Playa has been open for less than two weeks along busy Beverly Boulevard. Chef/co-owner John Rivera Sedlar, who grew up in Santa Fe and has been an innovative L.A. chef for over 30 years, is still turning the screws on a playful menu that furthers his exploration of urban Latin cuisine. However, he’s already in the midst of an auspicious debut at his Mid-City Rivera spinoff. Most dishes are well suited to sharing, including the clam tamal, bacalao-stuffed flor de cabaza and nouveau taco derivatives he’s dubbed “maize cakes.” There aren’t many “big” plates on the Playa menu, but the dishes that made the cut in that category have been worth the added expense, including the standout Puerco ($25).

This dish’s name, which translates from Spanish as “pork,’ hardly hints at the flavorful, complementary layers. Sedlar and his team chile-rub and slice rosy pork tenderloin, forming a spice (but not very spicy) crust that locks in juices from the “other white meat.” The pork appears with sautéed pea tendrils, decorative dots of salsa verde, half-moons of sweet caramelized manzana (apple) and a topside thatch of aromatic sage leaves, which all help the dish to achieve porcine harmony.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.