Historic L.A.: Eagle Rock's Rite Spot was hopping before Cindy's

Bluffside dining in Eagle Rock at the Rite Spot, circa 1937

I was inspired by L.A. Observed's post on L,A. photographer William Reagh to go digging into the L.A. Public Library photo archives again for more historic restaurant shots. Photographer Herman Schultheis, for some reason, exhaustively photographed the Rite Spot cafe where Cindy's now stands in Eagle Rock. It looked like a hopping place, with tons of outdoor tables and a rustic setting near the Eagle Rock bluffs. Even more impressively, it's highly possible that it's the spot where someone first had the brilliant idea of slapping a piece of cheese on a burger.

Rite Spot exterior

Rite Spot was an offshoot of the Carpenter's chain, a group of diners with several locations including a fun-looking outdoor bowling alley in Glendale and a couple in Silver Lake. Here's what Cindy's looks like now -- it could well be the same original building as the Rite Spot, which looks like it was a lot more fun.

Casa Bianca Pizza's old-school charm: The classics series

The pizza you grew up with often becomes your platonic ideal of pizza. In my case, that would probably be Di Vita's, which still turns out a credible pie in West L.A. Or maybe it was the pizza you ate in college -- our go-to place was The Brass Ass, which must have piled several pounds of mozzarella on each pizza, but went down well with endless pitchers of Michelob.
So I didn't grow up with Casa Bianca Pizza in Eagle Rock, though half the people I know seem to have -- it's been there since 1955. I've grown impatient with the hallmarks of places that have become institutions -- some of the indicators are long waits, cash only policies, lots of reviews plastered on the wall and sometimes food that's a few decades past its prime. Casa Bianca is indeed cash-only, with a punishing wait unless you do takeout. But the pizza is as good as ever, so its reputation is justified.
The people: During the inevitable wait, you'll get to check out the full array of Eagle Rock area pizza lovers, from groups of elderly smoking Russians to smoking suburban middle-aged white couples (the place seems to draw smokers, who knows why) to young rockabilly couples who look to have much more exciting plans for after dinner.

The rest of the menu: Casa Bianca not only has beer and wine, they've recently added a couple of craft beers to their list. There's a large menu of pastas and main dishes, but I don't know anyone who orders them -- you're there for the pizza. But it takes a while to come out, so it's probably a good idea to get an antipasto salad for the table to share while you're waiting.
The pizza: Get the thin crust, preferably with the homemade sausage, flavored with plenty of fennel seeds. Skip the canned mushrooms -- if you want another topping, try olives or garlic. The cheese, sauce and toppings are perfectly proportioned, and the crust is just the right thickness to support it all. The crust isn't as flavorful as at the new wild yeast, wood-fired places, but Casa Bianca is more about the right interplay between the ingredients. The toppings and sauce continue right to the edge of the pizza, a divisive issue. If the crust is really good on it's own, then the little ledge of dough can be a nice treat at the end of the slice. If it's undistinguished, as at Casa Bianca, then by all means, take it to the edge. This is not a sophisticated pizza, but your table will likely devour the delicious, strangely-cut pieces before you even have a chance to contemplate where Casa Bianca falls on L.A.'s new pizza map.
The details: Go early. Bring cash. And remember, pizza is usually better when consumed on-site instead of to-go.
Casa Bianca
1650 Colorado Blvd.
Eagle Rock
323- 256-9617

Four Cafe: Eagle Rock's fresh green canteen

Every neighborhood needs a cafe like Eagle Rock's new Four Cafe, with a bright, modern approach to salads, imaginative sandwiches, appealing baked goods and good coffee. Owners Michelle and Corey Wilton clearly saw that need when they transformed a Colorado Blvd. real estate office into Four Cafe, with a pleasantly rustic interior and a menu of healthy dishes prepared with organic produce.

The space was smaller than I had expected, with a small case of salads and desserts up front, a long row of tables and a counter for overflow diners.

The smoky fish in my smoked albacore, grapefruit and avocado salad (left, $7.50), proved a little too bold for the delicate flavors of grapefruit and avocado, and the lemon vinaigrette wasn't assertive enough to tie it all together, but it still made a healthy light lunch. Fellow bloggers Mattatouille and Jessica Ritz came along to help sample; Mattouille liked his pork loin sandwich with blood orange macerated fennel, while Jessica's pancetta /blue cheese/ fig salad was another combination could have used a slightly more acidic dressing to bring out its flavors.

