Good Food
Mexican Food in LA, 1984 to Present Day
Jonathan Gold remembers the culinary landscape of Mexican food in Los Angeles when he first began reviewing restaurants in 1984. He describes it as mostly "#2 combo plates," but in the late 1980's he began to see regional specialties appear on menus.
By Evan Kleiman • • 1 min readJonathan Gold remembers the culinary landscape of Mexican food in Los Angeles when he first began reviewing restaurants in 1984. He describes it as mostly "#2 combo plates," but in the late 1980's he began to see regional specialties appear on menus. He ends his review with John Sedlar's Rivera, calling it "possibly the most ambitious and maybe well realized Mexican restaurant that there's ever been in the United States."
Marix, Antonio’s, Border Grill, Rebecca's (now closed) and Rivera. You can find all of Jonathan's restaurant suggestions on the Good Food restaurant map.
Music outro: "Aqui Su Taquero" by La Sonora Dinimita
The full episode
8 of 8
Cinco de Mayo Special: How the Taco Conquered America- 0:00Market Report
- 5:11Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America
- 9:37Cielito Lindo and the Birth of the Taco
- 14:48Taco Tycoon Larry Cano
- 20:36Taking the Taco to the Masses: Taco Bell
- 33:19The Quest for Authenticity
- 40:07Gringo Bandito
- 49:15Mexican Food in LA, 1984 to Present DayYou’re reading this
The full episode
8 of 8Cinco de Mayo Special: How the Taco Conquered America- 0:00Market Report
- 5:11Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America
- 9:37Cielito Lindo and the Birth of the Taco
- 14:48Taco Tycoon Larry Cano
- 20:36Taking the Taco to the Masses: Taco Bell
- 33:19The Quest for Authenticity
- 40:07Gringo Bandito
- 49:15Mexican Food in LA, 1984 to Present DayYou’re reading this