Lox
and eels? Lake and Eastside? Who knows what L&E Oyster Bar stands
for, but in just over a year the little Silver Lake Blvd. spot has
become known for the freshest of seafood and the buzziest of scenes.
On
warmer nights the patio is bursting with diners braving the
no-reservations policy for a glass of wine and a tray of oysters, and on
colder evenings the patio is enclosed so the fun can continue. And now,
if just oysters and drinks are on the agenda, you can proceed straight
upstairs to the quieter bar area, where a smattering of other appetizers
are also available. (The balcony overlooking the street is a choice
spot for an intimate evening.)
It’s
awfully pleasant to chat with the bartender about the flavor profiles
of various bivalves and which wines would best accompany them (dry
whites like a Picpoul or Gruner Veltliner are perfect). But delve
farther into the menu and it turns out the cooked dishes even more
compelling.
Like
at the Hungry Cat, non seafood-lovers must content themselves with just
one meat dish -- a steak sandwich -- and a few salads. But it would be a
shame to not love sea creatures at L&E, because chef Spencer
Bezaire (formerly of Cafe Stella) has a light but very flavorful touch
with just about everything on the compact menu.
An
early review of L&E called the clam chowder “floury.” Clearly this
has been remedied and then some; the thin broth is intensely flavored
with must be a 50/50 ratio of clam broth and heavy cream, studded with a
few meaty whole clams, then doused with a salty shower of Nueske bacon
bits. Try not to give in to licking the bowl, lest the fashionable
diners be offended. Often the trendier the restaurant, the less apparent
is the bread, but here the chowder comes with two thick pieces of
Village Bakery’s sourdough served with a crock of gently-flavored garlic
butter.
The
chef riffs on a hearty choucroute with the seafood boudin noir, in
which lobster and shrimp are combined with cuttlefish ink to create a
black sausage, served on sweet and sour braised cabbage.
Even
for those who started the evening slurping up half a dozen raw oysters,
the knife ‘n fork fried oyster roll still appeals. The oysters become
dense and meaty when coated in cornmeal and paired with pickled onion,
and the generous pile of well-browned fries on the side is enough for
the whole table to share. Rounding out the menu are a whole roasted
fish; shrimp ‘n grits; fried or grilled oysters and smoked mussels.
Since
L&E is an offshoot of super-popular Los Feliz wine bar Covell, it’s
not surprising that both the beer and wine lists feature a number of
interesting selections leaning towards France. The beer list isn’t long,
but Apicius French cider, Brouwerij west Quadrupel and of course Flying
Dog oyster stout, brewed with oysters, are on the menu.
1637 Silver Lake Blvd.
