Gracias Madre
Vegan. Organic. Mexican. Food. Yes, Gracias Madre in West Hollywood makes LA a better place-- not only is this spot stunningly beautiful, but it has some seriously good plant-based eats. Gracias Madre West Hollywood is a gorgeous restaurant that uses 100% locally grown organic ingredients to make Mexican food that is completely plant-based. The menu is brilliantly well-crafted, elevated, and absolutely everything is made in-house, from the tortilla chips to their hot sauces. And seriously, their chips and guac are some of the BEST in the city, hands-down. We met with the owner Lisa Bonbright and chef Chandra Gilbert of Gracias Madre for a tasting of some of their new dishes. What we love about Gracias Madre is that we can get delicious Mexican food, made with the best possible ingredients, that makes you feel good afterwards.
With an impressive culinary past-- having worked for the esteemed Alice Waters and Cowgirl Creamery to name a few-- Chandra helped start the original Gracias Madre up north, and it only made sense for her to open up with West Hollywood Gracias too. Chandra approaches vegan Mexican food with extremely detailed, specialized technique. Her food is bold, vibrant, and yet still refined.
First up, we tasted their new Aged Cheese Plate-- and WOW, this is a complete game-changer. These nut-based cheeses, meaning they're all dairy-free, were seriously out of this world delicious, with some of our favorite flavors such as truffle and served alongside perfectly toasted gluten-free garlic bread, apple habanero jam, spiced almonds, peppers and onions, and persimmon. Chandra also brought us her new "Crab Cakes", delectable rounds that get the essence of the sea from sea vegetables made with hearts of palm, chipotle aioli, micro cilantro, bay laurel, soo good. The Madre's Chopped Salad is heavenly, chopped to perfection with just the right amount of toasted cumin sesame dressing. And we didn't miss out on the desserts either... the Fudge Brownie?! It's a gluten-free brownie topped with salted Mezcal caramel sauce, coconut bacon, and orange cashew whipped cream.
The Gracias Madre drink program is fantastic. From horchata to juices to cocktails, it's all pretty stellar. Our idea of a perfect night is getting a spot outside on the patio, sipping one of their cocktails, and munching on chips, and guac.
| Gracias Madre West Hollywood 8905 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 90069 323-978-2170 // www.graciasmadreweho.com |
Photography by: Emily Knecht