LA Digs - Northeast LA Real Estate Blog

Auntie Em’s Market Dinner
Periodically, Auntie Em’s Kitchen (4616 Eagle Rock Blvd. 90041) offers a Farmer’s Market Dinner and the sold-out crowd thoroughly enjoyed the one last night. Here’s the menu:
Starter
Oro Blanco Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Cara Cara Orange and
Three Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Main Course
Falafel, Muhammara, Cilantro and Jalapeño Hummus, Tatziki, Tabouleh and Pita,
all handmade in-house
OR
Spring Leg of Lamb Stuffed with Oil Cured Olives, Leeks, Roasted Garlic, Spinach and Fresh Herbs
served with a sauté of Asparagus, Fava Beans, Fresh English Peas, Snap Peas, Fennel, Pea Tendrils and Chervil

Cheese Course
Hudson Valley Camembert Square (sheep/cow, NY)
Jasper Hill Farm's Bayley Hazen Blue (cow, VT)
Capriole's Old Kentucky Tomme (goat, IN)
Cesar's Cheese's Oaxacan-Style String Cheese (cow, WI)
served with Peppadew (sweet/spicy Red Pickled Peppers), Pine Cone Bud Syrup and Strawberries

Dessert
Trio of Cream Puffs filled with Meyer Lemon Mousse, Orange Mousse and Seascape Strawberry Mousse
with a pot of Dipping Chocolate

$45 PER PERSON
We picked up our wine from the Colorado Wine Company, where Jennifer gave us 3 great pairings (there were several of us!). We started off with a light, grassy Caliberico Verdelho which went perfectly with the citrus and beet flavors of the salad course. For the lamb/falafel main course we first had the Falasco Valpolicella and then finished through the cheese course with the Rothschild valde l’ours. That cheese course was fascinating. Have you ever heard of pine cone bud syrup? Suffice it to say, some cheeses and flavors were distinctive and new to me.
The dessert of 3 little cream puffs each with a different fruit mousse filling with a pot of chocolate to dip them in was the perfectly tasty end to a rich and interesting meal.
To find out more about Auntie Em’s, check out the website at www.AuntieEmsKitchen.com. Besides the restaurant, Auntie does catering and also offers organic produce delivery with recipes! Read about it on the website. Terri Wahl, the owner, is passionate about this way of supporting locally grown food and small businesses while enabling busy families to eat fresh healthy meals.

Eagle Rock, Northeast Los Angeles, and occasional forays into Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena

This is my personal, subjective, and sporadically updated guide to local food and drink establishments located mostly in the Northeast Los Angeles area, branching out to Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel. Asterisks indicate that one of us on my team has been there, tasted the food, and likes it. Call the restaurant for current hours. Several of the Highland Park entries were taken from a brochure made by Amy Inouye at Future Studio, 5558 N. Figueroa St, 90042. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.chickenboy.com

Antojitos Guerrero 5623 York Blvd. 323.254.6118

Salvadorean & Mexican, 4-taco special

La Abeja 3700 N. Figueroa St. 323.221.0474

Mural by Leo Limon, the artist who has painted the cat faces in the LA River for 35 years!

El Arco Iris 5684 York Blvd 323.254.3401

www.Elarcoiris.com Popular with locals, good authentic Mexican food.

*Armon’s 5056 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.478.1440

Good solid American breakfast and lunch, also some Chinese fare. Nice neighborhood atmosphere, friendly waitresses, good daily lunch specials.

*Auntie Em’s 4616 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.255.0800

www.AuntieEmskitchen.com. Great breakfast and lunch, cookies, soups, indoor and outdoor seating, also excellent catering. New! Home delivery options. Vegetarian friendly but they also have good pulled pork sandwiches. Next door is their gourmet cheese shop. Occasional Market Dinners with wine suggestions you can buy from Colorado Wine Company—sign up for their email newsletter and catch the next Dinner, it’s fantastic!

*Bistro de la Gare 921 Meridian Ave. South Pas. 626.799.8828

www.bistrodelagare.com. Really charming, great French bistro food, wine bar, located right by the Gold Line.

*The Black Boar (formerly the Chalet) 1630 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.258.8800

This is one cool bar, no food served at all. English pub-like interior with great jukebox, good martinis, good selection of beers on tap and bottled, friendly staff.

*The Blue Hen 1743 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.5654

www.eatatbluehen.com. Vietnamese food, lunch and dinner. This restaurant supports local farms and sustainable farming practices, and it is good food, too.

