Of this we can be certain: The margarita was definitely created in 1938 at the Rancho La Gloria in Baja. Or at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada. Or at Tommy’s Place Bar in Juarez. Or by Dallas socialite Margarita Sames for a party at her home. Or at the Balinese Room in Galveston. Or at the La Plaza Restaurant in La Jolla.
Perhaps it was born in London, as a drink called a Brandy Daisy; “margarita” is Spanish for “daisy.” Or perhaps it was called a Tequila Daisy. Or a Gin Daisy. And perhaps it was named for Ziegfeld dancer Marjorie King. Or a Hussong’s regular named Margarita Henkel Cesena, daughter of a German ambassador.
The facts are clear: nobody has a clue. Heck … we don’t even know what the original recipe was. These days, the margarita is made with tequila (mostly), triple sec and lime juice. Or with simple syrup. Often with salt on the rim of the glass. But not always.
Usually shaken with ice. But also straight up without ice. Or blended into a slushie. And, thanks to the exhaustive margarita menu at the Daisy Margarita Bar (a bit of dual language redundancy), with any number of other ingredients — some of them kind of … zany.
The menu at this eternally jammed destination for elbow benders on Ventura Boulevard begins with a Margarita Clasica. Which quickly stops being so Clasica, and turns into Exotica. The first decision to make is tequila or mezcal. Then, flavored with naranja (orange) or damiana (a fragrant herbaceous shrub). Regular or picante (spicy). Finally “up” (chilled with ice), or “down” (not chilled). And there are lots of house rules as well.
We’re told Daisy uses only “Mexican spirits — that’s it.” There are “no chemical additives.” No “diffuser production” (whatever that is!). That “the producers are the celebrities.” And the guiding principle is … “Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability.” And, “we know salt can make or break a margarita. That’s why all our margaritas come expertly pre-salted with a rim. Just the right amount — trust us.”
And the list of margies goes on. Through the Cadillac margarita, with lemon and lime, and naranja liqueur. The Margarita JIbol with Rose’s lime cordial and Seville orange oil. There’s a Sour Apple margarita. A Creamsicle margarita. A Mangoneada margarita. A cherry-flavored Dirty Shirley margarita. A Baja Slaw margarita (cabbage! radish! fish sauce! vinegar!). A Salsa Verde margarita. A Guacamole Frozen margarita.
If you’re a connoisseur of tequilas, there are three pages of them, in very small type. There’s another page of mezcals. None are described as “con gusano” — with a white worm floating in the bottom. I’ve been told that’s for tourists only.
Sooner or later, the need to eat something in the midst of all that tequila may well come upon you; some food is probably a very good idea if you hope to walk out on your own. The food menu, like the drink menu, is a bit … quirky.
It begins with a “Crudo” section — raw seafood, in the style of the great Holbox Mexican seafood restaurant downtown … but more eccentric. The sauce with the half a dozen oysters (going for a pricey $30 for six) is a mignonette touched with hibiscus. The chintextle aioli with the yellowtail is more a sauce made of smoky Oaxacan chintextle chiles than a creamy aioli. It comes with the crab as well, which is also flavored with a salsa macha from Veracruz.
There’s toasted cancha corn kernels with the ceviche de pescado. And the agreeably spicy aguachile of scallops is made with strawberries — sweet and spicy. Ditto the aguachile of chayote squash, flavored with pineapple and coconuts.
You like your margies with salsa and chips? At Daisy, there’s charred tomato salsa molcajete, along with a triple salsa plate with crunchy tostadas. There’s a sort of guacamole consisting of a smashed avocado that can be gilded with tuna carnitas or ribeye chicharron. It’s an Empezamos appetizer? It’s an entrée? It’s whatever you want it to be.
The appetizers and the snacks could probably be rolled into one menu section — Small Dishes — though the snacks are somewhat bigger than the apps. Like the nice messy queso fundido, the top sirloin with potato chips, the cured yellowtail.
The three tacos deserve their own section: marinated pork (with green apple slaw), grilled octopus, maitake mushrooms. As do the Fuertes: big dishes like the pollo asado with cauliflower purée, the chile relleno, and the fideo seco vermicelli with shrimp and chicharrones.
There are four desserts. The flan de palomitas — caramel popcorn with popcorn “foam” — is tempting, as is the Oaxacan chocolate tart. But I keep thinking about that Creamsicle margarita — tangerine! mole! coconut! More dessert than that, I don’t need. Except maybe that Cherry margarita.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Daisy Margarita Bar
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Address: 14633 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks
- Information: 818-450-3994; www.daisyla.com
- Cuisine: Margaritas and more margaritas, and a three-page list (in small type) of tequilas, plus more pages of mezcals, rums, whiskeys, gins and vodka. Food, too. Which goes very well with the alcohol.
- When: Dinner, every day; brunch, Saturday and Sunday
- Details: There are four wines, two beers and over 100 tequilas, at this destination for a multitude of margaritas. Reservations essential.
- Prices: About $35 per person
- On the menu: 6 Raw Seafood “Crudo” ($14-$30), 4 “Empazamos” (Appetizers; $7-$18), 4 “Botanas” (Snacks; $19-$25), 3 Tacos ($10), 6 “Fuertes” (Entrées; $30-$47)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)