Heirloom on Wheels

Heirloom LA, the catering company founded and run by Matt Poley, which supplies the food to Intelligentsia Pasadena, has partnered with Windows Mobile to bring their cooking to a wider audience via a food truck.  Currently the truck can be found Monday evenings at Silver Lake Wine, Thursday evenings at the Yamashiro Farmer's Market and Sunday brunch at Bar Covell in Los Feliz.  It is not a coincidence that two of the three locations are connected to Matt Kaner.

Heirloom's signature item is the Lasagna Cupcake.  This sounded very unappealing to me.  Why would I want to have lasagna fillings inside a sweet pastry?  It turns out that there is no pastry or icing involved; the lasagna is just prepared in a cupcake mold.  That is a lot more appealing, and a lot tastier.  The food is playful and fun.

I sampled some of Heirloom's food at Yamashiro on Thursday.  Below is the macaroni & cheese lasagna cupcake and the peanut butter and jelly.  I found the smoky mac & cheese to live up to its name.  It was rather tasty, though not inexpensive at $8.

I also enjoyed the Slow Smoked Beef Brisket with BBQ sauce and the accompanying cole slaw.  The brisket was imbued with the smoky flavor and the bbq sauce had a nice tang to it.  The Niman Ranch BBQ Pork Sandwich was even more popular with my dining companions, which included one of the most legendary pork-lovers this side of the Great Smoky Mountains.

On Sunday, I was able to try more of the Heirloom dishes at Bar Covell.  I began my meal with the Corn Soup, which was excellent.  It was piping hot and had cilantro and cream on top.  The soup was rich and hearty and at the same time had the essence of corn.  This was the best dish I had on either of my visits.

Jidori Chicken & Waffles was served with blueberry maple syrup and creme fraiche.  Putting chicken and waffles on your menu is like ringing the dinner bell for me; I can't help but order it.  This version was good but small.  The berry syrup was not overwhelmingly sweet, which is a huge plus.  The salty crunch of the chicken and the sweet softness of the waffle were joined by the unifying element of the syrup.  Once this picture was taken, there was not any evidence of food on my plate within minutes.

I ran into friends at brunch and they were generous in sharing their food.  Thursday evening's smoky brisket resurfaced as brisket hash, served with sweet and sour potatoes, peas and a sunny side up egg.  The bite I had was good, although I wouldn't trade my chicken and waffles for this.

At brunch, Covell offers four beverages: Housemade Sangria, Fresh Squeezed Mimosa, Spicy Michelada and Fresh Fruit Bellini.  I look forward to seeing how the Covell michelada compares to the legendary Bostick version.

The best way to know where to find the Heirloom LA Truck is to follow its twitter feed: @wpheirloomla.  Below, Poley serves up his food to hungry folks at Yamashiro's.  You can find the truck at Silver Lake Wine tonight.

Heirloom LA Truck: http://www.facebook.com/WPHeirloomLA or on Twitter

The Thirsty Crow Turns One

Last weekend the Thirsty Crow held its first anniversary party.  It was the first bar in the neighborhood to focus on craft cocktails.  In the past year there have been a lot of quality beverage programs opening in the broader neighborhood: Big Bar at Alcove has brought craft cocktails to Los Feliz, Bar Covell has brought unusual quality wines to the same neighborhood and soon Mohawk Bend will bring craft beer to Echo Park.

My favorite cocktail on their list continues to be the signature Thirsty Crow, made with Jim Beam rye whiskey, ginger beer, citrus juices and bitters.  It is served on the rocks in a jar and is really refreshing without being too sweet, a spring cocktail I'm happy to drink all year round.  It is $12.  Head bartender Cooper Gillespie runs a tight ship and the Crow is a fun spot to sip on their well made drinks and ample whiskey, bourbon and rye selection.  On a recent visit, some Bookers did me right as I relaxed at the comfortable bar.

If you haven't been, check it out and don't forget to order a Thirsty Crow.  You will leave quenched and happy.

