Sendero at Ritz-Carlton Offers Diners Views Galore and Latino Flavors

Located on the 24th floor at the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles in downtown LA, Sendero houses Corteza and Lena, two Latin American inspired restaurants. There is also the beautiful Agave Library private dining space with a huge mezcal bar, Volante, an eight-seat chef’s table and a huge bar featuring a variety of ceviche dishes. All dining spots, including the bar, offer breathtaking views of the city. Chef Kevin Luzande’s dishes reflect his travels and experiences along the Pan-American Highway.

Corteza incorporates coastal market cuisine including a variety of ceviches, stews, arepas and empanadas and is located at the front of the space. Lena is inspired by steakhouses in Argentina and includes a variety of beef dishes. The Ceviche Bar includes a wide variety of ceviches including tuna tostada with sea urchin, amberjack with coconut and ginger, tiradito with scallops and aji Amarillo, charted octopus with pineapple, ceviche bomba with hearts of palm and coconut, ceviche Nikkei with salmon and ginger, aguachile negro with prawns and yuzu and lobster coctel with lobster and avocado.

Our menu incorporated a bit of both so we could sample a range of dishes. We began with beautiful hot salted fresh rolls and soft butter. The Choripan appetizer from Lena featured chorizo, cauliflower escabeche, chimichurri, aged cheddar and grilled cibatta and was a delicious twist on a charcuterie board. Also from Lena was a delicious Wagyu beef carpaccio with pickled onions, Parmesan and came with a black truffle arancini, our favorite dish of the night. The tuna tostada from Corteza had a citrus bite and included sea urchin, avocado, salsa macha and pickled pear onion.

Main dishes included the Barbacoa from Corteza with perfectly cooked short ribs, fresh tortillas and glazed root vegetables, salsa and moicajete. We sampled the Bife de Lomo, a tasty prime tenderloin from Lena.

Desserts included the innovative Dia de los Muertos from Corteza, a white chocolate skull with pepita brittle, milk chocolate mousse and passionfruit and the Romeo and Juliet from Lena, a crème fraiche cheesecake with guava compote.

Sendero is the perfect spot for drinks and ceviches at the pretty bar, for a romantic date to enjoy the view, or to gather at the library for specialty cocktails or Volante for a special chef’s dinner.

Located at the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, 900 W. Olympic Blvd, reservations at 213.743.8800 and https://www.ritzcarlton.com.