ENTERTAINMENT On the Menu

By Helene Seifer

The pandemic shook up the restaurant scene in countless ways — and the repercussions are reverberating still. Makeshift patios are one of the best outcomes; favorite eateries that didn’t survive are a devastating fallout. Most interesting, perhaps, are all the chefs who pivoted to create new opportunities for themselves. Chef Lord Maynard Liera, called Chef Maynard, was sous chef at the massively popular ode to Italian dining, Bestia, before COVID-19 hit. In his downtime, he turned to his roots and created a Filipino pop-up out of his house in La Cañada-Flintridge. Massive trays of fragrant grilled meats, sausages, seafood and chicken became an internet favorite.

After two years of home cooking for the masses, Chef Maynard has opened a small restaurant in Melrose Hill called Kuya Lord. “Kuya” is

Aviva

(Continued from page 5) for women and children. The organization “believes every child and family in our Los Angeles community deserves the chance for a brighter future.”

You can help school-aged kids this month by purchasing or collecting items such as: backpacks, pencils, notebooks, binders, pens, colored pencils, college-ruled paper, crayons and more. Aviva’s Amazon wish list can be found at: tinyurl.com/msdxz3ha The Target registry can be found at: tinyurl.com/mprukab3 Donations may be dropped off at 7120 Franklin Ave., Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through August 12.

For more information on Aviva Family and Children’s Services, visit aviva.org.

a Tagalog word that literally means older brother but is used as a sign of respect. At Kuya Lord, Chef Maynard can more fully explore the flavors of Lucena, the Filipino coastal town from which he hails.

The bright, inviting space has a scattering of tables inside and a few more on the sidewalk. The hope is that Kuya Lord will expand into the adjoining space for more on-site dining.

Although there is a salad on offer ($17), virtually everything else is grilled. There are à la carte options, such as the salmon special, but the way to go is the Kuya Tray, a two-person platter built around chami (garlic noodles), with a side tomato and cucumber salad. Add either rice with pork belly, grilled half chicken or the combination we tried, sweet sausage and savory beef with two fried eggs for $43. Every morsel oozed intense flavor. The sausage was especially juicy and delicious and the

Have a rockin’ time at Farmers Market

Hear live music free this summer at the Original Farmers Market, 6333 W. Third St., on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. through August 25 on the Plaza near the Clock Tower.

Ernie Watts Quartet jazzes up the night Aug. 4. Jumpin’ Joz play swing Aug. 11. Hear Paul Val Texas blues rock Aug. 18, and Guilty Pleasure Makers play covers Aug. 25. For more information visit farmersmarketla.com

On the Menu

by Helene Seifer

carbs with the eggs on top were hearty and loaded with savory satisfaction. We also ordered the five huge blue prawns in garlic crab sauce, $24, which were rich, funky and wonderful.

We ended the meal with calamansi pie, $10, a silky key lime individual pie topped with bright green pandan whipped cream, made from heavy cream mixed with extract from the leaves of the pandan plant.

We visited during the soft opening, with service until mid-afternoon. By August, Kuya Lord hopes to add dinner hours and more entrée options.

Kuya Lord, 5003 Melrose Ave.

It’s said that New York, New York, is such a great city they had to name it twice. Perhaps the same can be said for Coffee Coffee, the breakfast and lunch place that recently opened on Melrose at the intersection of Larchmont Boulevard.

One would be forgiven for expecting the usual array of eggs and bacon rashers, but one would be wrong. This is a chef-driven daytime eatery and it’s very, very good. Chef Adrian Castro cooked at some of the best and most innovative restaurants in the country, including locally at Café Pinot, Kali, Bazaar (with José Andrés) and in New York at Le Bernardin.

Everything is made in-house, from flaky, buttery croissants (pricey but delicious at $7) to milk bread and labneh (served with fresh strawberries, $15).

We tried the shakshouka, a spiced tomato sauce with poached egg and feta in a sourdough bread bowl, $18. The tomato base provided a perfect bed to showcase the egg and salty cheese. Pull off hunks of the sauce-soaked bread afterward for a real treat. Papas y frijoles presents garlicky black beans laced with the Mexican herb epazote topped with beautifully layered and oil-lacquered potato chunks, a sous vide egg and a side of salsa, $17. Decorated with delicate edible flowers, this was a stunner.

As for Coffee Coffee’s coffee? My $6 latte was spot on.

Coffee Coffee, 5630 Melrose Ave., 818-913-5965.

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