Soul Satisfaction - Four Cafe's Summer Menu

Four Cafe first opened its doors in April of this year. They offer fresh local organic ingredients using a slow food cooking approach. The menu changes with the seasons, offering only dishes at their peak of deliciousness. Since the restaurant's opening days I have been an enthusiastic regular customer. Each visit never disappoints and my love for this neighborhood gem only grows stronger with time. You may remember my first post about it here; if that didn't entice you to visit this Eagle Rock cafe the new summer menu certainly will have your jumping off of the couch and into the car!

True to form, Four Cafe has a list of mouth-wateringly delicious soups, salads and sandwiches, highlights of which are the shrimp and fennel soup, the southwest steak salad and the grilled fish burger. But be sure to save room for some of chef Michelle Wilton's sweet confections. Coming from a girl who loves anything sweet, these are some of the best desserts I have had. This summer look for a rich apricot cobbler, blueberry cheesecake bars and raspberry pistachio buttermilk cake.

This is what I call a summer soup. Funny as it may sound, some soups can be summer-friendly without being gazpacho. Soft fennel flavors penetrate this silky pureed soup. The flavors are subtle until the first bite of shrimp. The shrimp pop with savory flavors. Salty and smoky, the shrimp compliment the delicate fennel and create an all too scrumptious starter.

The southwest steak salad is something at which to be marveled. The honey jalapeño lime dressing is maybe one of the best salad dressings I’ve ever tasted. The enchanting taste is so good you will find yourself frantically taking stabs of the crisp lettuce in an almost compulsive manner. The steak is medium rare with a nice charred taste. Juicy chunks of jicama and yellow bell pepper are scattered throughout. This is a hefty, hearty and addicting meal.

I am a huge fan of a good grilled fish burger, but I never eat them. The reason for this is that the only good one I have found in LA is at Houston’s. That is until now. Four Café has a grilled fish burger just as good as Houston’s. Perfectly seasoned fresh fish, topped with a crunchy slaw on a homemade bun. They do not skimp on the dressing either, so grab some napkins because this burger is a messy tasty treat.

Apricot cobbler. I come once a week now even if it is just to take home a slice of cobbler. This cobbler has a thick almost viscous crumble topping. Below lies the real jewels: apricot halves that are a rich syrupy delight. I also have Four Cafe's berry crisp waiting for me in the kitchen - I couldn't resist and took it to go. I'm sure it will not disappoint.

I could go on and on waxing poetic about everything on Four’s summer menu. You should just go to Four Café and enjoy it for yourself. This is soul satisfying, comforting food. Convivial atmosphere, amazing food and some of the best service you will find. Enjoy the flavors of summer!

FOUR CAFE

2122 1/2 Colorado Blvd

Eagle Rock CA 90041

323/550-1988

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