la.foodblogging

You know how it goes, once a respectable coffee house opens its doors in an area that was formerly off the trendy-middle-class radar it’s a good sign that the neighborhood has gone to the diamond-studded-collar-wearing dogs, which, in my opinion, is just what the economist ordered. Highland Perk is to Highland Park what Casbah Cafe was to Silver Lake; what Swork’s was to Eagle Rock; and what al fresco dining was to this country: a step towards a fashionably renewed status and a newly mingled culture towards a more delicious tomorrow.

Couture. Affluence. They now come in a cup.

$1.7 million later, what was once a dingy crack house cum abandoned Mexican restaurant now stands as a renovated piece of artwork in a barrior that’s on the up and up, and to no surprise it proudly houses colorful pieces by local artists. Following suit on the heels of Highland Park’s surrounding trendier neighborhoods - Downtown, Eagle Rock, Silver Lake - local community activist Scott Robbins took the area’s historic landmark, and longtime home of La Casa Blue, and gave it a 360º make-over revamping it from slum to starlet.

But enough about the socialization of formerly undesirable Highland Park, right now I’m not as inclined to discuss this Cinderella story as much as I’m here to talk about the legally ingestible goods to come forth from its kitchen - I want to talk food here, and other serotonin inducing ingredients baby!

So, how did I find myself so interested in this 21-plus-days new coffeeshop? Well, it all began with a little necessary visit to our local post-office to pick-up a package of colloidal silver that was ordered far too late to tackle our sniffling, sneezing, heavy-headed embodiments of germs. Well, I’m exaggerating just a bit; we weren’t quite the walking incubators I make us out to seem, at the moment, but it is true that we were just getting over a cold that was strong enough to force us into nearly a week of voluntary unemployment: which meant no caffeine/no dairy/no eggs/no sugar for us. None. Zilch. Zip. Nada.

Until, we received a coupon from Victor the postman who tempted us to his friend’s new coffeeshop, The Highland Perk. This wasn’t just any coupon, it was a ticket to FREE COFFEE!!!

(Look, you can take the crack house out the neighborhood, but you can’t take the crackhead out of the neighbor. A’ight?!)

I’ll have you know that I was very disciplined and ordered a small/decaf/soy latte, which to my expectations actually had me buzzing a bit. Darn. Now that I started doing Bikram yoga regularly I’m more sensitive to foods and chemicals. Chemicals? What chemicals? I didn’t just say chemicals. I said CAFFEINE. Yeesh people. Can you puh-lease just get your minds out of the crack house at least to the end of this post? Didn’t I say I want to talk about food here?

So, where was I? Ah yes, C…ARROT CAKE MUFFIN. What did you think I was going to say? CR…ACKERS? No; no crackers here. Maybe except for you. So, about this carrot cake muffin….

It was the color of molasses, a fist-sized treat hatted with a ribbon of cream cheese frosting. Baked to a firm chewy exterior that peeled away revealing a soft, moist (read: not greasy) copper coloured belly that was speckled with a confetti of sweet carrot and dark raisin.

So I bought two. One for me, and one for me, I mean, Matthias. It was the perfect match for my La Mill latte, not too sweet, not too cakey. As Goldilocks would say, it was just right.

The entire coffeeshop itself felt just right: spacious ceilings over 20 feet tall with wooden beams, walls richly painted in sexy deep and vibrant shades of blue, red, and yellow offset by concrete floors, and dressed with colorful artwork and plush modern designer furniture. Sunlight pours in from large picture windows on the north wall adding warmth by day to a venue that is moody and loungey by night.

In addition to homemade baked goods like chunky brownie squares, paper molded mini chocolate souffle cakes, and spring colored cheesecake bites, the staff of muscled men clad in tight black tees and blue jeans man the modern stainless steel kitchen to pump out an array of bistro style dishes such as pastas, salads, and soups to quickly name a few. I highly encourage you to take a look for yourselves, and if you decide to wait a bit, say after March 14th, you might find yourself walking in just in time to celebrate the granting of their beer & wine license.

The Highland Perk
5930 York Ave
Highland Park, CA 90042
323.257.0089

By Catherine (see more of her posts). You can find more of Catherine's writing at her own website Urban Epicurean