Auntie Em’s Kitchenette moves, gets booze

Terri Wahl and Brandi Lozano Miller are moving their downtown kitchen. The two women opened Auntie Em’s Kitchenette in downtown Los Angeles in April, the southern outpost of Wahl’s popular Eagle Rock breakfast, lunch, catering and red velvet cake restaurant. Now they’re moving shop, closing the lofty space on 5th Street and reopening — all of one block west, in the space that’s been Two Bits Market at 210 W. 5th St.

“The new space is being demoed right now and is going to open back up this Sunday, July 5, for the farmers market,” emailed Wahl on Tuesday.

Why bother moving your entire restaurant just up the street? Because now they’ll have a liquor license. Also, Two Bits is already run by Lozano Miller, so it’s actually more like rearranging the furniture than anything else.

The new Auntie Em’s will also be right across the street from the Last Bookstore, so you can have your cake, eat it, read a book — and drink a craft cocktail or two.

Wahl says that she and Lozano Miller are partnering with Laura Ann Masura, the artisan jam maker behind Laura Ann’s Jams, to make jams and design the drinks menu. The breakfast and lunch menu will stay pretty much the same, but Wahl says that after 4 p.m., they’re starting a new “Kitchenette After Dark” menu.

Thus: smoked salmon terrine with handmade potato chips, deviled eggs with prosciutto and capers; and Reuben sliders, short rib sliders and slow-roasted pork sliders. And cocktails, including something they’re calling a Muy Caliente Maria, with Sino Jalapeño tequila, jalapeño, pico de gallo and lime; Strawberry Jamtini, with strawberry vanilla bean jam, vanilla vodka and strawberries; and a Meaty Mary, with house bacon-infused bourbon, and beef broth topped with bacon. If that’s too much for you, Wahl says they’ll also have local beer on tap and wine.

“We will be serving a separate farmers market brunch menu that will also feature her craft cocktails,” says Wahl. “So you can shop the farmers market with a buzz. Hahaha.”

Or pick up your weekend’s market groceries, then a novel or a cookbook at the Last Bookstore — which has a very good selection of new and used cookbooks — and settle in for an Irish cold brew or two.

Auntie Em’s Kitchenette: 210 W. 5th St., Los Angeles.

Because taking pictures of food is almost as much fun as eating it, on Instagram @latimesfood.