Erwin's General Cafe — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Came here because they had lomo saltado on the menu. Being Peruvian, I always enjoy trying out my people's cuisine wherever I travel. I was sceptical of the use of filet mignon and therefore curious to see what that was like. I love fried eggs on my lomo saltado, the server and cook were so amazing at accommodating that request for me, my only regret was that I did not ask for 2 eggs.

What a meal! It was overall pretty good. My only critiques were 1. The beef felt a little too dense and a few pieces were a bit too dry, like maybe slightly over cooked, prolly not the easiest when the chunks weren't cut into similar sizes. 2. Something about it was little too salty, maybe the green sauce generously squeezed all over the dish, can't be sure because i mixed most of it together before I started eating. Despite those little things would still recommend!

The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars was cause my partner's steak frites, compared to what I got for $2 more looked unimpressive in size and composition. The beef looked great but there wasn't much and the only other thing was a bit of fries underneath.

The atmosphere was...

I've been to Barlo's for dinner and breakfast as I stayed at the Hotel Erwin. I reserved a table for one although this was not necessary. The service is "american", meaning very friendly, quick and kind of direct. I ordered a Burger and Cider. Both were very good. The atmosphere has been quite comfy. I enjoyed staying for a while.

At breakfast I had the Chorizo styled scrambled eggs. It's very good! I ordered it quick, because I had to move on and checked out already. Caution: The coffee is strong! The woman gave back like about USD 10 too much change. I tried to explain that to her, but she didn't listen and even calculated it for me again (which was still wrong). So well, I just gave her the 10 dollars and that made her happy.

However, the food is relatively expensive like everything in Venice. Be aware of that!

Once in a while, I saw different people going behind the counter which confused me. People run in and out very frequently...

The BBQ burger was one of the best I've ever had, and I'm a huge burger fan who has eaten them at all sorts of places. It was perfect cooked to medium rare with a nice crust, super juicy, excellent spicy-sweet sauce, very crispy deep fried shallots, nice thick cut bacon, good cheddar, nice and appropriately soft roll. It was all in perfect balance, where the sauce and toppings still let the meat shine, and where it had a spicy bite without being so much as to overwhelm the rest of the package.

The Copo Rosa drink was also very well made and presented, with good balance and froth.

The staff was very attentive and extra friendly, and the music was appropriately LA but not too loud with a nice overall vibe to the place despite it being a small space connected to a boutique...