September 04, 2007 Date of review: Friday, 8/31/07, 9pm

Malo is located in the very hip, very trendy, somewhat pretentious Silverlake. The patrons ranged from tattooed mommies and daddies to male rockers in women's jeans to Gina Davis (she was at the next table over).

The wait was long, even with a reservation. But to compensate, they gave us a complimentary flight of salsas. The Habernero & Cream salsa was amazing.

The food was great. I tried the beef and pickle tacos. My wife had the shrimp diablo; and we split a cheese quesadilla. My wife had to say about the shrimp: "It was really good and really spicy. I liked it." It was a very nice meal: filling and well-priced.

Their tequila selection is above average. 150 from the description sounds about right. A good variety - from inexpensive to the super premiums. For price calibration, I always use Herradura Seleccion Suprema which was $59 here. This is certainly higher than I am used to seeing. Don Julio 1942 was $26. So you are looking at about a 450-550% mark-up. (300-400% is about average in my experience) But Silverlake is an expensive neighborhood to set-up shop in, I'm sure.

I had the chance to talk with Mateo, the manager? owner? He was great. He brought out some samples - most notably a 1921 Tequila Crema which was a BIG hit at the table.

Overall, I had a great time at Malo. My only negative would be the price (of tequila, not food). But as I said before, this is in a very trendy, up-and-coming neighborhood of Los Angeles and I'm sure the rent is high. I would certainly recommend Malo to this community.

 September 04, 2007 I was served 1921 Tequila Crema at Malo this past Friday. It was served on the rocks as an after-dinner treat. This stuff drinks like dessert. It is smooth, sweet, creamy - delicious. If you are a fan of Kahlua or Bailey's and you also love tequila, I can all but assure that you will thoroughly enjoy 1921 Tequila Crema. I'm adding it to my bar as soon as I can find a bottle.

 August 28, 2007 I liked this blanco. I would put Don Valente Blanco into the middle category of silvers - with the sweet, smooth, mild flavors of a 4 Copas Blanco on one side and the hot, intense agave flavors of a Casa Noble Crystal on the other. Don Valente Blanco finds a happy middle ground and is well balanced.

For me, Don Valente Blanco was a bit more complex than I am used to in a silver tequila. It's medium bodied and there are certainly hints of grassiness and pepper to be found.

I wouldn't hesitate to put this tequila into the category of "sipper". I'm not sure how well it would mix - and it's probably best not to find out. It's definitely worth trying if you can find it.

 August 27, 2007 4 Copas Blanco: Tequila for people who don't like tequila.

This tequila is very sweet, very smooth, and finishes short. There is a buttery feel in the mouth, but I would be hesitant to call it even medium bodied. It's very, very light. There is a moderate amount of agave, but I didn't experience any "intense" flavors.

All in all, I think it's a great effort; and it would probably mix extremely well. Even just for shear contrast between this and Case Noble or Don Valente, it is worth checking out.

 August 27, 2007 Date of review: Sunday 8/26/07, 6pm

As I entered La Paz, there was a glass case housing a nice collection of tequilas: Rey Sol and Gran Centenario Extra to name a couple. But I was disappointed to find out that those were just for show and the selection of tequilas available for purchase was much smaller.

I would say that the tequila menu was quite basic: Casa Noble, 1921, Chinaco, Don Julio, Patron... the staples of any tequila bar. What it lacked, however, were any premium tequilas. Where is the Herradura Seleccion Suprema? The Gran Centenario Extra? Rey Sol? Real?

The tequila knowledge was not up to par either. I asked if they had Herradura Seleccion Suprema and when they said yes, I asked the price (as I use that to calibrate pricing for tequila bars). When he said $9, I knew something was up. Turns out that was the price for Herradura Anejo (a good price, btw) but I was disappointed in the confusion that was caused by me ordering a premium tequila.

On the flip side, the menu is incredible. And the food was excellent. My wife had a shrimp taco/cheese enchilada combo and I had the Chili Colorado. It was all very good. So sadly, La Paz goes into the category of a good Mexican restaurant with a larger-than-average tequila menu.