OUR CHICAGO KITCHEN SNEAK PEEK

Situated in the heart of Silver Lake, LA’s newest Mexican contender soft-opened at the start of August (the grand opening was September 1st). Named after a Mexican horror film starring a shark, Tintorera is a modern, seafood-focused joint from Mexico City chef Maycoll Calderón, who’s best known for his grill-heavy eatery Huset in the D.F.

About the Chef: Calderón was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, but moved around a lot as a child. After living in Bogotá, Quito, and Santo Domingo, he eventually settled in Puerto Rico. He graduated from the Baldwin School in Guaynabo in 2001, then moved to Zarautz, Spain to attend Aiala culinary school. During his tenure there, Calderón apprenticed at the associated Hotel Restaurante Karlos Arguiñano, and ended up completing his studies in 2003. Following, he staged for over a year at Arzak in San Sebastián, and in June 2004, transitioned to Ferran Adrià’s iconic ElBulli, where he stayed for three months. Calderón then went to work in pastry at Restaurante Marina Berri in Zumaia, where put he put in five months. From there, he landed the sous chef position at Jean-Georges in February 2006.

That gig lasted until September 2009, when he became exec sous at The Mark by Jean-Georges, also in NYC. A year later, he was Chef de Cuisine at Fern by Jean Georges at the St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico. April 2012 saw Calderón go to Mexico City to become CdC at J&G Grill at the St. Regis. In July 2015, he finally left Vongerichten’s side, partnered with Fortuna Mezcal co-founder Walter Meyenberg (Sesame, Paprika, La Nacional, La Botica), and opened his first solo project: Huset, a cocina de campo eatery located in CDMX’s trendy Roma Norte neighborhood. It quickly became one of the City’s most popular restaurants, and in February 2016, Calderón followed up with Hanky Panky, a speakeasy-type cocktail bar located in the nearby Colonia Juárez. Tintorera is the Chef’s first solo foray into the US, and apparently he chose Silver Lake for its hipster, creative vibe that recalls that of La Roma.

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So, what do you think ?

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