The Thirsty Crow: 2939 W Sunset Blvd, Silverlake.  Phone: (323) 661-6007.  Website: http://thirstycrowbar.com/

Now Open: Mother Dough Pizza

Fans of Neapolitan pizza can celebrate a new addition to the LA scene, Mother Dough Pizza.  Mother Dough is named for the starter that contributes to the pizza dough.  According to the restaurant, "a piece of each day's batch [is saved and added] to the next day's dough mixture" and the term for this fermentation starter is mother dough.  The restaurant is located on Hollywood Blvd just East of Vermont Avenue and is across the street from Umami Burger and down the block from Bar Covell.

The menu is small with five pizzas, all of which use buffalo mozzarella, and and six starters.  The pizzas are made with imported zero zero flour and the dough is hand-stretched before being cooked for 60-90 seconds at 850 degrees in the wood-burning oven imported from Naples.  The Neapolitan style is thin crust and crispy.  The choices are: Margherita, Zucchini, Oven-Roasted Vine Tomatoes, Prosciutto and Arugula, and Sausage and range in price from $15 to $19.  There is a short wine list of about a dozen wines plus half a dozen beers, all imports or microbrews.

I ordered the Margherita Pizza ($15), which is always my tester pie at a new pizza spot.  The ingredients are: san marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil, aged parmigiano-regiano, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.  The pizza was good but not great.  There was char as I expect with this type of pizza and oven, but a bit too much for my taste. The crust at the center of the pie is limper and chewier than ideal.  But the ingredients are great and the ratio of toppings to dough is as it should be.  I am hopeful and confident that as they get more use out of their oven they will gain experience and the pies will get better.  Do I think they will be a rival to Mozza?  No, but this is a much more casual operation and a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

The Burrata Salad ($11) above was a very nice iteration of the dish.  The portion is enough to be someone's lunch or for several hungry people to share as a starter.  The portion of burrata in particular was quite generous.  The heirloom tomatoes came in a variety of colors and the whole dish was plated attractively.  The salad was simply dressed and some sea salt was sprinkled on it.  I'd happily have this again.  The other appetizers include raw almonds, duck crostini, a charcuterie platter, olives and a mixed green salad.  

The pizza oven

There are currently two desserts on the menu: oven roasted pears with chocolate shavings, creme fraiche and hazelnut liqueur; and triple chocolate mousse with caramel sauce and lavender sea salt.

Mother Dough Pizza is located at 4648 Hollywood Blvd in Los Feliz.  Phone: (323) 644-2885.  Website: www.motherdoughpizza.com  Note: website not currently operational

First Look: Bar Covell in Los Feliz

Bar Covell opened up earlier this month on Hollywood Blvd in Los Feliz, across the street from Umami Burger and Salaryman and just east of Vermont Avenue. Despite (or because of) its recent opening, it was comfortably full of customers sipping on beer and wine when I stopped by last week. Covell was opened by owner Dustin Lancaster, formerly of Cafe Stella and general manager/wine director Matt Kaner, formerly of Silver Lake Wine.

Kaner (pictured above) was there when I visited and he was excited about the launch and the upcoming addition of food to the menu. There are eight beers on tap and 8-10 wines available by the glass. The wine list is short and has a curated feel to it, with interesting selections such as a delicious Portugese rosé Vinho Verde. Matt commented that the entire bottle list is also available by the glass, a customer friendly touch.

Overall Covell has a comfortable vibe: this is not a place you need to get dressed up for and it has a worn-in coziness to it that feels authentic. The wall opposite the bar is covered with antique cameras, which look like something you might find in your grandparent's attic, only in better condition. The crowd was a mix of locals and folks from the westside and downtown who were curious to check out the new bar on the block.

Bar Covell: 4628 Hollywood Blvd, Los Feliz. Phone: (323) 660-4400. Website: barcovell.com Hours: 5pm - Midnight on Sunday - Thursday, 5 pm - 2 am Friday and Saturday.