Though we agreed that the blood orange cake and the chocolate cupcake with salted caramel icing were probably more compelling than the salads, I'm still really glad more places like Four Cafe are opening lately, with colorful fresh vegetables, delicious desserts and a commitment to quality ingredients. If I can tear myself away from Cacao Mexicatessen, I'll certainly return for a grilled asparagus sandwich with sheep's milk feta, a piece of spinach and sheep's milk ricotta tart and a brown butter lavender cookie. And breakfast is due to start in June!

Four Cafe
2122 1/2 Colorado Blvd.
Eagle Rock
323-550-1988

Eagle Rock Brewery now taking tasting reservations

Eagle Rock Brewery's Ting and Jeremy talk to Felix of Taco Chop at the tasting room's marble counter.

I have to thank the folks at Eagle Rock Brewery for doing such a great job hosting my birthday party/5th blogiversary on Sunday. My pictures aren't the best -- a little too much Solidarity perhaps? But they were so helpful and everyone loved getting a tour of the brewery and tasting the Solidarity and an early preview of Manifesto witbier.
Eagle Rock Brewery isn't yet open to drop-in visits, so for now they're taking reservations for tastings. Call 323-257-7866 for a reservation. Times are roughly Friday 12/18 from 4-10 pm, and 12-10 pm on Saturday 12/19, as well as Saturday and Sunday 12/26 and 12/27 and Jan. 2 & 3.

Cacao Mexicatessen: A picante addition to Eagle Rock

Green apples wrapped in tamarindo are a spicy and delicious Mexican-inflected take on a fall treat.

After writing about my trip to Tijuana, I was seriously in need of some out-of-the ordinary Mexican food. Pig uterus carnitas at Highland Park's Metro Balderas might have been a possibility on a weekend, but as it was only Friday, we went a little more upscale at Cacao Mexicatessen in Eagle Rock. Only three months old, Cacao combines fresh, homemade food with distinctive flavors not often found in casual spots.
Succulent duck carnitas are hidden under the radishes in homemade tortillas.

Wrapped in tortillas made as soon as you order, tacos go beyond the usual carne asada, carnitas and cochinita pibil to squash blossoms with poblano strips, duck carnitas, shrimp in chipotle citrus sauce or bacon with Cacao salsa. Crispy, rich carnitas de pato -- duck confit -- would be an amazing way for for a non pork-eater to experience the lusciousness of carnitas. Shrimp enchipotlados, made with meaty, good quality shrimp, could have used some garnish but had a great spicy tang. Fresh chips are some of the best I've had, with an addictively zippy salsa. Why is it called a Mexicatessen? In addition to tables indoors and on the front porch, the housemade tortillas, guacamole, salsas and chips are all available in bulk to take home, as well as menudo on weekends and aguas frescas by the gallon. Larger entrees like mole, rellenos and tortas fill out the menu along with a good selection of artisanal Mexican chocolate and unusual coffee drinks like mocha with chile or coffee with cajeta. On weekends, there's brunch. Somewhere between the taco trucks and Downtown's new haute Mexican spots, there's a sweet spot like Cacao, where the lively cooking comes as an excellent surprise.
Update: Now I've also tried tacos of cochinita pibil and squash blossom, and the squash blossom ones in particular are really wonderful (get them with cheese, unless you're vegan, of course.)
Cacao Mexicatessen
1576 Colorado Blvd. (right next to Trader Joe's)
323-478-2791
(Closed Monday, no alcohol)

