Opened: December 2024
Don’t look now, but the Loma Linda Historic District near Osborn Road and 24th Street has a nice little dining scene cooking. First Glai Baan, then the larder & the delta and now, just around the corner, this winsome “aperitivo bar” from Valentina Huerta and chef Gian Franco Brugaletta, shifting gears after coffee-driven Nomada Provisions, which they formerly operated in the café-like space. Pressed, I would describe the new restaurant (pronounced me-shel-la) as “sushi-centric global tapas.” You get a gorgeous, up-front gust of South America from the Peruvian ceviche ($19), strewn with toasted pepitas and thus surprisingly smoky on the front end, but ultimately rich, tangy and aromatic, with succulent lobes of citrus-cooked sea bass luxuriating in tigre de leche.
Piled respectively with prosciutto di Parma and a tomato-burrata-pesto trio, the two-way bruschetta ($13) is an orthodox Italian pleaser, while savory bacalao empanandas – salted cod whipped with raisins, olives and potato, then smeared inside a crispy, flaky turnover ($13) – deliciously conjure northwest Spain. Anchored by a spot-on rainbow roll ($17), the dozen-item-strong raw menu is unapologetically Japanese, while a tiny cauldron of Moroccan chicken stew, heady with clove and preserved lemon ($13), makes no bones about its North Africanness – bones included. So, yes, quite global, this disarming little wine spot.
Wild Card: Oops, almost forgot the wine. Find a nice smattering of Old World styles ($14-$18) to pair strategically with the food, along with a full bar and cocktails.
3410 N. 24th St., 602-795-4299, mixelaphx.com
