Descanso Awards

Descanso Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: Planted on Costa Mesa’s suburban west side, this modernized iteration of a taqueria carries a sleek vibe not unlike what may be found in the city’s hipper pockets. The outdoor patio is roomy but not too sprawling, and smart flourishes of color and vegetation add character to the interior.

Likes: The interaction with the plancha chefs.
Dislikes: Some items not available at the planchas.

Food & Drinks: The star attractions are the planchas: teppanyaki-like cast iron grilling slabs where engaging chefs prepare the tortillas, proteins, and other goodies in front of the guests. Each plancha encounter starts off with a soup or salad course featuring items like fideo, a hard to find toasted noodle and tomato broth soup that’s richly flavorful and satisfying. For the main course, we recommend the indulgent alambres, a grilled up cheese-topped dish of peppers, bacon, avocado and a protein, perhaps steak, chicken or shrimp. For dessert, the pan dolce is a shareable delight. A nice roster of tequilas and a few Baja wines dot the drinks list. Weekend brunch features bottomless mimosas and dishes such as huevos rancheros, salmon avocado tostadas and eggs Benito (achiote marinated chicken, two poached eggs, agave morita glaze, hollandaise, avocado, bell peppers, grilled corn and onions on two tostadas).