*Brownstone Pizza 2108 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.4992

Good New York style pizza and you can also buy it by the slice! They'll deliver if you're local.

*The Bucket 4541 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.5654

Known for Basque-style hamburgers. Longtime Oxy hangout.

*Bulgarini Gelato 749 E. Altadena Dr, Altadena 626.791.6174

http://www.bulgarinigelato.com/. Voted best gelato by LA Weekly, a great write-up by Jonathan Gold, and I have to say I had some of the best peach sorbet in my life there. It’s the real deal, though I would rather be in Rome than Altadena sometimes, just sometimes.

Cacao Mexicatessen 1576 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock 323-478-2791

www.cacaodeli.com. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Smell the made-on-premises tortillas as you enter the doorway and get ready to be transported to Mexico. Specializing in mole, but there is a variety of styles and flavors from all over the country. Take-out, eat-in, and catering.

*Café Beaujolais 1712 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.255.5111

Classic French bistro food, wine & beer. Extremely good.

*Café Culture 1359 N. Altadena Blvd. Pasadena 626.398.8654

Coffee house with good baked goods.

Café de Leche 5000 York Blvd. Highland Park 323-551-6828

www.cafedeleche.net. Remember how the Renaissance of Eagle Rock began with Swork’s Coffee? Here is a great new coffee place in Highland Park, though I’d have to say the tide began to turn here with Marty’s and the York Pub.

*Camilo’s Café & Catering 2128 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.478.2644

California bistro serving tasty breakfast, lunch, dinner. Also afternoon tea by reservation and excellent catering. Live music on Thursday evenings. Atmosphere is lovely, great for any occasion.

*The Capri 4604 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.3225

Good solid traditional Italian food, large portions, old-style Italian restaurant atmosphere.

*Casa Bianca 1650 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.256.9617

“The Best Pizza in Southern California.” It is good! Try to beat the rush, but they have chairs outside so you can just visit with your friends while you wait. Takeout is a good choice.

La Casa Princesa 4257 York Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.474.6860

Good coffee, food, free wi-fi, free music, what more could you ask for? Add friendly service and a large space and easy parking. Check it out!

El Chile 4017 N. Figueroa St. 323.221.5555

The only arepas (baked or fried cornmeal cake of traditional Colombian cuisine) on Figueroa, covered patio dining.

*Cinnamon Vegetarian 5511 Figueroa St. Highland Park 323.982.9480

www.CinnamonVegetarian.com. An international but mostly Southwest/South American menu, all meat-free. Very tasty food, a nice, clean, comfortable space, friendly service.

*Classic Thai 1708 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.478.0530

Charming atmosphere with outdoor seating, moderate prices, good Thai food.

*The Coffee Gallery 2029 N. Lake Ave. Altadena 626.398.7917

www.coffeegallery.com. Neighborhood coffee house with entertainment in the back room venue. Get on their email list, they have incredible talent performing, especially old folkies, acoustic guitarists and songwriters.

*The Coffee Table 1958 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.255.2200

www.coffeetablebistro.com. Sister to the one in Silverlake. Great space, good food, coffee and now beer and wine. Sensitive restoration of the historic building and old photos of Eagle Rock add to the ambience.

*Colombo’s 1833 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.254.9138

Prime rib, steak, seafood, pasta. Piano music every evening, dimmed lighting, full bar with the strongest drinks around, interesting paintings, old neighborhood feel. Now with some outdoor seating as well.

*The Colorado Wine Co. 2114 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.478.1985

www.cowineco.com. Neighborhood wine bar with tastings Friday evenings and Sunday afternoon. Buy a glass or a case. Sign up for the email list for John’s literary musings on the art and comedy of wine as well as details of the next tasting or art opening there. Twitter @CoWineCo.

*Dave’s Chillin’ & Grillin’ 2152 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.490.0988

www.daveschillin.com. Dave is passionate about his sandwiches and he has every reason to be. Fresh, tasty, a bargain—the Eagle Rock business model between two halves of a fresh roll.

*Elvira’s 1757 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.3216

Homemade Mexican food with lots of vegetarian options, prepared and served with love. Pepe Serna paintings decorate the walls.

Ernie Jr’s Taco House 2803 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.256.1298

One of the oldest restaurants around serving old-style American Mexican food. I have to mention that they put mayonnaise in their tostada dressing.

*La Estrella #3 6103 N. Figueroa Highland Park 323.982.0179

Colorful house, corner location, great tacos. Served open with shredded carnitas, limes and very inexpensive. Voted one of the top 25 Mexican restaurants in LA in 2004.

