Loteria! Grill Brings Authentic Mexican to Santa Monica

The jam-packed Loteria! Grill open air cantina on the Third Street Promenade is proof of its popularity every season of the year, and the popularity of Jimmy Shaw’s Mexican cuisine. It’s a fiesta that starts with wild primary colors and continues through to every menu item. And this kid-friendly place is fun from start to finish for everyone. Shown at left below is the whimsical chicharrón de queso

Floor to ceiling back-lit cubicles filled with shiny bottles on a mustard color wall, angling back into squares of paintings on a tomato background; a life-size portrait of a Loteria playing card next to it, plus a view of the Promenade bustling outside. So how can you miss?

The friendly staff is well trained. We entered by way of the free city parking lot alleyway in the back area. There it looks as if you are in a forest if you look out this rear window. Shaw and his designer actually planted the greens behind the restaurant. The illusion of the forest is because the another row of greens lines the Millkin Institute across the alley. And you see a gallery of art if your eye falls third long wall filled with boxed artwork.

When a performance kitchen lines the other long wall and it is quite a performance, there not much of a chance you’ll look at anything but the cooks. This is especially true when jovial Chef Jimmy is at the stove.

 

Tall, pleasant, Chef Jimmy Shaw himself brought out Lotería’s chicharrón de queso to the front dining room for our table. This is a showstopper dish. If Sammy had stayed in the kitchen, she would have seen a cook spread out shredded cheeses on a grill to form a crisp circle. Once it is cooked, it is folded into a cone and served with tortillas and salsa verde. It almost looks like a roughhouse version of an Southern indian dosa.

 

Guacamole Y Totopos are the freshest guacamole and crispy house-made chips. They set the standard for both. It’s great munching when looking through the long well-organized menu with choices to please choices to please any number of kids in a family at just the right size.

The shrimp cocktail or Coctel De Camaron is not exactly known as “kid’s stuff,” but loved by kids anyway because of the fresh jumbo shrimp. In this version, the shrimp is served Acpulco-Style, in a Tomato and Orange Salsa with chopped tomato, onion, cucumber and avocado.

 

The most popular “specials” from all other Loteria! Grill menus are what makes The Third Street Promenade cantina so special.   Fish ranks high on the list. For example, we tried the moist Huachinango A La VeraCruzana, a Pan-seared Red Snapper in Tomato, Onion, Olive and Caper Sauce with Black Beans, White Rice and  Plantains.

Shrimp is a choice for this dish, instead of fish. We also tried the Sea Bass Al Morita, a pan-seared Sea Bass in Smoky and very Spicy Chile Morita Sauce with spinach and white rice. Excellent. Fish dishes include halibut or sea bass in morita sauce, mahi mahi in chipotle sauce.

Next time we’re having the mouth watering Lengua De Res en Salsa Verde, Braised Beef Tongue, stewed in Tomatillo sauce with Avocado, White Rice and Black Beans, and the Carnitas En Salsa Morita, the Pork Carnitas Michoacan-style, in a very spicy chile Morita Sauce, served with Avocado, onion and cilantro white rice and black beans.

This array doesn’t even include the long lists of tacos, enchiladas and specialty plates!   And the Vegetable, pork, beef and chicken dishes!

Loteria turns out to be a Mexican game very much like bingo. Playing cards with colorful images are used instead of tokens. The game is played by people of all ages. Shaw commissioned a Oaxacan artist to do the artwork Alebrijes is the name of the folk art figures.

 

 

 

And the menu also includes a long list of fine tequilas and mescals!

 

1251 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401. www.loteriagrill.com, 310.393.2700.