Aunt Yvette's Kitchen, located in Eagle Rock, California, offers a distinctive take on Ethiopian cuisine. The restaurant is the result of a long-held dream of owners Yvette and Russell Platoff, who decided to build it out when catering orders dried up due to the writer's strike last May. Both Yvette and Russell have worked in restaurants for most of their careers, alongside creative pursuits such as acting. Prior to opening Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, they spent the last six years operating a production catering business, which they ran out of the Eagle Rock space that’s now home to the restaurant.
The high level of attention and care that goes into not only the food, but the entire experience of dining at Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen, is obvious at each step of the way. The interior is warm and festive, with polished slabs of tree trunks for tables, zebra print chairs, and on the wall, a Vladimir Tretchikoff print depicting a Congolese woman.
A Menu Rooted in Tradition with a Creative Twist
Their menu centers around a vegan combo of misir wat (berbere-stewed lentils), kik alicha (turmeric-stewed yellow split peas), gomen (braised kale), and more, alongside the bubbly fermented flatbread injera. For a party of two, the staff will recommend you order one combo to share, along with a protein, such as kitfo ayib (spiced beef tartare) or salmon tibs.
The couple splits up kitchen responsibilities by having distinct domains. Yvette, who is half Ethiopian, is responsible for the vegetarian dishes, while Russell focuses on poultry, fish, and meat.
“I’ve learned that people are desperate for a unique experience and for nutrient-dense, whole foods,” says Yvette. “Although my dad is of Ethiopian bloodline, I’m American, so I feel like I have the freedom to mix it up and do what I think would be even more tasty,” says Yvette. For example, in most traditional Ethiopian restaurants, you’ll find cabbage mixed with big pieces of potato and carrot. Another way that the duo’s creativity shines through is in their use of spices.
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Russell’s recipe for the spicy chicken stew doro wat is top secret, involving both a house-fermented awaze (a traditional chile and spice-based sauce) and a “slow, low” cook time. Most inventive of all is their berbere ice cream, a fragrant and fiery scoop that highlights the intrinsic Ethiopian spice blend, which is traditionally used in savory applications.
Community Ties and Future Plans
Although Aunt Yvette’s is in Eagle Rock, they have strong ties to the Ethiopian enclave on Fairfax Avenue. “All of those people are our friends - we know everyone from Lalibela, and Genet is a mentor of ours,” says Yvette. “We shop in Ethiopian areas, so our money gets circulated back into those communities,” she says.
As for the kitchen, the plan, as it stands, is to keep their classic offerings intact while also offering new dishes on a regular basis. “There are people who have come six or seven times, and they’ve had three different versions of the veggie plate,” says Russell.
How to make injera starter/ersho naturally without yeast
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