Barbara Hansen

Chef Rodolfo Guzmán

Rodolfo Guzmán was hacking away at something you're not likely to find in an L.A. market -- tepu wood from Chile. He had brought it for a dinner at Playa, John Sedlar's Beverly Blvd. restaurant, that would show how he works indigenous Chilean ingredients into stunning modernist dishes.

Guzman, 34, has rocketed into the culinary stratosphere with Boragó, his 6-year-old restaurant in Santiago.

Translating what he does there into a one-night stand at Playa required the focus of a visionary, which he is, despite his easy-going good looks. Born in Santiago, Guzmán forages the length of his long, skinny country to search out unknown foods and explore native cooking techniques for his intricate, upscale preparations.

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It may not always look like it, with the limos circling the driveway and the fashion-intensive hotel guests filling the 'indoor piazza' and an interior design that resembles an unlikely confluence of Salvador Dali and Monty Python, but The Bazaar is at heart a tapas restaurant. And on the menu, in addition to miso linguini and 'Hilly cheesesteak,' you will find a plate of simple sautéed garlic shrimp. The dish, which has been on the menu at The Bazaar since it opened--and on the menu at José Andrés' Washington, D.C. restaurant Jaleo for about the last 15 years--takes less than 15 minutes to make and requires the kind of basic ingredients that you can pick up at any Latin market or Vons.

Sous chef Michael Turner, who has also been at The Bazaar since it opened and who was on hand for a quick cooking demo yesterday, says that the trick to the dish is not to overcook the shrimp. As far as garnishing the seafood, which at the restaurant is served over pretty dots of parsley purée and confit garlic purée, Turner says that "we just try and elevate it. At home, just add a bit of parsley at the end." You can always order it at the The Bazaar ("that's the one dish that's never leaving"), but try making it at home. Dress up in a little Balenciaga number and get some dry ice for the bar if you need a little more atmosphere. The recipe is after the jump.

Photo credit: Amy Scattergood

Gambas al ajillo at The Bazaar

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Want to eat like Anthony Bourdain, but can't afford to fly halfway down the globe for lunch? Well it's a good thing you live in one of the most diverse cities on the planet. On Monday's very good episode of No Reservations, Mr. Bourdain and his crew went to Chile to seek out the exciting food, drink and breathtaking beauty of this absurdly long and thin country.

Emily Mraz/Zero Point Zero Productions

Bourdain and pal get their Chilean grub on.

While you won't be able to find everything he ate, your best best is to head out to Rincon Chileno, a quaint little restaurant with kind servers and good Chilean food.

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