Mixtape

By design, the best mixtapes are mashups of different styles. But unlike, say, Lil B’s God’s Father, we’re not so sure that Mixtape adds up to something greater. The menu at this the American-Caribbean-Jewish-French restaurant in Fairfax/La Brea feels like it was created by a food-trend algorithm, with dishes like beef cheek poutine, Nashville hot cod corn dogs, and duck fat popcorn (which is $8 and absolutely not worth your time). The space is a grab-bag of leather booths, a cramped patio, and tiny tables that are very close to each other. Noname blares over the speakers to a crowd that, while happy to be there, probably wouldn’t be able to pick her out from artists like Tokimonsta and Vic Mensa, whose art lines the walls. That isn’t to say that nothing here works - the cocktail menu is excellent and functions like a mood ring, with names “Sassy,” “Pensive,” and “Mischievous,” and we like the smashburger because duh, it’s a smashburger. But in a part of town where Jon & Vinny’s, El Coyote, and Bludso’s are just a ride-share away, it’s hard to imagine why’d we’d want to pop this Mixtape in.