Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Viento Pop-Up at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

by guest blogger @btsunoda

With the exception of Las Vegas, hotels usually don’t make an effort to attract diners that aren’t already guests of the hotel. There are only a handful of hotel restaurants that I can think of that I dined at without being a guest. The Breeze Restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Century City Plaza Hotel is attempting to change that perception. The Breeze kitchen has experimented with a few different themes and I had a chance to sample their new pop-up restaurant located just off the lobby.

I learned that the Hyatt Regency team will rotate the kitchen in six month pop-up efforts, each one operating under a different name. I had the opportunity to attend the initial pop-up named “Viento”, a Latin small plates concept.
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During the dinner hours, Viento serves tapas such as pork belly sliders and mini duck sopes, alongside larger dishes like mole platters and Achiote Salmon. They also change the restaurant’s interior design by swapping out tables, chairs, and decor elements as needed. DSCF7723

The restaurant led to a nicely landscaped patio where many of the dishes were prepared. While this is not a standard feature of Viento, this patio setup can be made available for a special event. It’s a tranquil space if you enjoy alfresco dining.
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While it was simply constructed, I enjoyed the octopus ceviche with pico de gallo. Avocado and heirloom tomato chunks, corn nuts and pico de gallo comprised this offering.
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Large shrimp is marinated in al pastor seasoning and then sauteed and included with pineapple, micro cilantro and ancho chili threads. These threads do not add that much heat and adding red with the yellow, orange and green colors really adds to the presentation.   FullSizeRender2

The appearance of the pork belly torta sliders didn’t draw my attention, but my taste buds exploded after I began eating one. The pork belly was crispy and combined with curtido or the slaw you would find in a pupusa restaurant. The jam added a nice sweetness to the vinegar base of the slaw. I ended up eating two of them!
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The guava cocktail and the coconut mojito were both refreshing and tasty.

The Viento pop-up delivers on both ambiance and quality food. In addition to the drinks I mentioned, Viento has some of the leading aged rums, tequilas and mezcals. Once you are inside the restaurant, you’ll immediately forget that you are in a hotel.
Validated valet parking is available at $6.00.

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 228-1234
http://centuryplaza.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/viento.html

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