Smoke Oil Salt

If you are craving real honest to goodness Spanish food in LA then Smoke Oil Salt is your place.  Small and large plates that they recommend sharing.  The one thing is that anything over four people makes sharing tough.  I’d probably do it different the next time around.

We started off with a very garlicky gazpacho topped with an oyster.  I got concerned but it was really the only dish that was like that.

Here is what we ate.  The catalan tomato toast is delicious.  Slices of bread soaked in olive oil and then smeared with chopped tomatoes.  The bread could be a tad thinner and crispier but again I could have eaten two.

Cod croquets with a citrus alioli.  Crispy light and tasty.

Slow cooked carrots that had been charred on the grill.  They could be cut with a fork.  This topped a carrot salad and carrot puree.  Really interesting combination of carrots 3 ways.

Smoked octopus that was super soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Really well done.  That came with a garden herb salad, roasted soft potatoes with a vinaigrette over that.

Cuttlefish that was stuffed with a bit of goat cheese, topped with a chopped parley pesto over a warm lentil salad.  This was really excellent.  The lentils were incredible.

This was the best thing.  Short thin pieces of black ink pasta served with mussels, chorizo and a vermouth sauce.  We basically licked the bowl clean.

Wood fired artic char with an eggplant puree and a blood orange herb salad on the side.

Honestly everything was really good some excellent but I would have liked to either order more or have my own.  I felt like we were just grazing.  Could have just been my mood.

For dessert we did the same thing.  Tastes.  Small hot fried dough balls served with a chocolate dipping sauce.

I don’t remember exactly what this was.  A ginger cake perhaps?

Rice pudding with caramel and crispy pieces of sugar on top.  Again…not sure exactly.

I’d absolutely go back.  Paella on Sundays.  I just wish it wasn’t 45 minutes from where I am staying.