El Cholo has been one of my favorite and easy go-to restaurants since college. It’s consistent in quality, lively and very reasonable considering the large portions of food. Tonight was the first foray to the downtown Los Angeles location. I had seen it in passing many times on my way to the Staples Center. It looks smaller than the Santa Monica and Western Avenue location but by no means is its charm any less diminutive. I had tried to find them on Open Table but only the Pasadena location was listed. I went on the main website and through that there is a link to the reservation site. As a side note, I had previously spoken with the owner and chef of Charcoal and Melisse, Josiah Citrin, earlier this year about online reservations. It appears that Open Table charges the restaurant an additional fee for reservations made through their site so restaurants are now veering away and using Rezy, Yelp, Foursquare or others of the like. Back to the restaurant. For over twenty years, I have ordered the same thing at all of the previously mentioned location: the Sonora style enchilada. The only deviation is whether I order it with shredded beef or crab. Tonight I ordered shredded beef. As always, one side of the dish had a bit more kick and spice but the broth and the savory sauce countered it. Looking at the dish and eating it reminded me of the yin and yang Chinese symbol. The red and green sauce are opposite each other in flavor but together help create that nice balance. Also any dish with a huevo will always get my vote. I’m sure the other dishes on the menu are equally spectacular but for me, the Sonora style enchilada will always be my entree of choice because it is perfectly balanced and timeless.

#elcholo #dtla #mexicanfood #dinnerout #sonorastyleenchiladas #shreddedbeef #foodie #foodgram #foodpics #foodporn #losangeles #losangeleseats #egg #huevo

1037 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

http://elcholo.com/location/downtown