Verdugo Bar: tasting some monster beers

We stopped by Verdugo Bar Friday, and Ryan introduced us to a couple of startingly different beers. Although Verdugo is a little off the beaten path in Glassell Park, the selection is excellent at the comfy bar, which also serves cocktails and wine, and there's plenty of tempting taco tables along the way if you need a snack first. I started with a San Marcos IPA -- those San Diegans really know how to make a hoppy, balanced beer. Then Ryan introduced us an cask IPA from Deans Bros. Brewing of Santa Ana. It was made in the British style, and though the warmish, yeasty brew was just a bit too reminiscent of raw bread dough for my taste, I was glad to hear about another local microbrewery. Deans Bros. have pretty good distribution so I'll look forward to trying their ESB or Irish Red Ale at the Village Idiot or Beechwood. Our last taste was a real treat -- Ryan had some hard-to-find Hitachino Nest ginger beer (I think the bottle was a little different from this picture, though). With an assertive ginger flavor, this beer would be amazing with some super-spicy Thai or Chinese food or just on its own with some Hawaiian-style popcorn. I don't think I ever wrote up the Verdugo when I went the first week they opened -- probably the Delerium Tremens made me forget all about blogging. So consider the situation remedied, and try some unusual brews at Verdugo.

Taste test: Oinkster's meaty goodness

Although it's been open a year and a half already, I never did a full review of The Oinkster. Time to remedy that situation, since where else am I going to take my motley crew for dinner that won't cause complaining or cost an arm and a leg?
A hearty burger for the meat-eating teen? Check.
Flavorful pastrami and special "house" orange/lemonade for the grown-up Mr. Meat? Check.
Roast chicken and fries for Miss Picky, who doesn't eat burgers or much of anything else? Check.
Good beer and fries with aioli for yours truly? Check.
The burger was tasty with a top quality tomato, but needed salt to bring out its flavor. Matt liked the pastrami, but it's very smoky indeed, like their pulled pork, and quite lean. Definitely a more refined pastrami than at most places.
The combination of Red Hook Long Hammer IPA with fries and aioli totally rocked, although my doctor says once a year at most.
The rather dried-out chicken was no Zankou, but the purple cole slaw with it was clean and crunchy tasting.
We were too stuffed to try the ube milkshake or peanut butter and jelly cupcakes, but they looked good.
The verdict: Some items are executed better than others at the Oinkster, and the pastrami and pulled pork are for smoke lovers only. But the combination of good beer, quality meats, nicely-cooked fries with garlic mayo and killer desserts make this a great choice for a casual bite.

Quick bite: Brownstone Pizza, Eagle Rock

Brownstone Pizza has some serious coglioni to open just a few blocks down from the iconic Casa Bianca, but if you don't feel like waiting for an hour, it's a good alternative for a very East Coast style pie. Lots of people get the giant $2.95 slices, but if you've got two or more people, just get a whole pie. It looks approximately as large as a kiddie swimming pool, but the thin and pliable crust allows origaming each slice into an edible packet, and you'll want two or three slices each. It's best right out of the oven, and while there's nothing revolutionary about it, it approaches the satisfying New York-style interplay of flavorful cheese and crispy yet floppy crust that people are constantly going on about. Plus, the red-sauced pasta dishes are hearty and ample, they're starting delivery soon, they take credit cards and are working on a beer and wine license. The room's not fancy, so the best bet could be to sip some wine at Colorado Wine next door, where they allow you to bring in a pizza to go with the wine.
Brownstone Pizzeria
2108 Colorado Blvd.
Eagle Rock
(323) 257-4992

Fresh and Easy, but also pre-packaged in plastic

Duck liver or chicken liver pate for $4.98, along with Calabrese salami

It's a little hard to wrap your head around Tesco's Fresh and Easy stores. Eating L.A. stopped by the Glassell Park location early this morning, when opening day's crowds had abated, to find a strange mishmash of a store, with a sprinkling of Trader Joe's and a dash of Ralph's. But I suppose it fits the neighborhood, which is a mostly low-income Hispanic area adjacent to gentrifying areas of Eagle Rock and Glendale. Other stores are in Arcadia, Anaheim and several other locations. A yuppieish couple checked out the Stilton and pate selection, but observed that there's an awful lot of packaging on every item. "It will just be good to have a market down the hill again," said the hubby.

