BIG FLAVOR FOUND IN SMALL PLATES.

Byline: ERIC NOLAND

>LA.COM 

"Are you going to a show?" the waitress asked just a little before 7 as we settled in at Ciudad downtown. The inquiry, part of the standard salutation in the early evening, indicated the restaurant's popularity with folks bound for the Music Center, Disney Concert Hall or Staples Center.

Small plates are the strength of this place, which celebrates Latino cuisine from Spain to the remote reaches of Latin America. Our appetizers -- or platos pequenos -- were so impressive that we let our expectations soar for the main courses that would follow. Big mistake. Better to enjoy an array of small plates for the table -- there are 13 to choose from -- then dash off to your curtain.

Ciudad was conceived by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the "Hot Tamales" of Food Network fame and the Border Grill in Santa Monica. After poking around in kitchens throughout the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world, they decided to gather many diverse cuisines under one roof.

Argentine empanadas ($9.50) and Peruvian ceviche ($11) are two exceptional offerings on the starters menu. The former are savory turnovers, two to a plate. Before they arrived, we figured we'd most enjoy the one stuffed with wild mushrooms and accompanied by warm chipotle sauce. But the other, a lighter, flakier pastry with Swiss chard inside, was even more delightful, owing no doubt to the fantastic tomatillo sauce that puddled next to it. The ceviche was a wondrous assemblage of flavors and textures: tender, juicy chunks of mahi-mahi; slices of very ripe avocado; a burst of fresh lime juice, liberally applied; and salty, crisp slices of fried banana. This dish is ideal on one of L.A.'s blistering summer nights, less so when you're seeking comfort in the chill of winter, but it's a commendable dish nonetheless.

The entrees, and the letdowns, followed. Tuesdays are Paella on the Patio nights, but you can order it inside the restaurant ($29). It comes with an appetizer -- on this night, three uninspiring lumps of potato alongside a very good arugula salad punctuated with pomegranate kernels.

I opted for half portions of both available paellas, one of mixed peppers, the other meat-based (pork, chicken, sausage). The pepper paella arrived room temperature, the meat paella cold. Back they went to the kitchen (at least the waitress was cheerful about it). Out they came again, this time on a smoking-hot plate, yet the paella was barely warmed up. A disc of linguica up on top was like cold deli meat from a sideboard. And there was none of the crispy rice shell from the pan, as promised on the Web site.

Another signature entree, carnitas ($25.50), was memorable primarily for what it shared the plate with: a grilled corn salsa, starchy yuca, mashed black beans, fried plantains. But the chunks of pork themselves were swimming in a heavy, unidentified orange sauce. A little splash to flavor them, sure, but don't drown them.

Next time we'll know: Make it a one-course night, with a veritable fiesta of platos pequenos.

At its best: For Southern Californians fed a predictable diet of gringo Mexican in their neighborhood cocinas, Ciudad's Latin tour is a revelation.

Could be better: This place has the skimpiest by-the-glass wine pours you'll find anywhere. What's worse, the servers seem determined to sweep away the glasses when there's still a precious little sip in the bottom.

CIUDAD

>Rating: Two and one half stars

>Details: 445 S. Figueroa St., downtown. Open Monday and Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. [phone], www.ciudad-la.com.

>Cost: Appetizers $7 to $12, main courses $25 to $32, desserts $7 to $15.

>Noteworthy: A free shuttle to the Music Center and Disney Concert Hall is offered Tuesday through Saturday evenings, but don't count on it; earlier this year we had to dash across to the Westin Bonaventure and catch a cab because of the shuttle's tardiness. Special offerings include Tapas Sundays and Ciudad After Dark (late-night dining Wednesday through Saturday).

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Argentine Empanadas ($9.50) are among the exceptional offerings on the starters menu at Ciudad. They are savory turnovers, served two to a plate.