New and Not Boring in Eagle Rock: Four Cafe

Should we discuss this gorgeous thing, first? I think so. It’s a blood orange upside down cake, and it’s just what you need if you’re part of the underserved population that’s not into super-sweet desserts.

The slightly dense texture of the cinnamon biscuit cake doesn’t allow the syrupy goodness to soak all the way through, so the flavors are really distinct—fluffy and wholesome on the bottom and bittersweet on top. And oh, my goodness, the candied orange peels and the way the top gets all crispy and crusty toward the edges really bring it home.

This cake is a good example of the decidedly un-boring menu at the new Four Café in Eagle Rock. It was tough to choose from their offerings of sandwiches, salads and desserts, which go well beyond the predictable, but I went for the Grilled Asparagus Sandwich (shown below), filled with avocado, arugula, sheep milk feta and shaved fennel.

The high points: This is a hearty sandwich made with a nice rustic french bread. It was drizzled with enough olive oil that you could taste it, not swim in it. The cheese was smooth and really flavorful, and I always love the intensity-meets-subtlety quality of an avocado and feta combo.

The low point: The asparagus was a little too salty. It didn’t kill the sandwich because the bread and avocado were able to mellow it out, but there were some slightly unpleasant bites. This could have been helped if the asparagus was cut into smaller pieces, so that you wouldn’t have to deal with a mouthful all at once. Still, I enjoyed it overall.

Josh ordered the Smoked Albacore Salad, which puts the average tuna salad to shame…I don’t even think an above-average nicoise could hold a candle to it. I’m used to smoked salmon and trout, but smoked tuna is a real treat. At Four, they toss it with watercress, grapefruit chunks, and avocado with lemon vinaigrette on the side. Really delicious—I wouldn’t change a thing. There’s so much flavor, you almost don’t need the dressing.

He also got the Spicy Red Lentil Soup, which I forgot to take a picture of. It’s made spicy with a tandoori paste, but that was tamed with a delicious cilantro yogurt and firm lentils. There were carrots involved, too. I only had a taste, but I wanted more!

Four Cafe gets a big thumbs up from me. Next time, I’m going to actually sit in the restaurant, which is low-key and airy with lots of natural sunlight. Other exciting prospects: their house-made sodas and breakfast menu, which features an entire grain section and lemon ricotta pancakes!

-Valentina