We bought quince membrillo, flan, fresh-squeezed oj, organic Earl Grey tea ($1.99) and espresso fudge ice cream ($2.19)

Meanwhile, an older woman complained to her son in Spanish that the prices on name-brand goods like crackers seemed high to her, although today's L.A.Times article says many prices are lower than elsewhere. Many of the items, like Meyer Lemon cake mix and organic boxed mac 'n cheese, are clearly from the same manufacturer as Trader Joe's products, but with Tesco's rather boring plain-wrap style packaging. The best part is that prices do seem quite low, especially for Fresh and Easy brand items. The grab and go meals are higher, about $5 for single serving fresh meals and $8 for two-serving frozen meals. Although there's only few British items (back bacon, the Stilton with cherries), there does seem to be a higher proportion of Indian food than the area would necessarily indicate, although Trader Joe's has a similar amount. Mini baguettes, at 97 cents each, are plastic-wrapped like all the products

Even the pita bread is made by an Indian bakery, rather than a Middle Eastern one. As everyone else has said, everything including all the produce is thoroughly encased in plastic, for the ease of the self-serve checkout stations, and the feel of the store is rather industrial, like a mini Costco. Overall, it's nothing to make a special trip for, but probably a welcome place to pick up toilet paper, ice cream and quince paste and cabernet sauvignon wine vinegar if you're in the neighborhood.

J. Gold and Eating L.A. agree to disagree on Larkin's

now that's a lotta blue cheese dressing...

We love Jonathan Gold, his writing is irreverent and evocative and he has helped us all discover many many places we wouldn't have ferreted out ourselves. Our only quibble is that when you carefully read his reviews, it is sometimes very hard to tell which dishes are actually good at the restaurant. Take Larkin's: He was eating there the same night we were, so I imagine our experiences were fairly consistent. Reading his review this week, there's very few things that are actually recommended, although he does a great job of describing the ambiance. And perhaps our tastes differ, because I really didn't like those collard greens.
Anyway, here's my review from the Los Feliz Ledger, which is not available online.
Taste test: Larkin's
After several months of preview dinners, Larkin’s has finally settled comfortably into a craftsman bungalow at the outer edge of Eagle Rock. First time restaurateur Larkin Mackey has poured his soul into giving Northeast L.A. some down-home cooking, and Larkin’s has fast become a comfy hangout for the neighborhood, with lunch, dinner and brunch on weekends.
Sit outside on the pleasant wraparound porch of the 1920s cottage, or inside where the house’s former living room is warm with vintage paneling, framed photos and tables made from recycled painted doors. The quaint touches are charming, if not always successful. Mason jar glasses might work better as flower vases than as drinking vessels, and the glass-topped tables are slippery, with no placemats to keep giant plates of ribs from gliding precariously towards the edge.
The concept is contemporary soul food, and while it’s certainly understandable that a culinary school graduate with vegetarian leanings like Mackey would want to lighten and update the soul food canon, whether it’s what people really want to eat is harder to say.
The food is competent, but some dishes fall short of the flavor and comfort that define Southern cooking. Certainly no Southern grandma would serve a salad garnished with candied walnuts, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette, but it might be a better choice than the iceberg lettuce wedge with a gluey blue cheese dressing that could use more tang.
Diners get a small bowl of “Southern caviar” made with black-eyed peas to nibble on while waiting, and main dishes are served with a basket of mini corn muffins. The pork ribs smell enticing as the sweet smoke drifts over the front porch, even though they’re just warmed up on a gas barbecue. At $20, it’s a big and meaty portion that could use some slow smoking so that the meat separates more easily from the bone. Fortunately the kitchen has a light hand with the barbecue sauce, and garlic mashed potatoes make a hearty side.
Catfish ($15) is perfectly fried with a crunchy cornmeal crust, but the tomatoes and peppers mixed into the accompanying greens have a spicy kick that doesn’t really mesh with the pungent collards. Other main dish choices include fried chicken, jambalaya and smothered pork chops.
Desserts, which include sweet potato pie and banana pudding, tend to be on the sweet side. Red velvet strawberry shortcake ($8) is an interesting idea, but doesn’t work when the red velvet cake is hard and dry. Blackberry/blueberry cobbler ($7) is served in a cup, with no evident crust, just something soggy and cakey at the bottom.
With a cozy setting and friendly service, Larkin’s is a welcome addition to the fast-growing Eagle Rock dining scene. Many locals, however, would embrace even more soul in the cooking – and maybe even some lard in the collard greens.

