***Restaurant of the Month*** CASA VEGA, Los Angeles, CA

Located in the trendy Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, July’s Restaurant of the Month is  Mexican restaurant CASA VEGA!  I introduced Vivica A. Fox to the hip La Esquina in NYC and to return the favor, she introduced me to Casa Vega!  The former is one of her favorite spots whenever she visits NYC, and the latter is one of my favorites whenever I’m in LA.  So of course, during my last visit, I linked with Viv and some friends and we all rolled through Casa Vega for a magnificent feast!

Anyone who’s anyone in Hollywood has stopped by this cave-like burrito-and-taco-haven, including Justin Timberlake,  Black Swan actress Mila Kunis and Gabrielle Union has claimed it one of her preferred spots.  In fact, the last time Viv and I left together, we ran into Emmy-winning actress Jackee Harry!  The food at Casa Vega (Spanish for Vega’s House) has been claimed “the best Mexican food in the entire Valley.”  And I’m here to reiterate that everything that is great about restaurants, is great at Casa Vega!

Casa Vega’s dark ambiance and shabby-chic extravagant but comfortable decor make it unique unto itself.  But their super friendly service, generous portions of everything, moderate prices, FANTASTIC authentic Mexican recipes, oversized drinks, crisp salty chips and homemade dips make Casa Vega the Holy Mecca of Mexican restaurants.

You only need one margarita at Casa Vega, but if you’re not driving, go ahead, and have two.  You may regret it in the morning, but two drinks or more will take the experience into another stratosphere.  The tortilla chips with the spicy (though they have mild and medium) homemade salsa are better than Lays potato chips!

Casa Vega has everything one could want in true Mexican cuisine – tacos, rice dishes, enchiladas, soups, salads, burritos, lobster and seafood dishes!  The portions are beyond hefty, cheesy, meaty, gooey, decadent, rich and lip-smacking!  Globs of sauces and sour creams and guacamole only make dishes that much better with creamy and flavorful accents.

The service is swift and super accommodating… The prices wont hurt you too bad, but go big or go home when at Casa Vega… It’s worth every bite!

I recently ordered my favorite Mexican dish – a chicken chimichanga, which is just a fried burrito!  I’ve had other dishes at Casa Vega, but their chimichanga dish, like everything else on the menu, is everything you want your dish to be, and then some!  Because it’s my favorite Mexican meal, I keep ordering it again and again… I can’t help it!

Vivica ordered a hard shell ground beef taco w a chicken enchillada and refriend beans on our last visit, photo’d above.  I didn’t have to have a bite to know how good it was… I mean, look at the picture!

Casa Vega is great for family and friends, but it’s dark atmosphere make for a great date night as well… It’s even rumored that many men bring their mistresses there because they won’t be seen!  Anyway, the people watching is part of the fun at this star-studded, easy and casual spot.

Anyway, I could go on and on about Casa Vega… This is not a recommendation, Casa Vega is a place ANYONE who visits or lives in California should dine before they die.  It’s one of the best meals you’ll ever have in this lifetime.  As a matter of fact, Casa Vega is a gift from God, and it’s quite obvious, that, after dining here, you too, will have tasted a piece of heaven!

BJC.

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