A Peruvian pop-up
> Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate kicked off 2022 by overseeing the food programs of Beverly Grove’s Short Stories Hotel, blending Latin and Californian flavors. By summer he’d opened the lauded Causita in Silver Lake, building a menu of Nikkei dishes. To close out the year, he’s debuting Colibrí with a yearlong residency that quietly took over Hollywood’s Los Balcones this month (a grand opening is slated for Jan. 15). The pop-up serves his take on the traditional dishes he grew up with. The name, meaning hummingbird, harks back to his childhood in Peru; nicknamed Colibrí, Zarate says he began to learn to cook by darting through his neighborhood asking for lessons. Colibrí’s menu includes classics such as lomo saltado, arroz con pollo, ceviche mixto, tiradito and tallarines rojos, but here the spaghetti is handmade tagliatelle, served not with red sauce but a Peruvian pesto. The popup also serves wine and beer, with a cocktail program of staples such as old-fashioneds, margaritas and gin and tonics, plus ample pisco and a chicha morada sour. “Colibrí is my interpretation of traditional Peruvian cuisine: something that I really love to cook, something that I really love to eat,” he said. “This is kind of like MoChica style — my beginnings in Los Angeles, and that’s what my love for cooking [is], to be honest.” Zarate hopes to plant the concept somewhere permanently, but for now his residency as Colibrí Pop Up Cantina runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 1360 Vine St., Los Angeles, 323-561-0332, colibripopup.com
Raising the steaks
> A new Japanese tasting menu can be found in downtown’s Wilshire Grand Center with robatayaki grills, a focus on Wagyu, and black and white truffles — with more set to launch next month. The 9,000square-foot Niku X, from the hospitality group behind Rowland Heights’ Wagyu by the X Pot and Las Vegas’ the X Pot,
Chubby Cattle and Xtra Sweet, is now soft-open, debuting with a $230 yakiniku — grilled meat — tasting menu that features beef sourced from the company’s farm. Courses include grilled items such as 45-day dry-aged strip loin; Wagyu beef tongue with black vinegar; A5 Wagyu donabe with fresh wasabi; and dry-aged salmon, with appetizers like lobster sashimi with ponzu, and caviar with Wagyu tartare and uni. In early 2023, the restaurant is expected to unveil its a la carte menu as well as its cocktail, beer and wine programs. 900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 212, Los Angeles, (323) 920-0302, nikux.com