Let’s all take a moment to admire what exactly LA Cha Cha Chá’s’ chapulín de croissant really is: A precious French pastry, par-baked by Bakers Kneaded (a Mexican-American owned panadería) and optimized by a Watts-raised, Salvadoran chef, who generously tops it with dried chiles and chopped chapulines, before selling it for brunch in the Arts District.
This is the world we want to live in.
Have you ever bitten into a croissant that was dusted with so much crushed chile and citric acid-like seasoning, that was filled with so much requesón and goat cheese, that it demanded a caballito (shot) of mezcal to wash it down? This is the croissant of our dreams that is currently on the weekend only-brunch menu at La Cha Cha Cha.
The croissant is a serendipitous product of a couple of Patina alumni: chef Paco Moran and baker Carlos Enriquez, who both grew up in L.A. barrios and honed their skills in classic French techniques while working around the empire of Joachim Splichal. It defies “stunt food” or fusion labels because the origins are intentional and it’s made by people who grew up with these flavors and form, plus it is absolutely delicious. In fact, it’s the best croissant this newsroom has tasted in both Mexico and the U.S (and fuck it, Paris too).