Kat's 9 Lives

What does a girl do to kill time while in LA? I head over to the Farmer's Market on Fairfax. It's been ages since I last came here but there's a wide array of foodie finds here, so why not. Parking is free with validation, even better. Ms. Lin warned me that I should not be stuffing myself before my meal at Petrossian. Little did I know that I should have ate everything I could before going to that disappointing dinner.
After I picked up some pastries and coffee from Short Cake, I stumbled across Little Spain. I could use some little tapas to hit the spot. My last trip to Europe made me realize just how much I loved Spain in comparison with the other countries I have been to.
At first I was looking for some bocadillos that would really satisfy my yearning. Here they have Montaditos instead where they are small bites of different ingredients on top of mini-toasts. They are 3 for $4.50 or 5 for $7. I chose the Jamón Serrano, Chorizo, and Lomo Ibérico Embuchado. It's good to order a few different types to try. Although I wish that I got all Jamón Serrano as that was the best choice to me. I love dry-cured Spanish ham. It has the most flavor and I love the cured fattiness.
The lomo was a little different than what I expected. Whenever I was in Spain, I would get lomo Ibérico. It usually is a chunk of pork loin. Here it was more of a shaved cured meat. Still good, but I like the tenderness and juiciness of a thicker cut.
For some reason, I thought the Spanish chorizo was going to be cooked bits of meat on top of toast but it was slices of the meat on top of the toast. Not bad, but I should have gotten a bunch of the jamón as it was my favorite.
I had to treat myself to a Montadito Jamon Iberico. It's meat from a black footed pig that is cured for 24 months. This is usually one of the best tasting meats. The flavors are immense and the meat is more tender. It just leaves a smile on my face afterwards. Recently I found a new love, which is the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. I was so tempted to order it here and very happy to see that they offer such a delicacy here. Those pigs are only fed acorns and it works! The meat is so sweet and tender that I am going to start drooling just by thinking about it. Of course the tastiness doesn't come cheap but well-worth it and I am glad to know that they offer it here!
It was a cold night so I wanted some hot tapas to warm me up. An age-old favorite is the Croquetas Española. I love anything fried and I love croquetas. You can choose what type and I decided to have the jamón serrano. Crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth goodness on the inside. The aioli was flavorful and completed the savory flavor of the croqueta.

All in all it was a great place to snack at. It's not quite the same tapas I had in Spain but they do give a feeling of authenticity and the staff is very friendly. The best part is that they do carry the jamón ibérico de bellota here but only the cured meat. If you plan to splurge on yourself, then stop by here for a taste.

Little Spain
6333 W. Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 634-0633