I miss Jonathan Gold. While I appreciated how available he made himself for conversation, I long for his restaurant reviews in the LA Times. 2018 was the last complete “Top 101 Restaurants” list he assembled and I’ve been slowly making my way through the list. Holbox caught my attention when the review published in 2017 and I finally visited them.
Holbox is a market stand set up inside Mercado La Paloma in South LA. Gilberto Cetina Jr. is the chef and owner of Holbox. He also owns Chichen Itza which is steps away from Holbox in the indoor marketplace. Chichen Itza specializes in food from the state of Yucatecan, Mexico. Holbox offers raw & cooked Yucatan-style seafood served as seafood entrees, ceviche, and tacos.
My wife and I arrived before they opened and we watched Cetina painstakingly rubbing the top of a filet in search of individual pin bones that remain after the deboning process. I was surprised that he didn’t ask any of the three other assistant chefs to perform this task.
I began with their ceviche mixto and added the optional uni (sea urchin). Wild rockfish is mixed with octopus, shrimp, cilantro, tomatoes, and salsa roja. Two servings of uni from Santa Barbara were draped over the top. The taste was phenomenal and I appreciated the freshness of the seafood.
Woodfire grilled Mexican octopus was served inside of a taco with calamari ink sofrito. The taste of the wood came through as I ate the crunchy octopus. The calamari ink gave the taco an umami sensation, earthy, sweet and salty.
Giant Atlantic surf clams were beautifully presented in the half shell. The fresh lime juice gave the cocktail sauce a nice citrus boost. This dish was refreshing and I could see myself eating this on a Mexican beach between Rosarito and Ensenada.
Other items on the menu of note include the taco made with a pan-seared Maine Diver Scallop, Torta Camaron (because I enjoy a freshly baked torta) and the grilled branzino with saffron rice and black beans.
I split the cheesecake with my wife. It was made with mascarpone cheese which produced a creamier taste. We were blown away by the burnt sugar topping. The combination of the caramelized sugar with creamy cheesecake was heavenly. It was a great way to celebrate Father’s Day.
Holbox (inside Mercado La Paloma)
3655 S Grand Ave C9, Los Angeles, CA 90007; 213.986.9972
holboxla.com