Great vibes and good food--that sums up Origin Cafe, the new kosher restaurant on Pico Boulevard.
Chef/owner Aaron Clayton (at the top) is dedicated to personally sourcing his ingredients so that what you taste is really fresh.
Because it's a dairy restaurant, there's no meat, but you won't miss it because Clayton knows how to make fish really appeal. One example is his Moroccan salmon tacos with mango and harissa (above).
And then there's seared halibut (above) with roasted asparagus, artichoke risotto and a roasted cherry tomato sauce that includes white wine infused with saffron.
This soup may look plain, but it's made with pea tendrils and asparagus. The only decoration is a swirl of olive oil on top.
Clayton fills artichoke ravioli with house-made ricotta and chopped artichokes (above). Roasted oyster mushrooms are on top along with pea tendrils and pistachio pesto.
From these dishes, you can tell that pea tendrils, asparagus and artichokes were in top form when he created this menu for Origin Cafe's inaugural dinner.
However none of these appeared in roasted eggplant with a miso sesame oil glaze, finished with tahini and mint and served on a toasted baguette.
Here is an heirloom cherry tomato salad with sliced watermelon radish and cubes of mozzarella.
Dessert was bread pudding, which the cafe makes with remainders of the breads on hand, usually brioche, baguettes and 7-grain. Here, the pudding is topped with honey halvah ice cream.
Origin Cafe opened in May and by September was already on its third menu. This is how responsive Clayton is to seasonal and fresh ingredients. "It's amazing what you can do with high quality ingredients," he says.
Serving only breakfast and lunch at first, the cafe now offers dinner Tuesday through Thursday. The dinners are prix fixe, priced at $30 for three courses and $40 for four. Above, he's with girlfriend Julie, who stepped in to help with the first night's dinner service.
The atmosphere is bright and contemporary, decorated with art work and photos by family and friends. A long menu of coffees and teas is written in chalk on a blackboard.
The space is small, so the lanky (6'4") chef can easily leave the kitchen and circulate among the tables. Raised in Encino, he cooked in Tel Aviv and as a private chef before opening the cafe.
Origin Cafe, 8532 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. Tel: (424) 288-4682. Closed Saturdays. Click here for the cafe's Facebook page.
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