To celebrate my mom’s birthday last Saturday, I joined my parents for dinner near my apartment at Red O by Rick Bayless (a favorite of ours from Top Chef: Masters). It’s high-end, refined Mexican food and it was an all-around enjoyable experience.
red o by rick bayless.
Things I am obsessed with: Red O’s metal façade.
I didn’t really get any good photos of the interior, but it was cool – it sort of gradually transitioned from outside to inside. You would not have to ask me twice to go back there, that’s for sure.
My mom and I started off the night with their house margarita – the perfect size and the right combination of salty and sweet. My dad kept it classy with a Pacifico.
I insisted we order what our waiter claimed was the best item on the menu – pork belly sopes. These had quite a kick to them!
braised pork belly sopes.
We also shared one of the specials – Mexican ravioli made with corn masa and stuffed with spinach. Such a fun spin on the traditional version!
mexican ravioli.
We shared two entrees three ways: roasted garlic mushroom tacos [shiitake, oyster, portobello, and cremini mushrooms, caramelized onions, garlic mojo, black beans, spinach, and queso fresco.] This was my mom’s favorite dish of the night.
My favorite was the Pollo en Mole Poblano [grilled Mary’s young chicken, homemade mole poblano with 27 ingredients, black beans, and watercress salad]. So good – this is mole done right.
We all enjoyed the meal – good service, nice ambience (except for the occasional siren) and flavorful, but not overly rich, food.
oh hey dad.
happy birthday, mom!
We followed our cute little waiter’s suggestion for dessert: pecan ice cream, and I (think) a mocha tart with a caramel sauce. So decadent.
My parents are owning:
quick pic in the tequila corridor.
All in all, Red O was a great meal and fun experience – no complaints here from me, or my parents, and it was a nice “special occasion” place to celebrate my mom’s birthday. I will definitely add it to my collection of favorite LA restaurants. Go and report back on how you like it!
What’s YOUR favorite celebrity chef restaurant?
That's G 
I’m so glad you liked it! Happy Birthday to V!
Thank you 🙂 and yes, OMG loved itttt
I’ve been wanting to eat at this restaurant for so long! Super jealous. I remember seeing a photo of those braised pork belly sopes in Rivera magazine when I interned there. Ah, they look SO good!
the sopes were SO good – you would love them. Definitely good for a special occasion…I am hoping I find a groupon or something soon so we can go back!
I’ve never been to a celebrity chef’s restaurant, but I would love to go to any of Bobby Flay’s restaurants! I think there’s one in Vegas and a few on the East Coast. And my god, that Mexican ravioli looks so good!
It WAS really good 🙂 I’d go to a Bobby Flay restaurant – there’s SO many big-name places in Vegas, it’d be hard to narrow it down.
Mmm, I’d take those sopes or the mole. Looks delicious! I would love to eat at one of Thomas Keller’s restaurants. I was lucky enough to meet him once and have him sign a cookbook for me but I’ve yet to eat his food!
That’s awesome! Thomas Keller is legendary!