Reply to "5 best downtown Los Angeles restaurants"

It's pretty easy to find Mexican food in L.A. But what do you do when you want memorable, out-of-the-ordinary Mexican? Fellow chefs like to go to Broken Spanish, where Ivan Marquez and Ray Garcia oversee things.

The tostada at Broken Spanish gets raves: "His tostada on heirloom corn tortilla (made by hand in house) with beets, hard-boiled egg & pickled habanero is transcendental!" writes chef Sammy Monsour, co-author of the cookbook "American Burger Revival."

Have you ever had duck at a Mexican restaurant? The roast duck with mole is considered another standout there. Another innovative dish is charred red cabbage with cueritos (pig skin). Ingredients in their dishes vary from oysters and scallops to beets and mushrooms.

Broken Spanish says it adds a 3% surcharge to its bills so it can provide health insurance for its full-time employees, but diners can have the charge removed if they wish.