Chef Ricardo Zarate debuted his Colibrí pop up in West Hollywood, at 514 N La Cienega Blvd. Colibrí, which means hummingbird in Spanish, opened on Tuesday, April 11. The pop up is a nod to Zarate’s childhood in Peru, where he learned his cooking skills by going door to door in his neighborhood, asking neighbors to teach him something.
Colibrí serves traditional dishes, such as lomo saltado, arroz con pollo, ceviche mixto, tiradito, and tallarines rojos. However, Zarate puts his spin on these classics by using handmade tagliatelle instead of spaghetti, and serving them with Peruvian pesto instead of red sauce. The pop-up also offers a cocktail program with margaritas, gin and tonics, and ample pisco, as well as a chicha morada sour.
Colibrí a sister location with a yearlong residency that has taken over Hollywood’s Los Balcones space earlier this year.
Zarate has partnered Michael Fiorelli, a friend and well-known L.A. chef who is collaborating in building Colibrí West Hollywood’s Italian Peruvian menu, pulling ricotta and fennel sausage from Fiorelli’s Italian American upbringing and acids and heat and seafood from Zarate’s youth spent in Peru.
LA Eater reports that the pop up is slated to run for two-months, but that could change. In the meantime, there are plans for music and art events, including a ceramicist (the same person who made Colibrí’s plates) throwing pieces right at the front of the dining room. Beto Mendez, who operates the local El Zarape chain of Mexican restaurants, will also be cooking on-site at the Colibrí West Hollywood space, running Tacos on the Alley as an attached pop-up with its own bar, menu, and hours. Diners will enter through a narrow corridor alongside the building to find a poured cement bar and breezy open laneway, ideal for tacos and cocktails and late nights. Mendez will operate Tacos on the Alley until 2 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, during the full run of Colibrí West Hollywood.
Colibrí West Hollywood be open from Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tacos on the Alley will operate with its own regional Mexican menu from Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday until 2 a.m.
