A Neighborhood Gem: Four Cafe, Eagle Rock

It is such a good feeling to have that one reliable place that you can go to for dinner when you have had a long day and don’t feel like cooking. A place that is comfortable and inviting with food that makes you want to come back again the next day. Four Café is just that place. Open a mere six days along a stretch of Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock that is quickly becoming a culinary mecca, Four offers soul satisfying food, ethereal desserts, and impeccably friendly service.

fresh english pea • cup 4 bowl 6

shallots, spring potato topped with chive oil, (vegan)

This is Spring in a bowl. Verdant flavors that continue to develop and expand with each bite. It is evident that a scrumptious attention to the detail is given to each ingredient in this soup.

grilled flank steak 7.95 half 12.5 full

napa cabbage, arugula, avocado, and tomato with an

apple-shallot soy vinaigrette

I do not often order a salad for dinner, but this was not your average salad. Spicy arugula, creamy avocado, crunchy cabbage and thick and chewy pieces of flank steak grilled to a nice pink with a vinaigrette that married all of the flavors together beautifully. I devoured the salad and was left satisfied and pleased.

oven roasted tomato panini • 8.95

tuscan kale,tomato, and burrata

A crunchy and flaky ciabatta is home to decadent burrata melting to perfection with juicy sweet roasted tomatoes balanced with bitter kale. Each bite leaves you eager for more.

meyer lemon yogurt cake • 3

I lifted the delicately placed glass cake cover to get a good picture of these cute meyer lemon yogurt cakes snuggly leaning against each other on the stand. What lay beneath was fantastically aromatic. Had I not already decided to order one, the tempting smell would have sold me. The meyer lemon yogurt cake was spongy while at the same time dense. At first the cake is milky with a slight tang from the yogurt, then a bright lemong flavor builds and lingers on your tongue. It is memorable.

blood orange upside down cake • 3

Caramelized oranges, cinnamon biscuit

This cake will change your life. I’m not the biggest champion of blood oranges. In fact I think they look better than they taste, but this blood orange upside down cake has changed my perspective forever. The cake is crumbly and sweet with nuances of vanilla and cinnamon. The blood oranges provide a refreshing zesty punch to the sweetness of the cake. Near the end of the cake I’m floored - the caramelized oranges have bled into the outer crust of the cake leaving the finally bites gooey, rich, and sweet. I smile and sigh; now that was one damn fine piece of cake!

After my first dining experience I knew that this would be a weekly habit. With affordable prices for stellar food there isn’t any reason not to frequent Four Café. What seems like a typical seasonal menu is truly anything but. From the minimal wood decor to the housemade sodas to the sandwiches, it is clear that there is a mechanical precision taken in choosing every detail. The flavors in all of the dishes evolve into something even more magical as the meal goes on. The personal touch to the service from the husband and wife team that operate Four is the cherry on top of an already amazing dining experience. With affordable prices for great seasonal food, there isn't any reason not to frequent Four Cafe.

FOUR CAFE

2122 1/2 Colorado Blvd

Eagle Rock CA 90041

323/550-1988

info@fourcafe.net

A Peek Inside the Cheesemonger's Kitchen

I have a secret.

Sometimes when I need a recipe or inspiration on how to prepare a certain ingredient there is generally one person I turn to. He is a chef and he always has the answers I’m looking for.

I have another secret.

I love cheese.

Here is where these two secrets meet: I am often looking for a new and creative way to cook with cheese. It just so happens my friend with all of the answers, Chester Hastings, is coming out with a book from Chronicle Books. The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen: Cooking with the World’s Finest Cheeses is exactly what I have been waiting for.

In honor of springtime and Chester’s upcoming book here is a sneak peek at a recipe from The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen.

Burrata with asparagus, pinenuts and golden raisins is so simple to prepare. Asparagus evokes springtime. Vibrant and crisp, it is a beautiful way to celebrate the season. The burrata is a delicate, creamy base for the warm, tender asparagus. The asparagus is lightly tossed with fruity olive oil, toasted pinenuts and succulent golden raisins. Top the asparagus salad with browned breadcrumbs for a nice crunch. Add a few strands of saffron and the whole dish is enlivened. This dish is light, fresh and uncomplicated.

Here is the recipe with an excerpt from the upcoming book:

BURRATA WITH ASPARAGUS, PINENUTS and GOLDEN RAISINS

The distinctly Sicilian combination of pine nuts, raisins and breadcrumbs is quickly becoming a classic all over the world. From light pastas with fried sardines and fennel, or fillings for swordfish or beefsteak rolls to lovely and light springtime fair such as this presentation of early April asparagus and fresh burrata cheese.

The addition of saffron, if used judiciously, adds a lovely perfume and an elegant effect if the threads are left whole.

ingredients:

2 balls fresh burrata, roughly 6 ounces each

1 bunch asparagus

2 tbsp toasted pinenuts

2 tbsp golden raisins

6 threads of saffron

½ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup bread crumbs

Cut the woody ends of the asparagus off and discard. Blanch the asparagus spears in plenty of salted boiling water until tender, just giving when pinched where the tip begins (do not overcook!). Shock the asparagus quickly in a bowl of ice water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Cut asparagus on the angle into pieces resembling penne pasta.

Soak the golden raisins in warm water for 5 minutes to re-hydrate, then drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cut asparagus with the pine nuts, re-hydrated raisins, saffron and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Heat 4 tbsp of the olive oil over a medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. Shake the pan vigorously over the heat, frying the breadcrumbs to a light and golden crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut the burrata balls in half and lay individual plates ‘skin side’ down. Divide the asparagus mixture among the burrata pieces and sprinkled the fried breadcrumbs over the top.

