We finally made it over to Chef Ray Garcia’s new restaurant called Broken Spanish in the ground floor of the Met Lofts on Flower and 11th Street. Broken Spanish took over the space that once housed Rivera. Thank goodness they renovated the space making it brighter, more open and inviting. We were meeting 4 friends who hadn’t arrived yet, so we headed to the bar to wait. I ordered something called the Cazuela ($20). According to the menu this cocktail is for “1 or 2 people… served in an earthen “Cazuela” dish with some pretty flowers.” It’s Mezcal, Blanco Tequila, Mandarin Napoleon, Lime, Fresh Jicama, Pineapple and Fresno Chili. It was good, but that earthen bowl wasn’t big enough for me to share with another person (what does that say about me?). Anyway… once our friends arrived we were seated, ordered more cocktails and started looking at the menu. A few ingredients on the menu popped out at us like the duck hearts, pig’s tail and chicken cock comb. No, we didn’t order any of the above, but we did order something I have never seen on a menu before (more on that in a bit). We did order a lot of other great food that we shared family style beginning with the Tortillas served with Refried Lentils ($9) and the Tortillas served with Whipped Carnitas Fat ($7). Delicious.
That was followed by the Tamales with Fava Bean, Pea, Swiss Chard, Hoja Santa and Sungold Salsa ($12) and the Tamales with Lamb Neck, King Oyster Mushroom and Queso Oaxaca ($15). Again delicious.
I love the Mexican Street Corn, so we ordered a side of the Esquites with Kewpie, Manzano and Parmesan ($8). This dish was surprising spicy, but so good!
Esquites Corn
And the parade of food continued… Mushrooms with Black Garlic, Chile de Arbol, Verdolaga on top of Griddled Masa ($16), Chile Relleno made with Poblano, Potato, Kale, Lemon and Soubise ($13) and the Quesadilla filled with Oxtail, Plantain, Habanero and Salsa Quemada ($14). All were great!
The only disappointing dish was the Enchiladas filled with Squash, Rajas, Quesillo topped with a Charred Eggplant Sauce ($15). It was good, but a little bland compared to everything we had ordered.
Enchiladas with Charred Eggplant Sauce
Of course we ordered more rounds of drinks before the arrival of the dish we were all waiting for (but for different reasons)… the Cabeza. It was half of a Lamb’s Head served with Pickled Onion and Cabbage ($28). Um… NO! I do apologize for the photo, but you have to see it to believe it. Now my friends tore that thing apart… literally. They devoured it, including the brain and the eye. They loved it. It was definitely worth ordering for the spectacle alone.
Cabeza (Lamb’s Head)
We really enjoyed the food at Broken Spanish. As the restaurant’s website says, “The cuisine is expressed in bold yet refined flavors. Preparations demonstrate elements of long-established tradition, while finished dishes are showcased with modern appeal,” except for the lamb’s head. There was nothing appealing about that thing!
Oh, be sure to check out Chef Roy Garcia’s other restaurant, the more casual B.S. Taqueria on 7th Street.
Broken Spanish 1050 S. Flower Street (at 11th Street) 213.749.1460
DTLAexplorer.com 
Pingback: CHEF RAY GARCIA OPENS B.S. TAQUERIA CONSESSION COUNTER INSIDE STAPLES CENTER | DTLAexplorer.com