Archive
for June, 2014
Glassell Park: Truffle Burgers and Maui Rings from VaKA Burger
Jun 23 2014
“VaKA is going places by thinking out of the box,” says Aaron J. Perez, a Boyle Heights native and the chef behind VaKA Burger. The new restaurant pops up a few times a week at Tested L.A., a house-turned-experimental-kitchen in a residential neighborhood in Glassell Park. The concept—gourmet, grassfed burgers accessorized with house-made everything—is certainly new for the area, and the long lines VaKA attracts regularly prove that it’s the right place at the right time with the right food.
The focused menu features only three burgers: The OG, with russian dressing, thick slices of red onion and beef steak tomato, and Tilamook cheddar; The VaKA, a fancy on take on a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, topped with a beer-battered maui onionring, bacon jam, smoky barbeque sauce and muenster cheese; and The Truffle, made with a hefty dose of truffle oil, arugula, fontina cheese, carmelized onions, and roasted garlic aoli. Perez blends three signature cuts of beef to create big, juicy patties and makes all the dressings and sauces from scratch. While undeniably decadent, these well-designed burgers still master a restraint that’s uncommon in today’s burger world—all the components are balanced, so the condiments and add-ons don’t overwhelm the meaty goodness.
Inspired by flavors from his childhood, Ramirez rounds out the menu with a list of “Sides” and “Mas Sides” that seem to have been given the same deliberation as his burgers. There’s the Truffle Mack, creamy with house-made bechamel sauce; and the sweet and spicy VB Wangs, which are easy to devour and shouldn’t be missed. The Maui Rings, served with sriracha ketchup, are some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had—the Old Rasputin beer batter is so light and crispy that I likened it to “savory funnel cake air” on my first bite. Oh, and don’t forget the russian-dressing-and-carmelized-onion-covered Dirty Fries.
For the time being, VaKA Burger will stay on this side of town, continuing to pop up at Tested L.A. and roaming through Glassell Park, Downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, Silver Lake, and Echo Park in their new food truck (you can’t miss it, just look for the black truck with the giant cow on the side). “We want to take VaKA to places that don’t have many local eateries….VaKA believes it’s the product, love, and passion you put in each dish that keeps the fans/customers coming back for more,” says Perez.
Check VaKA Burger’s Facebook page and Twitter for the schedule and locations. You can also follow VaKA Burger on Instagram (@vakaburgers).
-Valentina
Top photos of Chef Perez photo courtesy of VaKA Burger.
Eagle Rock: Cheese and Sandwiches from Milkfarm
Jun 09 2014
If there’s one food thing northeast LA needed, it was cheese. While Auntie Em’s on Eagle Rock Boulevard does have a small selection of great cheeses, up until a few weeks ago, the true cheese shop experience required a trip to Pasadena or Silver Lake. But not anymore. Silver Lake Cheese Shop alum Leah Park Fierro has filled the niche with her new Colorado Boulevard shop Milkfarm. The neighborhood spot offers local and imported cheese, assorted meats, local gourmet products, and a glass case overflowing with fresh-made sandwiches and pastries.
The cheese selection includes the favorites you expect, like Cypress Grove and Cowgirl Creamery varieties, plus more obscure finds from across the country and around the world. “I’m proud to carry some exciting cheeses that I have to special order in advance from other countries. It also feels good to bring in customer requests. I’m the cheese liason!” says Park Fierro, who happily dishes out samples to stymied customers while searching out their preferences to help them find their “it” cheese. She even slices and packages orders right at the front counter, which is a nice touch.
The sandwiches are probably the biggest draw. When I was there on a recent Saturday, customers crowded around outside before the doors even opened to get first dibs on picturesque stacks of rustic sandwiches. There was a long, thin, crusty baguette filled with shaved turkey, thick-sliced smoked mozzarella, and bruschetta; house-roasted beef on potato rosemary slices done up with horseradish aioli, saurkraut and Hooks Two Year Cheddar; and of course, the grilled cheese, which seems to be Milkfarm’s thing. These grilled cheese are not of the hardcore, cheese-and-butter-dripping variety that have become so chic—they’re more restrained with a mix of shredded cheeses and flavorful additions, like leeks, shallots and onions. It should be noted that quality, not size, is the aim at Milkfarm, so most sandwiches require a side.
To that end, you might consider a pastry. Milkfarm doesn’t make their own, but they do source them from Bread Lounge along with all the bread that’s used for sandwiches, which is great news. They also sell their baguettes and ciabatta rolls. The kouign amann is the thing to get since there’s nothing like it for miles. The rare, sugar-crusted, buttery cake with lovely denseness is impossible to stop eating until every last crumb is consumed. The chocolate chip cookies topped with sea salt will also do you right, and the croissants, filled with smoky ham and cheese are a good take-home gift to yourself.
You should also check out the handpicked selection of LA-made products, from Morning Glory Confections brittle to luscious fruit presses from Grace & I (right now they have the Hawaiian one with pineapple, mango, papaya and macadamia nuts). Going one step further, Milkfarm also hosts different local food makers, who come to sample and sell their wares, ever Saturday. They recently had Pagnol Boulanger (see that beautiful basket of bread below), and the next few weeks will bring The Fancy Boyz and Creme Caramel LA. Cheese classes and Parmigiano cracking parties are also in the works.
It’s no wonder Milkfarm is already so popular. Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?
-Valentina
Milkfarm, 2106 W. Colorado Boulevard; 310-892-1068; https://www.facebook.com/milkfarmla
