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Gastronomico: where dubious decor meets delicious dishes |
EatingLA returned to try more dishes at
Gastronomico on Hillhurst Ave. for a
review in the Los Feliz Ledger. Here's an excerpt from the review.
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crispy Yukon gold potatoes |
The casual Los Feliz cafe Gastronomico is at first a bit hard to grasp, but stick with it and you’ll be glad you did. Tucked in the corner of the mini mall anchored by notorious watering
hole the Drawing Room, the restaurant that sprang out of a gourmet food
bus takes the transit theme a touch too far. Road signs, chrome walls,
black and yellow paint—what might have been fun on a bus doesn’t quite
work in a pace that serves some of the neighborhood’s freshest and most
flavorful updated comfort food.
Fried chicken and spinach salad might not be the healthiest salad
ever, but the super-crispy chicken made it well worth the indulgence
($9). The juicy turkey burger and reasonably priced Ecuadorian pulled
pork sandwich ($7.50) are almost always on the menu, but investigate the
day’s special sandwiches, like a very French and delicate smoked
salmon, pork belly or bbq shrimp.
Side dishes are no afterthought here. Crispy Yukon gold potatoes are a
must, smashed and fried with garlic aioli and dill into some kind
of heavenly marriage of a French fry and a roasted potato.
Since it’s on the near-Eastside, garlicky kale will be usually
available, or maybe a Brussels sprout/bok choy combo, roasted beets or
heirloom tomato and corn.
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fried chicken salad |
Desserts are also strong. Ricotta donut holes with Meyer lemon curd
have achieved some local renown, but the moist, not-too-sweet banana and
chocolate upside down cake and fruity specials like a fig and almond
tart or apricot parfait are also rustically appealing.
So how many forks did I give it? Check the
Ledger's website to see.
1 comment:
Sorry, couldn't disagree more. I went a few months after they opened and haven't been back. Walking in, I smelled a funny smell wh was off-putting. But I decided not to judge a book by its (smell?) and asked the nice lady at the counter what their specialty was. She suggested the pork sandwich -- well, when I got it, I instantly knew what the smell was from. The sandwich tasted vinegary and I couldn't eat it (btw, I'm not that picky!). The carnitas at Mixto is far superior. And then I tried a chocolate chip cookie -- hard as a brick. My 2C.
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