I was in Los Angeles to visit my mom. She takes a very interesting class that I attended with her on neuroscience and what's new in the field. I learned so much about the brain and Alzheimer's, which I may tell you about at another time. After the class, mom, Buff and I went to a new restaurant in Brentwood. It's on the corner of Barrington and Wilshire, and is on the ground floor of a multi use building, with residential apartments above and retail below. The restaurant is inspired and developed by Hans Rockenwagner, longtime Los Angeles restauranteur, with a stellar reputation.
Hans Rockenwagner has been on the restaurant scene for years. He spent years cooking in Germany, Switzerland and Chicago, before settling in Los Angeles. He ran a full scale fine dining restaurant for years, but now concentrates on 3 Square Café, Rockenwagner Bakery, and now Café Rockenwagner
The café is noisy. There is no way it can't be noisy, with concrete floors, high ceilings, and no window coverings. It is an attractive, contemporary restaurant, with seating inside and out. The main attraction is the food. We were there for lunch. Mom ordered a sandwich sampler. Three small sandwiches on pretzel rolls, potato chips and a side salad. Buff ordered a shrimp salad, and I had the salad nicoise. My salad was made with fresh ahi tuna, and a few twists on the traditional salad. There was some hummus in the salad, but no potatoes or eggs. Excellent. Desserts looked fabulous, but we resisted. They make something called a "cro-nut," which is a donut made with croissant dough, fried, stuffed with a crème filling, and iced. I will write about after I taste it.
I want to go back for breakfast. They offer an authentic German Apple Pancake Souffle, with strawberries and crème fraiche, one of my favorite breakfast items. Also on the menu is chicken hash, grilled weisswurst, with eggs, apple-onions, potatoes, pretzel roll. Dinner is also offered, and includes entrees like seared scallops, poached salmon, pork chops, beef burger, lamb burger, and skirt steak. Most entrees are in the mid $20's. As appetizers, Café Rockenwager offers some interesting choices, like roasted marrow bones, Brussels sprouts and kale (with dates, pecan and blue cheese), and a selection of German cold cuts and cheese.
Except for the noise, everything was great. The service was friendly, and even Hans was on hand, visiting tables and asking how everything was. They will be busy for breakfast and lunch, with lots of office buildings in the area, but I'm not sure how they will do for dinner. On second thought, probably very well, as Hans Rockenwagner has a reputation as a fine chef, and with a moderately priced menu, Westside residents will give it a try. Next time you're in the Brentwood area, try this new café.
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