Miro Restaurant is a great stop in downtown Los Angeles' financial district for a Mediterranean meal or a night of high end whisky drinking in one of their dedicated bars. 

I've been taking full advantage of Los Angeles' finally better connected public transportation with the metro Expo line that goes direct from Santa Monica to downtown. This past weekend, a friend and I made it a whole downtown day by taking in a show at Disney Concert Hall, followed by some delicious dining and whiskey drinking at Miro Restaurant and Bar.

Miro is in LA's downtown financial district, so they attract a decent afterwork crowd, and have a nice happy hour to boot. We were there on a Saturday, so it wasn't as crowded, which meant we received some nice personal attention. We were able to try a few wines, before deciding on a nice French Bordeaux.

The menu is Mediterranean small plates that capitalize on a wood fired oven with such items as clay baked olives, homemade foccacia, braised short ribs, pizza and pasta. We started with a deliciously savory wood-roasted cauliflower, bathed in a well-pronounced ras el hanout Moroccan spice with a dollop of sour cream and pomegranates. That was the best cauliflower I may have ever eaten, and dairy free friends, you can eat around the sour cream or ask for it without.

As is custom, I ordered the grilled octopus and liked Miro's interpretation with achiote, romesco, jicama, pomegranate and mint. I enjoyed the sweet twist and cooking preparation.

There are bigger plates like NY Strip, roasted salmon, and a grilled heritage pork. We opted for the lamb kofta tagine with green harissa, preserved lemon and cage-free egg on top. The spices played well with the lamb, though the meatballs were a tad dry, and I wished the sauce was a little thicker for better scooping. The whole dish was still devoured.

Instead of dessert, we decided to take advantage of Miro's extensive whisky collection. They have a full, high ceiling restaurant on one floor, and beneath, is a large wrap around bar, with yet another bar in the corner. It's the bar within the bar that we were most intrigued by since that's where you can get knee deep in whiskey talk.

The servers are all knowledgeable and helped us with some suggestions based on our preferences. The comfy couches make it a nice place to settle in for a night cap.

Miro is offering a solid market driven Mediterranean menu for the downtown LA financial district set, or those wanting a nice stop off the metro. Come for the food and stay for the whisky!

Miro Restaurant
888 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
213.988.8880