Rich in Latin American history and culture, John Sedlar Rivera’s latest venture, Rivera, is a Latin food and beverage experience not to be missed. Located in Downtown Los Angeles, California, Rivera is a fusion of Latin food that aims to highlight the “essentially Latin” origin of cuisine in Southern California.After growing up in New Mexico and living (and eating!) in Spain for a few years of his childhood, Rivera was eager to explore and participate in other cultural traditions first-hand by traveling to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and much of South America. By examining how old world Spanish, European, North African and Asian ingredients influenced modern day Latin American cuisine, Rivera created a menu that quenched his curiosity and sparked others’. Prescriptive Music was more than happy to provide the perfect musical vibe for this unique approach to the Latin American dining experience.

The menu at Rivera is rich and diverse, serving lunch, cocktails and wine, and an option for small plates and tastings of the three equally satisfying dinner menus, each served in their own respective dining rooms: Playa (Mexican/Southwestern), Samba (South American), and the old world Sangre (Spanish and Portuguese). Sample Mexican chiles in the shrimp ceviche from the Playa menu, Venezuelan arepas and ancient Incan sweetbreads from the Samba menu, and a Sevilla-style beet salad or garlic caracoles (snails) from the Sangre menu. The cocktail menu is equally inspired, even offering a “Bespoke cocktail,” where your bartender will ask your favorite spirit and craft something delicious especially for you.

The programmers at Prescriptive wanted to sculpt a musical atmosphere that reflected the sophistication of each of these unique cultures and did so with a seamless blend of Latin world music from artists like Ojos de Brujo, flamenco remixes, and both Latin and non-Latin lounge music from modern electronic artists like Thievery Corporation. The smooth lounge feel perfectly complements the refined, exotic flavors on Rivera’s menu to create a harmonious environment for guests to enjoy their meal and the company they are sharing it with. After dinner on the weekends, Rivera stays open with a special late night food and cocktail menu and a sonic vibe comprised of modern indie electronic and remixes from such recognizable artists as Feist and Goldfrapp.
With several successful projects already under his belt, John Sedlar Rivera seems to have come to a culmination of all his childhood dreams with Rivera. But he is not stopping there – look out next month when Rivera and Prescriptive Music will team up once again to create a musical vibe for a new opening of the Playa Rivera in February. With the winning combination of this interesting and unusual concept and the perfectly-tailored musical vibe, Playa Rivera is sure to be a hit. Viva Rivera!