The Mango Lassie

I went to Los Angeles for Flava Flav’s graduation this weekend. Truth be told, L.A. is a haven for cheap eats. With its burger joints and taco stands, it is a veritable playground for the likes of me. Unfortunately, graduation also means lots of free campus boxed lunches and eating in large family gatherings, two factors that worked against me trying all the cheap eateries Flava Flav recommends.

Luckily Flav lives in a house in the back half of a used car lot that is literally next door to Auntie Em’s Kitchen, one of the greatest breakfast cafes I have tried. We took Mango Mama there on Saturday morning for a late Mother’s Day and sat out on the back patio. From there, we had a perfect view of Flav’s used car lot front yard.

Auntie Em’s is a funky cafe and bakery with a small gourmet market next door. The pastries, including wafer thin cookies, blueberry coffee cake, raspberry muffins and currant scones, are delectable. The cupcakes are so well respected that they earned owner Terri Wahl a place on “Throwdown With Bobby Flay,” the Food Network program where celebrity chef Flay competes against a respected maker of a given item. The cafe also serves lunch including seasonal salads, sandwiches and quiches. The hipsters, artists, Hollywood celebrities and Occidental College students who eat there reflect the up-and-coming demographic makeup of the Eagle Rock neighborhood. It’s also great because most of the dishes it serves are items I wouldn’t make myself.

That tendency toward unique breakfast items is exemplified by my delightful bowl of grits with sausage. With its thick creamy texture and the salty, smoky, spice of cubed sausage, this hearty meal sustained me all the way up until dinnertime. The grits came with a fresh bowl of fruit, which provided an elegant color contrast to the grayish grits.

Mango Mama and Flava Flav both ordered Auntie Em’s famous open-faced breakfast sandwiches. These all involve scrambled egg and a variety of other ingredients atop a thick slice of crusty grilled ciabbata. For example, Mango Mama’s steak and eggs included bread, gruyere, slices of grilled steak and a piled of scrambled eggs. Flava Flav’s was basically the same but with smoked turkey sausage. Other options include avocado and tomato, portobello mushrooms and roasted red peppers or applewood smoked bacon.

Auntie Em’s is a great restaurant, and it is rapidly gaining popularity. The line to order at the counter routinely winds into the next room. Hopefully the modest, fun-loving crew at Em’s won’t let the popularity go to its head. It would be a shame to see such a rare treasure of a cafe lose its independent spirit. I will be disappointed not to have an excuse to go there now that Flava Flav is leaving L.A. Maybe I can figure out how to get back by clicking my ruby slippered heels a few times. In the meantime, I urge any of you who find yourselves in L.A. to give Auntie Em’s a try.

Auntie Em’s Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323.255.0800