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Here's the latest from TheEastsiderLA.com.
I always make the mistake of reading Merrill Shindler's restaurant reviews on an empty stomach. Scroll down to enjoy his latest on Saffy's on Fountain.
-- Robert Fulton
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Photo by Shell Saurer
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📷 Eastside Scene
You definitely don't want to be afraid of heights to trim the fronds at the top of palm trees, like these on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. "I always wondered how those towering palms on Franklin get trimmed, said Shell Saurer, who took the photo.
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📢 News
New Cal State LA president selected
El Sereno: The California State University Board of Trustees appointed Berenecea Johnson Eanes to be the new president of Cal State Los Angeles. She will become Cal State LA's first female president when she takes charge of the 26,000-student school on Jan. 8. The Eastsider
Girl goes missing
East L.A.: Fourteen-year-old Ivonne Syria Carranza-Rivas was reported missing after she was last seen at 6 a.m. Wednesday in the 4400 block of Dunham Street near the 710 Freeway. LASD
Victim identified
Echo Park: The man who was fatally shot last Friday night near Douglas and Toluca streets was identified as 38-year-old Sergio Bermudez by the Medical-Examiner's office. Police described the shooting was gang-related, but did not say whether or not Bermudez himself was a gang member.
👏 Thank You Thursday
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LéaLA Book Fair Invites Families to Discover New Stories
LéaLA book fair invites the entire community to meet authors, to hear new voices at the poetry jam, to enjoy interactive kids workshops to learn about and make Mexican folk art. Book lovers will discover books from 40 publishers, all at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes’ outdoor campus with a beautiful garden and historic building.
- When: September 14 to 17, 2023, 9 am to 7 pm
- Where: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles
- Cost: Admission is free
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Peruvian scallops
Merrill Shindler
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EAST HOLLYWOOD
Saffy's on Fountain: An evolution of Middle Eastern cooking
By Merrill Shindler
In the beginning, there was Bestia – situated in the Warehouse District of Downtown LA – Chef Ori Menashe and his wife Genevieve Gergis’s take on Los Angeles Italian cooking. Then came Bavel, Menashe and Gergis’s reconsideration of Middle Eastern cooking on Mateo Street in the Arts District.
And most recently, the couple have created Saffy’s on Fountain in East Hollywood– a further evolution of Middle Eastern cooking, this time with grilled lobster skewers (with green harissa) and turmeric mussels (with coconut cream). Cooking in a large open-air space that, curiously, serves coffee and pastry during the day – and expands into the adjacent rooms and front patio for dinner.
Come the evening, in the style of Bestia and Bavel, there’s a sense of being in the Trendoid Destination of the Moment (Fountain Avenue Edition). As is true at most of our trendoids, reservations vanish the instant they go live on OpenTable. But there’s a lot of walk-in in the spacious bar room, along with Strawberry Limeade made with tequila and a Paloma Spritz with mezcal.
Clockwise from top: Shishito peppers, hummus with soft egg and challah.
Merrill Shindler
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I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant without covering the table with dishes to be shared. In this case, those dishes -- both smallish and largish – lean towards the familiar made exotic. A wonderful Peruvian scallop crudo with chili oil and sea salt. Our old friend hummus comes two ways – one with smoked paprika and pine nuts, the other with fava beans and a soft-cooked egg…in both cases on housemade challah.
There are carrots roasted with harissa jam and a Meyer lemon labneh. I like the sour yogurtness of labneh; the lemon painted it with a new palette of flavors. Shawarma is a mix of lamb and beef, wood-fired, of course. There are skewers of Iberico pork, lamb kebab (two ways), chicken shashlik and beef shashlik. Grilled duck leg comes over dirty rice, a soul food standard.
This is Los Angeles, where boundaries are so…early 21st Century. I mean, for dessert, there’s a strawberry shortcake with vanilla whipped cream. There’s soft-serve ice cream, too. Saffy’s is a trip down the culinary rabbit hole. Them rabbits sure do eat good.
