The Antigua Cafe is part wine bar, part coffee and pastry shop, a little Guatemalan, a little Polish, and a wholly interesting dining experience
Look up “fusion restaurants in the South Bay” on the internet and you’ll get a snapshot of a scene dominated by hyphenated cuisines – Japanese-French, Korean-Chinese, Vietnamese-American, and the catchall term “Asian,” which means almost anything served over rice or noodles. A lot of the creativity in multicultural dining is indeed in items from across the Pacific, but by no means all of it. The most unusual fusion restaurant I’ve found in the area is inspired by two cuisines rarely, if ever, combined before: Guatemalan and Polish.
The Antigua Café is located in an alcove next to some much better known restaurants – it’s across the street from The Depot and shares an arcade with the Buffalo Fire Department, near the corner of Cabrillo and Torrance Boulevard. You may have walked within a few yards of the door without seeing it, as its entrance is in an alcove that is well-shielded by greenery. Once you do find it, the place looks like an upscale deli with a wine bar in the back, which is quite appropriate because that’s what it is. The deli case has a few cheeses, meats, and salads, and also serves as a display area for an impressive array of bottles of Northern European beer, with a few from Central America and Japan thrown in for good measure.
Your host is Gregory, who was born near Crakow – his wife, Yaneth, who hails from Antigua in the highlands of Guatemala, is in the kitchen. Gregory is cheerful and more than a bit chatty when the place is slow enough to allow him to talk with customers. We were sharing him with only one other table on our visit, so he had plenty of time to explain the menu, suggest wines, and tell a substantial portion of his life story.
Based on his suggestions we decided to start with a Guatemalan-style salad topped with grilled kielbasa, and I’m glad we did because doing so allowed me to type that sentence and imagine you imagining it. It was a remarkably good salad, made of lettuce, tomato, onion, black beans, and corn chips, topped with a mild but tangy cilantro jalapeno dressing. The kielbasa was totally unlike the standard supermarket kielbasa – those are a mix of finely ground beef and pork and have little flavor, while this was all pork and had the right blend of garlic, pepper, and herbs. My Polish grandmother used to make sausage for special occasions, and this tasted more like hers than almost anything I’ve found in California.
Gregory offered tastes of several wines, and we settled on a Gen 5 old vine Zinfandel and a delicate Pinot Noir and Cabernet blend from Pietra Santa. He knows his wines and loves to exchange ideas about how they go together, and we chatted and examined his stock while waiting for our next items. These were cups of soup, a butternut squash and a tomato soup with basil pesto. The tomato had a lot of vegetable sweetness and an uncomplicated basil flavor; my companion thought it tasted a bit too much like an old fashioned spaghetti sauce. I enjoyed it, but we both liked his squash soup better. It was slightly less sweet and darker in color than a typical squash soup, and had an undercurrent of flavor that we liked but couldn’t identify.
Next to arrive were bruschetta – they have a varied selection and offer any three for twelve dollars. This is a pretty good deal, as the big slices of baguette are cut on the bias and amply loaded with toppings. We chose one with barbecued pulled pork, one with roast beef, provolone, and garlic aioli, and the third with the Polish cabbage and mixed meat stew called bigos. Bigos, also known as hunter’s stew, consists of whatever meat is handy (traditionally game like venison or rabbit along with pork and sausage) slow-cooked with mushrooms, cabbage, and mild spices. There are many varieties, some piquant with sauerkraut, juniper, and caraway, others mild and using unfermented cabbage and mild spices. This one was mild but flavorful, with sweet and sour flavors of tomato and vinegar, and it made me wish it was available by the cup so I could have more.
The beef, provolone, and aioli tapa was also tasty, with what tasted like a hint of horseradish, and the pulled pork had a tangy, slightly sweet barbecue sauce that went down easily. I would have liked a bit more heat in that sauce, but it’s in line with Carolina and Georgia traditions.
The Guatemalan tamale was different from Mexican tamales, which are small and usually wrapped in cornhusks. The Guatemalan variety are steamed in banana leaves which impart a slight grassy and floral flavor. The one served here had soft, sweet, and creamy corn masa, but though it contained olives, roasted red peppers, and pork the flavors were muted. Guatemalan tamales are generally more mild than the Mexican variety, but I would have liked a bit more zip in the tamale or some of the spicy Central American cole slaw or radish salad that is usually served as an accompaniment.
We were there late and they had run out of all desserts except homemade pear tart or dessert wines. The tart sounded good, and it arrived topped with almonds and powdered sugar and had pretty drizzles of chocolate sauce and honey. It was a nice, light finish to a very good meal that ran $83.79 for a full meal for two with four glasses of wine. The Antigua Cafe defies categories – part wine bar, part coffee and pastry shop, part café, and it’s a one-of-a-kind place. It’s a little Guatemalan, a little Polish, and has a lot of quirky character – you may love it or hate it but should give it a chance.
**NOTE: Due to a death in the chef’s family, the Antigua Cafe will be closed until Tuesday, 3/31**
The Antigua Café is at 1231 Cabrillo Avenue #103 in Torrance. Open Tuesday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.. Underground parking, wheelchair access good, dog-friendly outdoor patio. Some vegetarian/vegan items, wine and beer served. Menu at antiguacafe.com, phone 310-320-2400.
