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Try Italy's Versatile Malvasia

Italy's Malvasia is worth getting to know. Floral and spicy, it's the perfect wine for anything from shellfish to highly seasoned Asian dishes.

Think of it as a companion to Gewurztraminer and Torrontes, two other aromatic whites that pair well with lively food.

Malvasia isn't exclusively Italian. The wine is made elsewhere, including in California. I just happened to taste an excellent Italian version when I was lunching at Il Fornaio in Santa Monica.

It was the 2007 Malvasia "Tasto di Seta," Castello di Luzzano, from a property that borders Lombardy and Emilia Romagna.

Made from Malvasia di Candia grapes, it was dry and crisp, delicately floral but with enough backbone to hold its own alongside richly flavored foods.

Best of all, I've seen it offered online for as little as $13.99, although the more common price is around $19.

Discovering La Guadalupana

La Guadalupana has only five tables, and these are so small that very few people can fit into this modest Mexican restaurant.

One table is partly taken up by a vase of flowers set before a wall mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe--La Guadalupana--Mexico's patron saint. That makes for even less space.

On the opposite wall, a kneeling woman embraces a bunch of calla lilies, a likeness borrowed from a Diego Rivera painting. In the Rivera painting, the woman is nude. In this one, she is clothed.

Blue and white checked cloths give a sparkling fresh look to the tables, and ropes of ivy crisscross the ceiling. Someone took pride in making this a pleasant place despite its inconspicuous location in a mall near downtown Los Angeles. 

Most lunchtime customers order food to go, so the tight space doesn't matter. Two who stayed to eat the day I was there spooned up caldo (soup) from big bowls. I ordered barbacoa de res (barbecued beef).

The beef wasn't grilled American style but simmered long and slowly in its juices, which formed the sauce. The taste was pure and rich, without chiles or spices. 

The meat had character. It was chewy but pulled apart easily into shreds. The accompaniments were rice, plainly seasoned whole boiled beans and handmade tortillas so thick that I couldn't finish even one of them.

A small plate on the side held chopped onion, cilantro and lime halves for seasoning. And the waitress brought bottles of hot sauce.

On the counter stood big jars of agua de mango and the rice drink horchata, which was so thick with powdered cinnamon that it was beige rather than white.

The dishes pictured on the menu over the counter range from red and green moles, carne asada and pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken) to chiles rellenos, enchiladas, tortas (sandwiches) and beef and chicken soups.

There are breakfast dishes too and weekend specials such as pozole, menudo and goat barbecue.

Calabacitas (squash) in the steam table looked so good that I took an order home. The chunks of Mexican white zucchini had been simmered with corn kernels, fresh tomatoes and onion. 

Prices are modest. My beef plate with its accompaniments was $6. Tacos are $1 each Friday through Sunday from 5 to 11 p.m. with fillings such as carne asada, carne al pastor, tongue, chicken and chorizo.

Places such as this are worth venturing into. Although unpretentious, they sometimes have better, more genuine food than ambitious, upscale Mexican restaurants.

I spotted La Guadalupana as I walked along 6th Street. It took a few trips to that area before I finally went in, not expecting anything memorable. The food turned out to be quite good, however, and I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again.

Restaurante La Guadalupana, 1422 1/2 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Tel: (213) 483-2973. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Closed Wednesdays.