Saffy's on Fountain: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beyond Sublime
- ⭐⭐⭐ Worth Every Penny
- ⭐⭐A Good Neighborhood Destination
- ⭐ Might As Well Stay At Home
Saffy's on Fountain
- 4845 Fountain Ave., East Hollywood
- 424-699-4845
- www.saffysla.com
- Dinner every day
- Reservations are essential
- Moderately expensive
Read more of Merrill Shindler's Eastside restaurant reviews
If you know of a standout but overlooked neighborhood restaurant, please reply to this newsletter with details
🍽️ Good Taste
Echo Park: Hannah Ziskin of popular pizza, wine and dessert spot Quarter Sheets recently received a “Food & Wine” Best New Chef award, Eater L.A. reports. During the pandemic, Ziskin and her partner Aaron Lindell started a home pop-up in Glendale before eventually establishing Quarter Sheets.
Silver Lake: West Hollywood’s Bravo Toast is expanding to Silver Lake, Eater L.A. reports, occupying the spot that formerly held Breadblok at Sunset Triangle near Pine & Crane. Expect a Fall opening for the purveyor of toast, bowls, salads and more.
🗓️ Eastside Weekend
⭐ Featured Event
LéaLA: LéaLA, the Spanish-language book fair and literary festival, will showcase authors from Mexico and Latin American countries and U.S. Latino writers. The free event with readings, workshops and booksellers will be held Sept. 14 - 17 at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Go here for details.
Thursday, Sept 14
Atwater Village: Bring your friends and listen to a variety of genres at The High Low's Spotlight Sessions. See live performances from Alec Jordan, Lauren Ahleeza, Last Good Chad, and Ebony Maple.
DTLA: A Place Called Home is hosting its 3rd annual “El Centro del Sur LatinX Theater Festival: Tu Hogar,” followed by a community block party. Featuring four encore productions, these family-friendly plays are worked on by an all LatinX-crew.
Echo Park: Learn e-bike safety, maintenance and purchasing tips at Bike Share 101.
Highland Park: Join movie producer Larry Kasanoff to launch his new book, "A Touch of the Madness: How to be More Innovative in Work and Life...by Being a Little Crazy," at the North Figueroa Bookshop.
Friday, Sept 15
Boyle Heights: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at The Paramount and catch SoCal rock bands The McCharmly's with The Hayds. Special guests include Tetra Collective & El Segundo.
Lincoln Heights: If you love to play soccer, head to LA State Historic Park and join in on Co-Ed Pickup Soccer LA.
Saturday, Sept 16
Boyle Heights: Book lovers are in for a treat at the Malabar Branch Library. Grab some free books at their Free Book Sale.
Eagle Rock: Learn the art of suminagashi marbling, a mindful practice using floating sumi ink to create patterns on the surface of water.
Westlake: Check out the 15th annual LA Beer Festival at LA Center Studios. Featuring over 80 breweries, enjoy some beer with live music, food trucks, and more!
El Sereno: It's Mexican Independence Day! Join the festivities and listen to the Latin Grammy-nominated Mariachi Herencia de México at The Luckman. Also, catch performances from La Banda de Tlayacapan and the Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company.
Highland Park: Bob Baker's Hallowe'en Spooktacular is back for family-friendly, frightful fun featuring over 100 spirited puppets. (Sept. 16 - Nov. 5)
Westlake: Check out the 15th annual LA Beer Festival at LA Center Studios. Featuring over 80 breweries, enjoy some beer with live music, food trucks, and more!
Sunday, Sept 17
El Sereno: Model train fans of all ages are welcome to the Pasadena Model Railroad Open House, featuring one of the nation's largest HO scale-operating model railroads.
Silver Lake: Turkish singer Gaye Su Akyol is going to Los Globos for her US debut. She will be playing music from her fourth album, Anadolu Ejderi, inspired by classical Turkish music and Turkish psychedelic rock.
👋 That's it!
Thanks for reading.
-- Robert Fulton
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