Little Tokyo's Euro Twist
By Eric Steinman


Little Tokyo's Euro Twist

Cafe culture just doesn't come naturally to Los Angeles. Far too often, local cafes either try too hard to approximate European style or they miss the boat entirely. This is why stumbling upon Cafe Metropol was such a pleasant surprise. While it hardly feels like Prague, Paris or Padua, this cafe has enough casual charm and culinary variety that you don't need the fabricated appeal of a European-styled eatery to justify whiling away the hours.

Cafe Metropol, on the eastern edge of Little Tokyo within shouting distance of the new Southern California Institute of Architecture campus, inhabits a large brick-lined loft space at the base of a revitalized industrial building. There are no cafe tables littering the street, nor are there any cigarette smoking bohemians lingering over cold cups of coffee; instead there is a light and spacious two-part dining area. The walls are adorned with unassuming photography and art (with new shows every few weeks), and the general feel is bustling but hardly hectic.

Owners Angie An and Guido Ganschow were inspired to open Metropol after noting the lack of quality cafes in the area. Now going on their fourth year in business, the establishment specializes in casual breakfast and lunch fare, offering everything from salads to baked goods. While you could pick up the ubiquitous bagel and cream cheese with a latte and be on your way, I would advise taking a bit more time to have a quality sit-down meal.

The pride of the menu are the panini (grilled sandwiches on a baguette). The ham and cheese panini ($7) comes with a side salad of organic greens on a signature triangular plate and is simple and tasty. Made with Jarlsberg cheese and black forest ham, it's flavorful without being greasy. In addition, Metropol makes an assortment of breakfast panini ranging from egg and cheese to that old Euro favorite, Nutella.

Salads also comprise a large part of the menu. The sesame ginger chicken salad ($8.50) is a simple affair, with grilled strips of marinated chicken resting atop a large bed of organic greens. The focal point is the chicken, nicely marinated with citrus and herbs, but the ginger dressing was a bit too sweet and tended to weigh down the salad. The grilled salmon sandwich ($10), served on a crunchy Ciabatta roll, is loaded with cucumbers, red onions, Roma tomatoes and a fine cut of salmon, which is well accented by a mild creamed horseradish.

Pizza and Coffee

Metropol has an impressive selection of pizzas prepared in traditional Italian style with a thin crust (no Hawaiian pizza here). The prosciutto pizza ($10.50) is topped with thin strips of sweet prosciutto and covered liberally with mozzarella, parmesan and shreds of basil. Although the basil and prosciutto complemented each other well, the parmesan left the meal a tad bit salty.

Metropol also cranks out a few vegetarian pizza options, including a funghi (mushrooms), and a margherita (tomato and mozzarella).

The owners of Cafe Metropol pride themselves on the fact that their ingredients and distributors are top notch. Their bread comes from La Brea Bakery, the pizza dough from Italy, the meats are imported from Europe and the coffee is Danesi. Which leads to one of the finer points of Cafe Metropol--the cappuccino. If you find yourself with the opportunity, be certain to enjoy the wonderfully strong drinks, which can be accompanied by one of the many tarts they serve.