Malo

What do ground beef-and-pickle tacos have in common with razor-thin young women in skinny jeans with nostril-length bangs? Both can be found in the penumbral glow of muted-red candlelight at Malo, Silver Lake's natty neighborhood taqueria.

Opened 2 1/2 years ago by four savvy businessmen, including Mitchell Frank, owner of nightclubs Spaceland and the Echo, and Courtney Holt of Interscope Records, Malo has emerged as a player in the bloody see-and-be-seen battle that has raged along Sunset Boulevard since flappers donned cloche hats.

Styles have changed, but the recipe for victory has remained constant: one part initial buzz (cool owners with street cred); two parts tasty cuisine featuring far-out ingredients and clever names (pork carnitas marinated in O.J. and Coca-Cola, Shrimp Diablo with garlic habanero and creme); and a pinch of the young, self-satisfied and beautiful (Does that slinky black top really have a tiger's face airbrushed on it?).

Malo, named in an intentionally ironic way (it means "bad" in Spanish), is divided by a red curtain. On weekend nights the bar becomes a revolving door to the restaurant, with patrons grabbing refreshments (two Dos Equis and two shots of Herradura Silver: $26) before the svelte hostess summons them.