*Fatty’s 1627 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.254.8804

www.fattyscafe.com. Gourmet vegetarian food, excellent wine list, good beer. Some very amazing and delicious desserts as well. Open for dinnertime only, but you can just have dessert or a glass of wine if you like.

Felipe 6101 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.256.9784

Formerly Villa Sombrero, Felipe, the original property owner, has taken over and has done a reprise of some of his original dishes from the time it had more upscale Latin cuisine like lobster, grilled steak, chicken mole. They now have a liquor license.

*Firefly Bistro 1009 El Centro Ave. South Pas. 626.441.2443

www.eatatfirefly.com Exceptional New Orleans style cuisine, the signature dish is pecan-crusted catfish, oh yes. The occasional 5-course wine dinner is to die for.

*Folliero’s 5566 N Figueroa St, Highland Park 323.254.0505

www.Follieros.com Established in 1968, Tony Folliero still makes his own pizza dough every morning, though daughter Titina now runs the restaurant. Friendly staff, great thin-crust pizza, other yummy Italian dishes you will love as much as do the generations of Highland Parkers who still go there. Cash only! But beer and wine are served. Really reasonable prices.

*La Fuente 2256 W. Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.344.3796

Reliably good, satisfying Mexican food, recently reopened after a remodel. Full bar.

5530 Monte Vista St. Highland Park 323.258.6109

La Fuente #6 5552 N. Figueroa St. Highland Park 323.257.3564

One door south of Future Studio

El Huarache Azeca 5225 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.478.9572

A hotspot for locals and visiting foodies.

*Jamba Juice 5053 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.349.0670

One of the many signs that Eagle Rock has arrived. Healthy, quick juiced drinks. This is in a building that was not torn down by the Walgreen’s next door.

*Johnny’s Bar 5006 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.551-6959

Evilly good martinis. No food. Eat at the nearby York Pub or Marty’s and stop in here as part of your Highland Park Pub crawl.

*Larkin’s Joint 1496 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.254.0934

www.larkinsjoint.com. Contemporary California soul food in a juke joint atmosphere. Come here when you have no dietary restrictions, because this is good old fried catfish & greens, sweet potato pie, BBQ’d tri-tip kind of fare.

*Lemongrass 1952 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.258.8050

Simple, good Vietnamese food with beer and wine served. Featured dishes include banh mi (sandwiches), pho (soup), spring rolls. Inexpensive, fresh, delicious food. Sit outside and enjoy life in the heart of Eagle Rock.

Little Cave 5922 N. Figueroa St. 323.255.6871

Formerly Sir Richard’s biker bar and Hofbrau, now painted black inside and quite a hangout for local hipsters.

Mariscos Estilo D.F. Truck 4702 N. Figueroa St. at Sycamore Grove Park Highland Park

Blue truck, seafood tostadas, eat in park. Made to order.

*Marty’s 5137 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.256.2400

The gentrification of Highland Park began here. Yummy bar food like Kobe beef burgers. Bouncers dressed in black, valet parking. Yes!

El Metate 5305 N. Figueroa St. Highland Park 323.478.8383

Homemade tortillas, cart often in front after dark with huge sizzling fresh meat spit

*Mia Sushi 4741 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.256.2562

www.mia-sushi.com. Eagle Rock’s first sushi restaurant. Great food, decor, valet parking. For you no raw fish die-hards, there is a selection of cooked non-fish Japanese-style items that is very good as well.

* Minx Restaurant & Lounge 300 Harvey Drive, Glendale 818.242.9191

www.minx-la.com. Fine dining and cocktail lounge located on the border of Eagle Rock. Superb Sunday brunch, eat inside or out, enjoy music, great cocktails. They also cater. *August update: customer service has slipped here.

My Taco 6300 York Blvd 323.256.2698

Potato tacos, carne asada fries.

*Oinkster 2005 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.3892

www.theoinkster.com. “Slow fast food” is their motto. It’s really good and it’s really, really slow—the service, that is. House cured pastrami, slow roasted pork and chicken, fresh good food.

*Panang 1801 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.344.3796

If you’re feeling like you might be coming down with a cold, go have a nice big bowl of Thai noodles, a tall frosty beer and be happy.

*Polka 4112 Verdugo Road Glassell Park 323.255.7887

www.polkacatering.com. Jonathan Gold says, "Polka, a sweet Polish restaurant near where Eagle Rock fades into Glendale, is that rarity in Los Angeles, an authentic, home-style Eastern European restaurant of the kind so common in Cleveland and Chicago...”

