A GUIDE TO THE BEST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA : SHOPTALK : One-Stop Mariachi Spot
CHINESE MARIACHIS? Sure. And African-American, Anglo and, of course, Mexican ones, too. They all flock to Ruben Ortega’s La Casa del Musico to buy their instruments and accessorize their outfits. While the music spills out onto the street, shoppers browse among monos (two-inch-wide ties in a silk or polyester blend, from $4.49) and hundreds of cancioneros, mariachi songbooks. The classic black chamarra jackets start at $50, but the stunning “galas,” the silver-dipped pieces that decorate the mariachi’s cuffs, legs and jacket fronts, are the house favorites.
La Casa del Musico, 1850 E. 1st Street, Los Angeles; (213) 262-9425.
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