La Paella

La Paella Restaurant Review:

Despite the sudden interest in Spanish cuisine, many tapas bars in SoCal feel like impressionistic interpretations by well-meaning New World entrepreneurs, rather than the genuine article. But La Paella, on an awkward stretch of San Vicente Boulevard, has the proper credentials. Owner Pasqual Franqueza, who hails from Valencia---where they know a thing or two about paella---has created a handsome split-level restaurant with both a tapas bar and a rustic dining room filled with sturdy wooden furniture, linen-clad tables and antique Spanish ceramics. There's no dubious Latin American fusion cuisine here, just traditional Iberian fare including over two dozen tapas (steamed mussels, quality Serrano ham, Spanish chorizo and manchego cheese, and a true tortilla Española). Entrées include zarzuela de marisco (hearty seafood soup) and five varieties of saffron-scented paella, including the shellfish-laden arroz negro version, tinted black by squid ink.