El Camino Review

Went there for dinner this evening to include my in-laws, and my 18 month old daughter. Here are my impressions as a replanted Manhattan foodie.

The Good:
1. Upon walking in the door we were greeted in a friendly and warm manner. And no one blinked an eye at us bringing our 18 month old daughter. We were seated in a prime huge booth location over looking all the action in the bar area. The patio area outside looked huge and the fire tables (thats right a FIRE in the middle of your table!), with it being chilly this evening, looked very inviting. We will certainly be back this fall to try one sans the baby but with lots of adult friends.

2. The lay out on the whole is great. Seriously. This is one of the best laid out dining areas in town. I often wondered over what seemed the past year+ what was taking them so long to do in the remodel, but they certainly put the space to good use. Inside there is a bar level, a mezzanine seating area, and then an upper loft area. The decor, while being kitschy and slightly over the top, wasnt painful either and fit in once you allowed yourself to relax into the vibe.

3. Drinks: The drink list of house specialties looked inviting but our table stuck with the basics of Sol beer and house margaritas. There were a few Cali style drinks mixed with bourbon to add a local touch I will definitely be back for.

4. Our table started with the guac which was under a side section of the menu rather than being listed under the starters. It with the house made chips were outstanding with some great flavor. We also did the chicharrones (pork rinds with chile and lime flavorings). Everything was excellent and served with the house made salsas, delicious. The quac is some of the best we have had locally.

5. For dinner everyone did 2 ala carte tacos a piece and then we added three sides for the table of refried beans with house made chorizo, fire roasted sweet corn salad with lump crab, and a cilantro rice. The fire roasted corn side definitely stole the show. The combination of the smokiness, the sweetness of the corn and the salty tang of the crab blended perfectly. Out of the tacos sampled (fish, pork, pork belly, beef and mushroom) it was agreed the Cali fried fish tacos were the most flavorful and offered the best bang for the buck.

6. Vegeterian?: It was great to see so many vegetarian options on the menu. None of us were, but we have lots of friends who are and love to find new places where everyone can dine happily together.

7. Price range: The range of prices in its dinner menu was appreciated and very well thought out. Are you an investment banker with non-profit friends? This is the place for you. You can step up to a $10+ house cocktail along with a $30 whole fish entree, and drop some pretty good dough for a single dinner. Meanwhile your grad school friends can grab a Sol beer and two tacos ($3-4 each) and be full on a smaller budget. Works well for everyone.

The Bad:

1. For the price ($4 average if memory serves) and in comparison to size of sides served at their sister restaurant, The Silver Dollar, I think they could put a little more on the plate. Its rice, beans and corn. Its not going to break the bank. But over all the taste on the sides was amazing.

2. The tacos over all were good, but the table seemed to agree Manny&Merles were still better. Everything else we had, especially the quac (M&M's guac is bland tasteless paste), was better here at El Camino, but M&M still is in the lead with the tacos from our table's vote. The best tacos were the Cali fried fish and the beef. The pork belly was voted the worst, not as much flavor and very little filling in the taco itself. Some additional pickled onions or cilantro or cabbage would have padded it out nicely.

3. Dessert Menu. It seemed other than ice cream or sorbet the big three choices were flan, chocolate cake and tres leche cake. It was somewhat underwhelming. I was frankly surprised they werent offering something a little more Cali-Mexi like fried cinnamon churros with hot chocolate for dipping, Sopapillos or Mueganos. Ive been disappointed by previously frozen flan (or creme brulee) one to many times in restaurants to ever try it again with out a personal recommendation.

Over all: I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, and it most certainly is our new Bardstown Rd favorite and will probably replace El Mundo as our local Mexican favorite (there is only so many times you can put up with El Mundo's cramped seating). I see myself eating there lots this winter, trying to remember the warm days of summer, and then again this summer once the patio is the place to be.

Thanks for the review, Doug. I live just a few steps away and will definitely have to head over and check it out soon.

