Wednesday, September 24, 2008
La Sirena Grill and Cantina
(El Segundo)
Plaza El Segundo
710-D Allied Way
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 640-6170
Listing on Insider Pages

Official Site
About nine years ago a humble little Mexican restaurant started up in Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA, built into a humble old cottage on Mermaid St. It took its name, La Sirena Grill, from the street it was on ("sirena" being Spanish for "mermaid") and began serving up healthy, authentic Mexican fare to those who knew how to find the place. A little later a second location was added and then a third one. Now, about nine months ago a fourth location has been added and this time it is in Los Angeles County . . . El Segundo to be exact, in the El Segundo Plaza to be even more exact.

For this new location the name has been expanded to "La Sirena Grill and Cantina" and the menu has been accordingly expanded to include nouveau Mexican offerings concocted by Cordon Bleu graduate Bradley Herron.
Parking
There's plenty of parking at Plaza El Segundo. La Sirena Grill and Cantina is at the far end of the Plaza on the Whole Foods Market side.
Start out with some fresh chips with a nice snappy crunch to them and a delectable salsa verde:

Event Information
The Tequila Tasting & Food Pairing
November 20, 2008
You will have the pleasure of tasting and learning about our featured tequila Penca Azul and pairings of food & drink from Chef Bradley Herron.
Joining us for the event will be Penca Azul's Tequila Ambassador; he will share his knowledge on the spirit’s flavor and processes.
Cost: $50 per person
Time: 6:00pm
Please RSVP by calling (310) 640-6170 or emailing TasteTequila@lasirenagrill.com.
Limited to 20 spaces; stop by and pre-pay to secure a spot!

A Little Secret
Be sure to ask about possible special entrees and desserts that may be available when you are there but not listed on the menu.

Then move on to an appetizer. During my visit I was there with Andrea A. from the LA Times and we shared a crab cake appetizer. It comes with a salad with about six different kinds of nuts in it. Due to my walnut allergy they kindly prepared me a version of the salad sans nuts.

One of their signature appetizers is the "Spicy BBQ Duck Tamale - sweet corn, smoked chile reduction:"

Unique Item
A unique item at La Sirena Grill is their strawberry-watermelon aguas frescas which takes liquid refreshment to a whole new level.

For entrees Andrea picked the "Two tacos with cabbage, cilantro, lime and avocado salsa served with black bean-corn gratin:"

While I went for the excellent, dinner menu-only selection, "Wild Mushroom Chilaquiles - arugula, jicama, black truffles, chipotle balsamic & tomatillo sauce:"

Finish off your meal with one of their amazing desserts. Choose from Flourless Chocolate Cake or "Chocolate chip bread pudding with horchata ice cream and berry salsa:"

View the unedited photo album (63 photos) at by clicking here.
View our complete coverage of La Sirena Grill in Orange County by clicking here.
Official Info
Open Daily 11am - 10pm
Tequila Tasting Hour 5 - 6pm Daily;
50+ Tequilas Only $3 Each
Saturday and Sunday Brunch from 9am - 2pm
Here's some more photos from subsequent visits:

Organic Grilled Romaine Salad: "Pepita dressing, roasted squash, pomegranate syrup."

Porcini & Truffle Quesadilla: "Handmade corn tortillas, porcini and truffle mushrooms, organic arugula salad."

Carrot Soup

Bread Pudding
Labels: el segundo