There's a quietly sublime, often unnoticed dish on the LALLApalooza menu -- our Mexican Shrimp Tacos -- that has a nearly cult-like fan base among the locals here. The explanation provides a telling insight into just how crazy / obsessed our founder and executive chef, Pat Ottone, is about serving only made-from-scratch, authentic flavors. After several trips to Mexico, and months of researching and tasting and testing dozens and dozens and DOZENS of recipes, Pat knew what he had to do: Make absolutely everything in-house, fresh, by hand. Starting with the tortillas. The marinades, too, had to be house-made. Ditto for the salsas, Oaxaca guacamole and Mexican slaw. In short, just about anything that can be made here, is.

This same fanatical attention to detail permeates every entree, sauce, side dish, sandwich or dessert we serve.

A quick example or two:

We make our own hamburger buns. No kidding -- we make our own hamburger buns. We bake our own ciabatta and focaccia breads, too. You already know about the house-made tortillas.

Fresh pastas and pizza dough? Yep, made right here every day. Their sauces are also from scratch, of course.

We even make our own sour cream. Why on earth, you ask? Well, we like it a tiny bit less tangy than store-bought. That, and ours just tastes better.

Which brings us to the really important stuff: Our meticulously prepared, out of this world, dry-aged steaks. Everything from the 100% natural, hormone- free, corn-fed Angus beef to the Monterey oak logs used during live fire grilling, has been carefully choosen by Pat himself to create a truly authentic, altogether memorable Monterey-style dining experience.