Drizzle with a bit more extra virgin olive oil and serve cold or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

*a thin slice of prosciutto di parma would be a welcome addition to this dish, simply served alongside or draped over the top to hide the jewel of a salad hidden underneath.

Latin American Dessert Crawl

A few weeks ago, after a truly delicious day of exploring the streets of Los Angeles with Bill Esparza (StreetGourmetLA), we started to talk about desserts.

And more desserts.

Eventually we started talking Latin American desserts.

A few weeks later, Bill had the brilliant idea of going on a dessert crawl. I messaged a few fellow food enthusiasts, settled on a date and time and we were ready for sweets.

We began our crawl in Huntington Park at El Carriel, a Colombian bakery. El Carriel is an unassuming small panaderia tucked away in a strip mall. The space is snug and clustered with the focal point, a glass case enclosing an array of Colombian confections, in the middle. El Carriel offers a full breakfast menu as well as pastries. The owner Myriam told us that her recipes are what she learned to make while living in Cali, a city west of Bogota. To accompany our hot fresh coffees, Myriam prepared for us Pandebonos and an Arepa de Choclo.

Pandebono is Colombian cheese bread made from cornmeal or masarepa (precooked corn flour). Shaped like a small donut, the exterior is crusty while the innards are warm and toothsome. The cheese baked within the dough imparts an irresistible nutty flavor.

Arepa de Choclo is a delicate griddled corn cake that is found throughout Colombia. The corn was sweet and buttery. The Arepa was topped with queso fresco that added a nice salty contrast.

For added indulgence we each enjoyed a Colombian version of Bunuelos.

Bunuelos are simply fried doughy balls. When cut open they are fragrant and soft. They are more like a beignet than a doughnut, very cakey and eggy. They were simply divine.

We caravanned to the next stop on our crawl, Amalia’s Guatemalan restaurant. Amalia’s is a converted house turned restaurant located on Virgil in East Hollywood. Here we enjoyed plantains served two ways, representative of Guatemalan cuisine.

Rellenitos de Platano is a mashed plantain filled with black beans and served with a side of crema. The rellenitos were tender perfection. Delicately sweet with a distinct cinnamon flavor, the black bean filling melded with the plantains and was almost indiscernible.

Next up was Platano de Mole. The mole is a chipotle and chocolate sauce bursting with sweet and savory spice. The platanos were swimming in mole and after a few bites my taste buds were burnt out. Throughout all three platano versions cinnamon seemed to be the dominant flavor.

From Amalia’s we ventured a few blocks west to Rincon El Chileno. With minimal décor and minimal crowd I was not sure what to expect, but I bite of the Panqueques Celestino and I was in heaven.

Panqueques Celestino is a Chilean version of pancakes. They are somewhere between a pancake and a crêpe and are filled with manjar, also known as dulce de leche. The dough is sweet with crisp edges. It is slathered with manjar and rolled. Dusted with powdered sugar, each bite of panqueques celestino is irresistible. This is a sexy dessert.

We were able to squeeze in one more stop on our crawl. The last stop was El Colmao Cuban restaurant. Here were sampled Flan de Guayaba and Coco Rayado Con Queso Crema.

Guayaba seems to be a favorite ingredient of Cuban desserts. Guayaba is guava shell that has been boiled with sugar. It is super sweet and grainy. The flan was smooth and pliant but to my dismay was swimming in sweetness from the guayaba. A few bites and I was well on my way to a sugar coma.

Coco Rayado con Queso Cream is grated and sweetened coconut with cream cheese. While many around me loved it, I have yet to understand or appreciate the marriage of super sweet fruit in syrup with cream cheese. Not for me.

Stop after stop, this dessert crawl was the perfect day of indulgence. I only wish we had more time or more room in our stomachs to try more desserts.

El Carriel Panderia

2405 Randolph Street

Huntington Park, CA 90255

Amalia's

751 North Virgil

Los Angeles, CA 90029

Rincon El Chileno

4354 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90029

M-Sun 10am-10pm

El Colmao

2328 West Pico Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90006

M-F 10am-8:30pm Sat/Sun 12pm-8:30pm

Breakfast at the Farmers Market

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals. When done right, there is really nothing better. I love a perfectly buttered and toasted piece of bread with fresh cheese and jam. I love crispy salty bacon with a nice chewy bite. I love oily flash fried potatoes with rosemary and garlic. But most of all I love pancakes.

Sunday mornings the Gastrobus parks at the Los Feliz farmer’s market for their Organic Sunday breakfasts. This truly is one of my favorite breakfasts in Los Angeles. A bold statement I know, but having had my fair share of breakfasts in my life as an Angelino I have to say the Sunday breakfast from the Gastrobus is always inspired. I have yet to be disappointed by their seasonal fresh menu.

Today we enjoy Raspberry Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Mint.

Fluffy, tart and fresh.

This was the perfect marriage of flavors.

This was springtime in a pancake.

And The Winner Is... #51

Elle of Elle's New England Kitchen you are the lucky winner of this beautiful bottle of Macallan 10 Fine Oak Scotch. I hope you enjoy making that Scottish Honey Cake, but have a glass before you start baking!

Elle said...And now following @EdenAlgie on twitter. Thanks for the opportunity to win this!MARCH 24, 2010 9:55 AM

* I chose the giveaway winner using Random.org here are a copy of the results:

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 62

Result:

51

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