LAReview
photo credit: Lonzo's Restaurant
Lonzo's Restaurant
Included In
Ceviche and french baguettes are two things rarely found under the same roof, but such a magical place does exist in Culver City. Whether you unknowingly stop by for Peruvian food and walk out with sourdough or vice versa, you’ll hopefully leave Lonzo’s pleasantly surprised. For starters, order some beautiful honey bay oysters as an appetizer, which come with spicy rocoto pepper sauce, ponzu, and sweet red onion. They’re fresh, spicy, a tad sweet from the onion, and exactly what our bodies need after taking a pummeling from the LA sun. Decked-out marisco cocteles are also on the menu, and they luckily come in a tall glass of tart leche de tigre. This sour lemon-ají mixture is stuffed with shrimp, calamari, kampachi, Peruvian choclo corn, and chancha to create the seafood sundae of our dreams.
Food Rundown
Honey Bay Oysters
These meaty oysters are all about texture, acid, and some sweat-inducing spice. They get topped with crunchy fried corn kernels, a splash of lemony ponzu, some sweet red onion, and a rocoto pepper sauce that has the grassy flavor before sneaking up on you with a powerful kick.
Ceviche Mixto
An assortment of kampachi, squid, octopus, prawns, and shrimp get coated in a fragrant, spicy-sour leche de tigre that we'd happily drink in the privacy of our own homes. Not only is it a beautiful yellow color from its chilis, but the aji amarillo brings a citrus-like tang to the seafood salad that highlights all the flavors and textures going on in this dish.
Leche De Tigre Coctel
This concoction is the MVP of all seafood cocktails, with varying textures, flavors, and semi-miraculous ability to cure a hangover. Its kampachi and shrimp get cured in a spicy, refreshing sour sauce. The heat lingers in the background and you get tons of texture from pieces of fried calamari, cooked sweet potato, fried corn kernels, and plenty of red onion.
Filet Mignon Saltado
This meaty stir-fry is full of salt and acid from its red wine vinegar, soy sauce, and aji amarillo dressing. The beef is tender and releases its own drippings over the mix’s onions, tomatoes, and base of french fries that soak everything up. You can also get an optional fried egg on top if that’s something you’re in the mood for.