Babita Mexicuisine

Babita Mexicuisine Restaurant Review:

The façade is rather uninviting, but beyond the front door lies an adorable little dining room that offers inventive Mexican cooking. Chef-owner Roberto Berrelleza, who grew up in Sinaloa, produces a fine rendition of cochinita pibil, the Yucatan achiote-marinated pork roasted in a banana leaf. Other highlights include mixiote --- lamb shank marinated in spices and chilies, then steamed in beer; sautéed chicken and shrimp in tequila-banana chipotle sauce, served over chayote squash gratin; and “super hot” shrimp topolobampo in a ferocious sauce containing habanero peppers, mustard, tomato and white wine. The menu is positively eye-popping, boasting items like yellow chilies stuffed with salmon ceviche and drizzled with strawberry sauce, and a New York steak and shrimp surf ‘n’ turf with a tequila-pumpkin seed-cilantro sauce. Happily, not only do the combinations impress, they also satisfy, with vivid flavors and artistic presentations. Better yet, the prices are more reasonable than if the restaurant were situated on the Westside or due north in Pasadena.