What You Missed at East L.A. Meets Napa

Attila the Flan’s gelatin roses

On Friday evening, East L.A. Meets Napa kicked off at Union Station to raise funds for Alta Med. Pairing Latino-owned wineries with a varied handful of Los Angeles Mexican restaurants, the night’s theme was the flavors of Michoacán, with the occasional presence of carnitas, guacamole, and corn tamales to back it up. The event offered flavors both innovative and at times, somewhat staid, with the most intriguing appearances coming from the beautiful rose Jellos of Attila the Flan, duck confit carnitas tacos from Guisado’s, Cacao’s grass-fed beef tartare tacos, squash blossom tacos from El Portal, and Playa’s flan de elote with squash blossom sauce. There was comfort as well, in classic dishes like El Cholo’s seasonal green tamales, birria from Chalio, and anything and everything from Porto’s. Take a look at the best dishes and enchanting scene in our slide show of this year’s East L.A. Meets Napa.

Related: What You Missed at East L.A. Meets Napa 2010 [GS]

Held on Friday night at Downtown’s Union Station.

Homegirl’s black bean (left) and chicken mole tostadas were a favorite bite.

Chili-topped ​Mexican steak tartare tacos using grass-fed beef marinated in lime. Called “Carne asada ceviche.”

El Cholo served its seasonal green corn tamales.

Flan de elote with black quinoa and squash blossom sauce.

Duck confit carnitas.

Coconut shrimp.

For the second year in a row, Luna’s tiny bites were a big hit.

Mole pipian sopes.

Scallop ceviche.

Yxta previewed its new concept, Mercado, coming to Santa Monica towards the end of summer.

Shrimp taquito.

Made a variety of tacos, including tilapia.

Taco de lengua.

Squash blossom tacos.

These all-gelatin roses were a stunner.

We liked these loteria-style labels.

Ceviche.

Friday saw the debut of Tributo a Mi Padre Tequila.

With Cuban music and desserts from Porto’s, the party celebrating Mexican food had a distinctly Cuban flair at times.

Taco de carnitas.