La Neta Reveals Monster-Sized Portions of Braised Ribs and Cochinita Pibil Debuting This Summer

La Neta Cocina y Lounge, the Mexican restaurant from Ryan Labbe, gets ready to open at Downtown Summerlin in July, and already the restaurant is teasing some of the dishes on the menu. The restaurant takes over the former Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken space, as well as a vacant location next door, to bring a 5,336-square-foot restaurant filled with stained glass murals and modern takes on traditional Mexican fare along with mezcal and margaritas.

Chef Israel Castro, a veteran of restaurants such as Javier’s at Aria, starts the menu with Las Botanas, or snacks, such as queso fundido with roasted poblanos, chorizo, and pickled onions and Mayan hummus made with pepitas puree, crudite, and lavash. The mariscos section of the menu spans shrimp ceviche, Baja-style oysters, and campechana, a new-fashioned spin on the classic served with assorted shellfish and chili served in a tomato lime broth. A seafood platter comes packed with oysters, shrimp ceviche, lobster, yellowtail, and octopus.

La Neta Cocina y Lounge [Official Site]

Taqueria items include tacos using tortillas made in house or lettuce cups with options including carne asada, barbacoa, roasted pork, chicken tinga, wild mushroom, or blackened shrimp. Lobster enchiladas, roasted acorn squash, and churrasco with marinated skirt steak, polenta, and mezcal onion butter join over-the-top options meant to share such as a six-pound cochinita pibil; paella with shrimp, calamari, lobster, oysters, and white fish; and WTF with six pounds of beef short ribs braised in ancho chili sauce served on a bed of truffle polenta topped with crispy onions.

La Neta Cocina y Lounge [Official Site]

The restaurant also plans to offer a roster of tequilas, mezcal, and margaritas such as El Jefe with Bacardi Spiced Rum, Licor 43, espresso, and whipped horchata foam with a smoked cinnamon rim.

La Neta plans to open daily at 3 p.m.

• A Tree and Stained Glass Murals Anchor a Mexican Restaurant Coming to Downtown Summerlin [ELV]