‘Stranger Things’ cocktails and crispy spatchcock chicken at the new Terra Cotta in Koreatown
Name of restaurant: Terra Cotta. When you Google the name, you get the definition of the material: “the unglazed, typically brownish-red earthenware.” Not helpful. The Terra Cotta we’re talking about is actually the new Koreatown restaurant by the Sixth Avenue restaurant group, the same people behind Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong and Quarters, two of the most popular Korean barbecue joints in the neighborhood. Terra Cotta has been open since late November, on the same block as the Wiltern.
Concept: This is not Korean barbecue, despite the owners and the area (the heart of Koreatown). None of the tables are outfitted with a grill. Instead, there’s a long, gorgeous bar lit from behind to make it look like the dozens of bottles are glowing; fancy chandeliers that will make you feel like you’re on the set of “The Great Gatsby” (the newer movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio and that epic party scene), and the restaurant is void of that familiar grill-at-your-table smoke. In other words, your clothes will not smell of galbi when you leave. (Depending on who you are, this could be a good or a disappointing thing.)
Order this: The crudo, which may be scallop one night, or fluke the next. On a recent evening, the scallops were sliced thin, layered like delicate tiles on a bed of tangy, salty black-bean vinaigrette, the entire thing covered in pea tendrils and cucumber rounds. Chef Danny Ye — formerly of Nobu in New York — is also making a spatchcock chicken, served with the kind of crackly skin you start to salivate over when someone says the word spatchcock. This dish is served with ramekins of aji verde salsa, aji amarillo mayo and pickled radish.
There may not be any traditional Korean barbecue on the menu, but you can still order a sizzling pot of galbi short ribs, which come smoking hot over sweet caramelized onions.
Sip on this: Beverage director Michael Nemčik is on a mission to get you tipsy, with a not-so-subtle nod to the Netflix series “Stranger Things.” In the Upside Down cocktail, there’s a four-rum blend with persimmon, grapefruit, blood orange, cinnamon, lime, bitters and mint. If you order this one, there’s a two-order max limit, and for good reason: This is a dangerous concoction. All of the citrus successfully masks the rum, transporting you to that upside-down world in a couple of sips. (If you haven’t watched “Stranger Things” yet, what are you waiting for?) Nemčik also is making a cocktail called the Black Velvet. The drink is actually black when it arrives at the table, colored with black sesame that has been cooked down for hours to create a paste. It gets a kick from Rhum JM from Martinique, Angostura 7 rum and lime.
Stick around: On a recent visit, Nemčik said the restaurant was going to introduce bottle service soon. With cocktails named after your favorite Netflix show and crispy chicken served well into the evening, this may turn into your new post-karaoke K-Town spot. Terra Cotta is open from 5:30 p.m. until midnight daily.
Info: 3760 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 365-1077, www.terracottala.com.
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