Ultimately I was disappointed with Los Campos because the experience lagged far behind the enthusiastic reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor. I think the three stars are deserved because service and atmosphere were good and while I did not like the food, I think it was prepared with some skill, quality ingredients and relative inventiveness.
I have only gone once so this review may be premature, but since I may never have an opportunity to return to the restaurant I think it is fair to give my two cents.
Food: Los Campos focuses on new interpretations of Mexican classics and offers them in small plates meant to be shared. The corn and jalapeño fritters and chile relleno, being the two items that stood out in others' reviews, were the only things I ordered besides agua de guayaba.
I was expecting light, crispy fritters with intense flavors of sweet corn and slightly spicy chile. Instead I found them a little greasy, a little heavy and rather unspectacular in flavor despite the dabs of jalapeño pesto and squish of accompanying lime wedge. I was only able to finish one of the stack of three fritters served.
The chile relleno, I'd already read about online, was a dried and rehydrated chile pasilla stuffed with bits of marinated pork and roasted corn and served on a bed of barley risotto in a corn husk. I found the dish dry and heavy in texture although I did enjoy the flavors-slightly spicy but with some raisin-like sweetness from the pasilla, and earthiness from the toasted corn, the tender barley, and savoriness from the chile-marinated pork. What was missing was something fresh and acidic; maybe pickled red onions or a small portion of a fresh salsa of fruit, chile, cilantro and lime. Instead the dark stuffed chile sat all alone on the plate.
Atmosphere: at the early dinner hour of 6:00 PM the small dining room is softly lit, decor is rustic yet elegant. The tables are generously spaced apart enough that the three other tables of diners there did not intrude on my experience.
Service: polite young woman server and older male server who answered my general questions and listened with concern when I told him that Los Campos' incorrect address on the web (Cerrada de Carrica 4A) led me astray all the way across town when in reality, the restaurant is located in Plaza Baratillo on Calle de la Alameda. Both servers casually but attentively checked in throughout my meal. read more