If you’ve ever lived in Los Angeles, there’s likely a dish or an ambient aspect of a long-standing Mexican restaurant that you hold dear. These restaurants, serving up what you could call classic American Mexican, or California Mexican — “Cal-Mex” for short — have become a crucial part of L.A.’s identity. “Cal-Mex is a metaphor for our state itself,” writes Times columnist Gustavo Arellano. “Its history and resilience tells us where we came from, who we are and where we’re going — never static, perpetually underestimated, forever dynamic.”
Consider this package a guide to our state’s culinary soul.
