Aroma is a reflection of Executive Chef Erin Marroquin’s passion for fusing exotic herbs and spices into his highly soughtafter Italian cuisine. In 2005 the Los Angeles Times declared the Silver Lake eatery #1 in the best new restaurants category. Since then, his restaurant has been packed to the hilt every Friday and Saturday.

Chef Erin has been cooking professionally for over 20 years and has worked with some of the best chefs in the world. He compares the art of a cook to that of a painter whose colors and shapes come natural to him or her.

Erin discovered that making great food was more than just cooking it was instinctively knowing how to utilize the best flavors and ingredients and in particular, understanding which herb and spice combinations worked best.

Chef Erin spent two years in Costa Rica, gaining valuable experience before moving to Los Angeles where his expertise helped open many of the city's top restaurants, including Drago, Impresario, and the Music Center. It wasn’t long before Erin was itching to go out alone and open his own place, utilizing everything he’d learned from 20 years of fine dining cuisine with his own signature of simple dishes and the best quality ingredients and flavor combinations around.

He opened Aroma without any publicity. The first day attracted two diners, the next night there were six. Once word-of-mouth got around about his simple dishes using the highest quality meat and fish, his restaurant filled. Aroma was born and an institution grown. “What I have in Aroma is what we had at Valentinos. I always put in one hundred percent plus ten,” he says of his prior work with Chef Valentino in his famed 5th Ave restaurant on NYC and of course his own restaurant.

When I got to the restaurant, the exterior was misleading. There was nothing to differentiate Aroma from the corner shop on Sunset Blvd and Parkman, or the launderette it is sandwiched between. But on entering, I was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite kind of dining: an open kitchen concept interior. The open kitchen was on the right and there were a few tables and chairs directly opposite, set for an intimate view of the chef at work. To the left was a small dining room with twelve tables where guests could enjoy their chef-at-work viewing pleasures.. And there’s great satisfaction in watching the chef cook up a storm in a place small enough for him to see if you are enjoying his food or not.

The white walls were relieved with various hanging pictures and complimented the red wine colored tablecloths and chairs. The music was more for the elevator crowd but that didn’t matter because one could nose in and out of your neighbor’s conversation… or watch the chef. I chatted with the waiter as he mentioned the specials for the day and jumped in for the Chefs Surprise Five-Course Tasting Menu. No common bread basket here, I instead was served a Rutherford Cabernet with the most perfect melt-in-the-mouth brochette. I don’t usually order soup but the attentive waiter explained the twist: leaks, potatoes, herbs and spices; no dairy and meat-free. On tasting, I was thoroughly converted to the crazy concept of a full flavored vegetable soup, sans meat stock.

Next up was a light and refreshing Mango Salad of arugula and endive, chunks of mango, asparagus and tomatoes, capers, combined with squid, shrimp and octopus with a lemony sweet and sour dressing combo. To follow, a plate of two pasta dishes, strictly for cheese lovers. On my right, underneath a melted parmesan crepe, silky black truffles conspired with addictive fondue cheese and on my left, a large tortelloni filled with porcine, oyster, and shitake mushrooms in a white cheese sauce.

For my double entrée I enjoyed cannelloni served with vodka marinara tomato sauce followed by “Lamb Aroma:” two lamb chops served with a cabernet reduction. Dessert was an alcohol-free tiramisu and orange panna cotta with strawberries. I should have been bloated but Chef Erin’s use of simple, light and flavorful combinations had me convinced of Silver Lake’s little gastronomic gem of a secret.

It is Chef Erin’s goal to be happy, not to be a millionaire. He works one hundred and ten percent for his future but also takes each day as it comes. “I love my food and I know I am in this world for some reason.”

THE DETAILS: Aroma Restaurant
2903 W Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.644.2833
Open Tue-Sun
www.aromaatsunset.com

Story by Ginger Liu.