Auntie Em’s Kitchen in Eagle Rock is home to some of Los Angeles’ favorite cupcakes. Bobby Flay even hosted one of his “throwdowns” there—challenging the famous Red Velvet recipe that put Auntie Em’s on the map. And although chef/ owner Terri Wahl never set out to be known for just cupcakes, she serves about a thousand of them a day.

Some say she saves the best for last, but I disagree. Her open-faced breakfast sandwiches, served on ciabatta bread with gruyere cheese, scrambled eggs and a mouth-watering selection of toppings (like roasted vegetables, applewood smoked bacon, Cajun turkey sausage, to name a few) are guaranteed to start your day right. Weekend breakfast specials include buttermilk pancakes PILED with fresh berries and coconut; quiche; and a grits casserole. And that’s just breakfast.

Her lunch menu will leave you wanting to order one of everything. She’s got great sandwiches with all the usual players-- turkey, chicken, meatloaf, tuna, et cetera, but it’s the specials that are true standouts. They serve five or six daily, depending on what’s in season, and they are so tempting you might be hard-pressed to choose. Specials are served with a side of any one of her case salads or a bowl of home made soup.

Meals are ordered from a chalkboard menu at the counter and are then served to guests at their tables. I recommend you go with a friend and plan to share what you order, as the portions are generous.

The last time I was there with a girlfriend we split the tarte Alsace, which was a phenomenal balance of sweet caramelized onions and savory pancetta with kalamata olives on puff pastry. We ordered the heirloom tomato caprese as the side dish. We also shared the crab enchilada pie—a mélange of sweet crab and creamy béchamel layered with sautéed squash and flour tortillas, topped with melted jack cheese… over the rainbow perfection. We had this with a cool bowl of white corn and black bean gazpacho. Goodness gracious, does this woman know how to cook! And she is self-taught to boot.

Terri’s love of food began when she was a punk rocker, touring with her all-girl band the Red Aunts. Hours on the road gave her plenty of time to obsess about restaurants and recipes-- and traveling throughout the United States and Europe exposed her to the delights of regional cuisine. She particularly loved southern food and the small walk up restaurants that served single item house specialties—like the crab shacks so common to that part of the country.

After touring with the Red Aunts, she returned to Los Angeles and started a catering business from her home-- primarily serving friends’ music video and movie production companies. Production food is notoriously awful, and that is where she set out to distinguish herself-- and over the years, her clientele list grew to include dozens of A-list celebrities—all by word of mouth. She never had the need for PR or marketing and after six years of continued success, outgrew her modest digs and bought Auntie Em’s in 2001. The catering side is still a huge portion of her business, but the restaurant feels like home.

I agree with Dorothy, “…there’s no place like home…” and being at Auntie Em’s just feels good. The walls are painted turquoise, cantaloupe, kiwi and lemon, and are adorned with black and white photos of kids in Halloween costumes from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. Tables are set with mix and match dishes and old fashioned plastic tablecloths. There is such a quirky esthetic resonating throughout, it’s bound to put a smile on your face.

And just when you think it can’t get any better, it does. Auntie Em’s also has a Marketplace that sells artisanal cheeses and salamis. The selection is just as generous as the restaurant’s, and the ambiance is just as quaint. The tree sculptures and wolf mural are inspired, and make me think this isn’t a restaurant, but an art gallery for food.

The place gets packed and if you bring small children, come during the week after the breakfast rush, before it gets busy again for lunch. Or just know the food is worth the wait, the people-watching is sublime and the service is stellar, so be patient. And do save room for dessert… the cupcakes are outrageous; the dark valrohna chocolate might be my favorite, next to the coconut. But there are all sorts of cobblers, pies, cookies and yummy bars. Maybe she did save the best for last after all...

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

www.auntieemskitchen.com

Restaurant hours: M-F 8am to 7pm; S&S 8am to 4pm
Marketplace hours: M-TH 9am to 8pm; F 9am to 9pm; S&S 9am to 7pm

See Catering Menu on website

Major Credit Cards
Street Parking

Photo Credits Douglas Hill
www.doughill.com

P.S. Just an aside: The first visit we ever made to Auntie Em's was when 13 of us came to celebrate our parents' 45th wedding anniversary, during a very busy Saturday morning slam... needless to say Terri and staff rolled out the red carpet and really made it a special occasion. We love them for that and so much more!

kat@la2day.com