Los Angeles Mexican food was trapped in cheesy combo plate cliches until a few forward-thinking chefs took a stand.
the transformational change in opening people’s minds to the possibilities of Mexican cuisine in Los Angeles would need to be fought by Mexican chefs.
Rodriguez’s rotating repertoire of more than 60 sauces attracted diners from all over Southern California, including Hollywood and the Westside. People used to boast how they’d gone “” for dinner at Serenata, just a five-minute drive from downtown L.A. and with a gated parking lot for the Mercedes and Jaguar drivers.
“Mexican cooking had to please the American people, and in those years, they didn’t appreciate spicy-hot sauces,” he continued. “In trying to give Americans what they wanted, Mexican cooks started making sauces on the sweet side. ... What you have are a lot of big, beautiful buildings with terrible food.”