Paella in LA!

La paella!!

The sausage king lets us peak into the vault.

The sausage stuffer.

Delicious tapas on the house.

Paella perfection.

La Espanola market, located in the "picturesque" oil town of Harbor City is truly a diamond in the rough.Ordering paella in Los Angeles restaurants is useless.I don't care if they give you 15 more minutes to prepare the dish than the rest of the entrees, it's not going to happen.In general, rice dishes are exercises in patience, balance of liquids and solids, and ingredients.Paella, along with Jambalaya and risotto, are the finest examples of the art if rice.

La Espanola started making paella to showcase their fine chorizos at the United States premier producer and distributor of top quality Spanish products.Olives, chorizos, cheeses from Spain, fine Spanish wines, cookware, etc. They only succeded in making the best paella in LA, started early in the morning and pre-ordered by the customers to provide the correct cooking time.Never rush a paella!This is available on the weekends, all you do is call the day before, or early in the morning before heading over; you will have time considering the drive to the Long Beach area.

There is a beautiful canopied dining area outside where you can have the exquisite paella of clams,shrimp, chorizo, and chicken with a bottle of wine bought in the market, and tapas of chorizos, olives, and cheese are on the house!The paella was cooked with love and care, bursting with subtle Spanish flavors of saffron, and seafood broth, and all the individual flavors of the many elements in this paella.I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in LA.

After our meal, we were treated to a tour of the chorizo and other cured meats production facility located on the premises.The wonderful family that runs La Espanola explained with alacrity and pride, the processes both legal and practical that go into the manufacture and distribution of their foods.They use all muscle in their chorizos, so no parts to turn off the squeamish.The highest standards of cleanliness and ingredients are maintained here at La Espanola.For those who want the mold to remain on their chorizos, it's washed off because the American public thinks mold to be bad, you can ask them to keep it moldy.It's not the same mold that grows in their refrigerator people, there is good mold and bad mold.

Bring your visa, because you will want to get some of their products to take home.Where else are you going to find squid ink, at Ralph's?