In their own orbit 16 miles northeast, the Platoffs move more freely between tradition and creative expression.<\/p>\n
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The vegan combo platter with rib-eye tibs at Aunt Yvette\u2019s Kitchen in Eagle Rock<\/p>\n
(Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
The savory cooking stays largely anchored in the canon. Vegetable combo platters are standard on Ethiopian menus; theirs, entirely vegan, shows strongest in dishes with forward seasonings like misir wat (berbere-stained lentils, a preview to the ice cream finale) and kik alicha (long-simmered yellow split peas, their color intensified with turmeric). You can complete a meat-free meal with cubed tibs (a common saut\u00e9 of chicken or beef, also available) reimagined with rosemary-scented tofu.<\/p>\n
Moving up the food chain: The whole trout is fried with particular care so the skin crackles and the filet underneath can be tugged away easily. Among several sauces on the side, home in on senafich, a classic, sinus-sizzling Ethiopian condiment fashioned from mustard seeds.<\/p>\n
Servers will relay several daily specials. I listen out for ye beg alicha wot, lamb shoulder stewed in gingery gravy. Serrano and garlic give some twitch to the otherwise mild flavors; I like the way this meatier option melds with vegetables like gomen (oniony greens, in which case kale).<\/p>\n
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Kitfo \u2014 Ethiopia\u2019s beef tartare in spiced butter \u2014 with sides of fresh cheese and gomen (braised greens) at Aunt Yvette\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n
(Bill Addison \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
Look around the room and everyone has some version of an injera-blanketed platter in front of them \u2014 many with doro wat (the aromatic sauce enveloping chicken and eggs that\u2019s a little sweeter than Agonafer\u2019s masterwork) or mounds of diced beef tenderloin or brisket beside tangles of cabbage and onion or cool, crunchy salads.<\/p>\n
The sensibility of the owners helps set the restaurant apart. Colors and textures saturate the space: lacquered tree trunks as tables, blue-green tiles, gold pendant lights, big prints of Vladimir Tretchikoff<\/a>\u2019s portraits of African women. It\u2019s also tiny, so it\u2019s wise to reserve seats at dinner or weekend-only lunch.<\/p>\n Russell tends to stay in the kitchen while Yvette circulates through the room. She cultivates an exceptional ethos of hospitality in the front-of-house staff. Meals start with a server ritualistically washing your hands with rose water. Rather than drop off baskets full of injera, as many places do, the team circulates through the room delivering fresh injera just as you\u2019ve polished off your last round. I wasn\u2019t surprised that the table next to me last week were regulars celebrating a birthday. You come here to feel taken care of.<\/p>\n Dining room near the entrance of Aunt Yvette\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n (Bill Addison \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n And to eat dessert. There\u2019s a dense-rather-than-wobbly take on Basque cheesecake, crowned with the kind of smoky caramel sauce you\u2019d find atop sticky toffee pudding. Homemade ice cream appears most sculpturally in a banana split scattered with salted pistachios and hazelnuts and glossed with chocolate sauce cleverly laced with Ethiopian coffee.<\/p>\n I love that fun finales receive this much consideration. Since the two scoops of \u201cfire and ice\u201d are recurrent specials not listed among the selections, I\u2019m especially glad that Yvette rightly sized me up as someone who\u2019d appreciate how the berbere almost sizzles through the frosty sweetness, ringing on the palate and even longer in your memory.<\/p>\n Aunt Yvette\u2019s Kitchen: 1743 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 274-4476, instagram.com\/auntyvetteskitchen<\/a><\/p>\n Food Bowl and 101 Best Restaurants events are two weeks away!<\/p>\n The annual guide to the 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles, written by fellow restaurant critic Jenn Harris and me, is moving from its longtime publication date in December to this month: The big reveal will happen online on Friday, Oct. 23. Print subscribers will receive their copy with their newspaper on Sunday, Oct. 25. <\/p>\n The 101 is joining Food Bowl for a weekend-long celebration. The 101 event is on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Among the chefs who will be serving at the event: Gilberto Cetina of Holbox, Keith Corbin of Alta Adams, Brian Dunsmoor of Dunsmoor, Jon Yao of Kato, F\u00e1tima Ju\u00e1rez of Komal, Alexis Brown of Henrietta and Dave Beran of Pasjoli. Get tickets here<\/a> for the whole weekend\u2019s events. <\/p>\n Gilberto Cetina of Holbox will be among the chefs at this year\u2019s 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles event. <\/p>\n (Ron De Angelis \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n You\u2019re reading Tasting Notes <\/p>\n Our L.A. Times restaurant experts share insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they\u2019re eating right now.<\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service<\/a>, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy<\/a> such as personalizing your experience and ads. <\/p>\n Also … ![\"Dining](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791732494_902_.jpeg\")
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