*Pat & Lorraine’s 4720 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.7926

Local breakfast and lunch joint—it closes at 2:30 pm!

El Pescador 5230 N. Figueroa St. Highland Park 323.255.8164

Popular for after church brunching

*Petit Beaujolais 1651 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.255.5133

Great coffee, fresh croissants, very tasty breakfast and lunch, a perfect place to sit outside on a balmy day and just be in the heart of Eagle Rock.

*Santa Maria Barbecue 626.963.3935

All you can eat barbecues, parties, events. Simple fare and really tasty. Tri-tip top sirloin, chicken, beef ribs, beans, hot dogs or hamburgers, and that’s about it. They only cater. www.santamariagrill.com.

*Scoops 712 N. Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles 323.906.2649

Gelato, vegan ice cream & sorbet. You can have a taste of whatever they have available that day. Wild tastes like Jack Daniels & Cream, Blackberries and mango. Worth the drive out of Eagle Rock!

*Senor Fish 4803 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.7167

Great fish tacos and other Mexican food. Good outdoor seating.

Spring Street Smokehouse 640 N. Spring St, LA 90012 213.626.0535

www.sssmokehouse.com The LA BBQ Guy is the Truck, and you can follow him on Twitter. They've been parking in front of the 7-11 at Highland View Ave on Colorado Blvd, giving away free samples of bbq. Of course you go back and buy some, it's good!

*Spitz 2505 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.5600

Home of the Doner Kebab: lean meat, chilies, tzatziki, tomatoes & cucumbers in grilled focaccia, sweet potato fries. Good fast food plus gelato! Two Oxy grads went to Europe, loved it, and brought it back to Eagle Rock.

*The Spot 2032 Lincoln Ave. Pasadena 626.296.3184

(Formerly Vintage Café)

www.thespotpasadena.com. Now a catering business only, and really good.

Starbucks 4430 York Blvd, Eagle Rock 323-340-8059

www.Starbucks.com. Practically in Highland Park, this Starbucks has a drive through.

*Stoney Point 1450 W. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena 626.449.9715

www.stoneypointrestaurant.com. Italian-style cuisine, great atmosphere.

*Swork 2160 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.258.5600

www.swork.com. Good coffee, Free—note, Free wireless internet, kid-friendly hangout, a great community hangout, the first of the “cool factor” beginning of Eagle Rock’s commercial core.

*The Taco Spot 2005 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.4727

www.taco-spot.com. Really tasty, fresh Mexican food. Reasonably priced, good service, very convenient.

Tacos El Michoacoano 5933 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.258.0794

Authentic excellent Michoacan made from scratch

*Tommy’s Burgers 1717 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.982.1746

Some people in my family love Tommy’s. If you want a heart attack on a bun, you can start here.

Verdugo Bar 3408 Verdugo Rd. Glassell Park 90065 323-257-3408

www.VerdugoBar.com. Open 8 pm-2 am. A large selection of custom beers including Crown City Brewery. Art Deco interior. Look for the small “Cocktails” sign or you’ll miss it.

*York Pub 5018 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.255.9675

www.theyorkonyork.com. Another of the new bars along York Blvd, part of the renaissance of Highland Park and the birth of the cool. Lots of good beers, good food, good times, and now even open for brunch on the weekends. Even beer from the Craftsman Brewery in Pasadena is served, a major treat.

*Zankou Chicken 1415 E. Colorado Blvd. Glendale 818.244.1937

Some of the best fast food in the world. Garlic sauce, hummus, pita bread, rotisserie chicken, shwarma, it’s actually addictive.

FREE DELIVERY (most with a minimum order)

*Elvira’s 1757 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.257.3216

Italiano’s 6500 N. Figueroa Highland Park 323.255.6155

Also at 5101 York Blvd. Highland Park 323.255.0016

*Sicha Siam 4403 Eagle Rock Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.344.8285

Some of the best Thai food around, and they bring it to you!

*Thai Spirit 2617 Colorado Blvd. Eagle Rock 323.256.1644

*Two Guys from Italy 405 N. Verdugo Rd. Glendale 323.254.0404

Do you have restaurants you’d like to see included on this list? Do you have any real estate needs? Call Tracy King, Realtor, Coldwell Banker, at 626-844-2256 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Check out my website at www.TracyKing.com. Please comment on my blog at www.TracysLARealEstate.com.