[Robin Garr]

Thanks, Doug. Outstanding approach! I like your dualistic organization ... and the ton of information you've shared.

Thanks, Doug. Outstanding approach! I like your dualistic organization ... and the ton of information you've shared.

Thank you! You are making me blush.

Nice job, Doug!

I'm curious: What options did they have for your daughter?

Killer review, Doug! Can't do that well but will add to the mix of experience.
El Camino is a six minute walk from the house, arrived about 6:30 tonight 10/18 to find a line at the host stand but no wait for a place to sit depending on your requirements. Some people were particular and we were not so we got seats on the long counter overlooking the bar half a flight up. Those who remember Bobby J's & Avalon recall a short flight of steps up to the back dining room, a sort of split-level floor plan. El Camino has left the steps in the same area but taken out the wall opening up the space and providing a long counter along the resulting mezzanine. The old 1966 surfing documentary "Endless Summer" played through our visit on all the numerous TVs inside without sound. Music was provided by a turntable (readers under 40, please Google "turntable"). We walked around to get a feel for the place. My wife complained I was rocking / bopping back and forth to the surf music and I asked her for advice how to short circuit the hardwired neural mechanisms that make that a necessary consequence of exposure to surf music. Got no useful feedback, just had to figure the logistics for getting a spoon to my mouth in rhythm with it since I opted among my selections for the caldo tlalpeño soup. Later they played reggae which produces reflexive bopping but generally at a slower tempo. Got an 'al pastor' pork taco as well. We shared tortilla chips that came with four dips. Diane had a pork belly taco and one of the tortas. She had a couple of wines of the red type. I had two Negra Modelo. Don't recall any local breweries on the separate adult beverages menu. As to the food, everyone has their own preference and this is how it went with us. Pork taco was pretty good and I'd get it again. The caldo tlalpeño soup is based on chickpeas it says and I was expecting it to be a mild change between bites of chips & salsa. The soup LIT ME UP! I mean that in a very grateful and happy way. I LIKE to be lit up! If this was in a Thai restaurant I wouldn't have been so taken aback but I actually had to go for the glass of water instead of the beer after the first portion went down a little the wrong way due to the surprise of my autonomic nervous system. Normally I don't drink liquids that I bathe in. It just seems icky. But made an exception here and after that ate the soup joyfully once I understood what it was about. I'll bet this soup will be very popular the colder it gets and then much less so when it gets hot outside. Neither my wife nor I were impressed with the guacamole that on this occasion was OK but much too chunky for us. We both like creamy guac so chunky is a let down for us, though many people like it chunky. The other three salsas ranged from a mild red, to hot red puree to a very hot green. Chips had enough grease that I had to go to the restroom to wash my hands as the napkins couldn't get enough of it off. Much more than the guac, which is just a stylistic preference one way or another, the large amount of oil on the chips is our only real negative experience. I think we all know it is risky to go to anyplace, without regard to pedigree, that has been open less than a month let alone less than a week. So we are going to chalk up the greasy chips to the start up shakedown cruise. Well done overall we say. My wife enjoyed her steak based torta with their homemade bread. But unlike Doug & friends experience my wife said she really liked her pork belly taco. The hostesses and the wait staff we encountered were really on point on a busy night and did a fine job for us.
We look forward to going here often and are glad that the menu has a wide range of price options as Doug noted because there'll be a couple of feet of snow in Malibu before we'll shell out for any of the $20 - $30 options on the menu.

Nice job, Doug!

I'm curious: What options did they have for your daughter?

She loves loves loves Guac so we gave her half our order with the house made chips. Also loaded her up on the refried beans with chorizo (which we told her was bacon). I could hand her shoe leather and as long as I claim its bacon she will eat it....lol.

Also loaded her up on the refried beans with chorizo (which we told her was bacon). I could hand her shoe leather and as long as I claim its bacon she will eat it....lol.