Dream with the Fishes

There's something fishy about my dream life. The other night I was blogging in my sleep (yes, I'm afraid that happens sometimes) about Seafood City, the Filipino supermarket in Eagle Rock mall with the killer selection of whole fish. In my dream, I had a famous seafood chef tour the market with me, picking out the best deals and showing me how to cook the unusual varieties of fish. After the dream, I felt strangely driven to buy a big fish so I went to Seafood City and took pictures of all the fish. There was no famous chef to be found, so I asked some of the ladies which ones they liked. People seemed to be buying an unnatural amount of tilapia, which I avoid, so in the end I bought a striped bass. The name was at least somewhat familiar, at $1.99 the price was right, and it said it was both from the United States and fresh. You bag your own fish from the ice-filled displays, and hand it over to the lady behind the counter for weighing and cleaning. Everything is sparkling clean and there's no fishy smell like some of the other fishmarkets suffer from.
Most of the other fish don't exactly involve eating locally -- they hail from everywhere from Ecuador to Vietnam to the Great Lakes, but they're almost all well under $5 a pound. Barely any of the varieties are recognizable as something you've ever seen a recipe for, so I just threw the bass on the grill and topped it with some charmoula. I also got one of those little red fishes in the bottom photo, called a redtail fusilier. The redtail was meaty with a good flavor, like a fresh sardine. The bass was mild with a firm, flaky texture, although it was hard to keep in one piece on the grill and didn't filet very easily. Here's some of the fishes at the market -- if you know which ones tend to be good or the best way to cook them, please let me know! Some of the other varieties found there include gasper goo, china bream yellowfin, sea bream, white perch, golden pompano, pony fish, mullet, round scad, yellow croaker (I know they fry these in Shanghai-style restaurants), moonfish or opah and the beautifully-colored parrot fish. Next, I think I'll try the big strawberry grouper, which Filipinos call lapu lapu.

More Northeast news: UPDATED

UPDATE: So the Wild Hare will become the York...partner Ryan Ballinger contacted Eating LA to tell us that the York will hopefully open in June. Ballinger says the menu will be simple and fresh, with a signature burger and a few uncomplicated entrees. The wine program will be eclectic and affordable. Ryan is also involved with yet another cocktail bar opening on York...not sure what it's called.

And lots of restaurants want to move into Eagle Rock...the L.A. Times featured the still-in-tastings-mode Larkin's, while the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council recently heard plans for the Fat Dog Lounge at 1581 Colorado Blvd. with a full bar. Neighbors seem to be concerned about whether proposed restaurants will degenerate into nightclubs or remain the upscale restaurants that are originally pitched to the city. Looks like it's considerably easier to open something over on York.

Even the New York Times thinks NELA is hot...a recent article spoke glowingly of skyrocketing property values in the area, but didn't mention the lack of amenities such as quality grocery shopping, movie theaters or restaurants that aren't Mexican, especially in the Mt. Washington/Highland Park areas.

Auntie Em's, again

I once went on a date with a guy who was new to town, and when I told him I lived in Silver Lake, he said, "Oh yeah, I went there once, and I was trying to drive on Sunset on a Saturday morning, and I got caught in some kind of hipster melee. I'll never go back." Well, even though it's my hood, sometimes I know what he means, especially if I want breakfast on a weekend. I like the spinach and pine-nut scrambled eggs at Millie's, but I'm not really interested in standing on the sidewalk in the blazing sun waiting for them. So when we need something super tasty for breakfast, these days it's often off to Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock. It seems silly to drive for 10 minutes when I could walk to Say Cheese, the Coffee Table or several other places, but there's something very satisfying about pulling up and parking right in front of Auntie Em's and then ordering at the counter right way. It's also very satisfying to eat a plate of eggs, Cajun sausage and french bread, or the decadent crispy French toast which is probably deep-fried, but who cares. I was trying to find something slightly less damaging to the arteries this time, so I had the scrambled eggs with portobello mushrooms and grilled red peppers.

The wheat toast with poppy seeds was really nice, too. I still haven't had lunch here, but I'll get to it. And bravo to the young woman who ordered coffee and two cupcakes, then sat at an outside table and powered through both cupcakes in 15 minutes flat. Can you say sugar headrush?
More on Auntie Em's Marketplace here.
More on Auntie Em's cupcakes here and here and here.
Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Eagle Rock
(323) 255-0800