for the Acái sauce) These were $8 or $9 for 5 rolls and the butter, but very much worth it (again, in comparison to the same cost for about 12 significantly smaller balls without any spread or dips).
The Cheesy Dice was like a square tater tot made of tapioca and cheese. Fried to be perfectly crispy and served with the most delicious Acái sauce (for which I got the secret recipe! My lips are sealed!!!) This is the sweet sauce mentioned for the Pão rolls.
My lunch partner had the Pulled Pork Sliders - 2 sliders made on the Pão rolls! He opted for yucca fries that he enjoyed, and they were served with a guava ketchup that was sweet, delicious, and in hindsight, also recommended for the Pão rolls!
My lunch was the Tapi Pot Pie with Brisket. Jan described this as a Shepherd's type pie dish, as it is topped with a mash of both plantain and sweet potato. This was sweet, and rich, and meaty, all in one satisfying little deep dish cast iron square! Served with 2 more Pão rolls (definitely had to make sure some were going home!) My only regret is that there is a decorative little red thing on top. I thought it might be a pepper, put it on the side of the plate, and forgot to ask exactly what it was and try it.
Jan recommended that a classic California Cabernet would be perfect for the wine connoisseur enjoying this meal, and even provided a sample pour for the experience. I'm not a wine connoisseur, but the experience of the melding flavors of the brisket sauce, plantain/yucca mixture was definitely not lost on me.
I'm not usually one to skip dessert, but both on a schedule and stuffed like a Thanksgiving Turkey, dessert did not make it to our table. Even so, the entire drive back to the office was with the most amazing lingering taste and repeated comments about how delicious the entire meal was.
The prices are reasonable with consideration to current market value (let's just say I'm not a fan of the skyrocketing inflation) with the main dishes under $20 and the appetizers under $10.
We are very excited to return, and I am now trying to figure out how to convince business associates who tend to stay north of LAX to meet me at Tapizon for lunch or small dinner-time events!