Revival Cafe Returns to Basic Values

The Revival Cafe, one block west of La Brea Avenue on Beverly Boulevard, strikes me as a truly post-’80s restaurant. Here, the decade of conspicuous consumption has clearly passed, leaving only a few stylistic flourishes glimmering in its wake.

The Revival’s walls, for example, have been rubbed with faded greens and golds to give a faux patina of age; the ceiling, however, is peeling for real. The tabletops are dark-stained plywood; the chairs are straight-backed, heavy. In place of art, there are wall sconces and framed mirrors, the latter heavy and antiqued.

My fat dictionary defines revival as reanimation, a renewed interest in life, in religion, a return to consciousness. The Revival Cafe, while it clearly bears the imprint of many ‘80s trends--the Italian-influenced food, the trendy coffeehouse manner--does seem a return to certain basic values: good light, good coffee, a place to hang out without being rushed.

On a chilly Sunday morning, the Revival Cafe is filling up fast, the clientele largely hip adults blinking in the sunlight, huddled over the paper, drinking from huge white tankards of coffee or big white cups of latte.

“I like it here,” says a friend of mine.

“For any particular reason?”

“There’s no music. I can hear myself think.”

The food is simple and often pretty good. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. There are a variety of three-egg frittatas, round Italian-style omelets that look like little pizzas. My pancetta frittata had chewy chunks of Italian bacon in the eggs, and a topping of melted mozzarella, roasted red peppers and goat cheese; the eggs themselves, however, were overcooked and dry, whereas a successful frittata should be moist and custardy within.

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In addition to the frittatas, there are an assortment of two-egg dishes. A pleasingly simple plate of food, eggs al olio , is baked in olive oil, topped with crumbled goat cheese and served with fresh Roma tomatoes and “angel bread”--a spongy, light focaccia that seems to be the house bread. Eggs mattina (morning)--Revival’s ham ‘n’ eggs plate--consists of two nicely poached eggs topped with Fontina cheese, sheets of thin-sliced applewood-smoked ham, chile-dusted potatoes and warm bread. The combination of the earthy potatoes and the sweet, smoky ham on this plate is definitely inspired.

There are also big bowls of steaming oatmeal topped with fresh fruit; fruit also comes topped with good nonfat yogurt and walnuts.

Lunch and dinner are composed of panini (sandwiches on angel bread), pizzas, salads, and a small number of nightly specials and soup. Within a few visits, one becomes aware that the menu is a handful of themes and variations based on the same few ingredients--the bread, Fontina, ham, pesto, goat cheese, chicken breast, grilled vegetables. The ham and cheese panino is applewood-smoked ham and Fontina cheese with pesto. Goat cheese and tomatoes reappear with fresh spinach and cucumbers on another panino . Peppers, goat cheese, eggplant and tender chunks of chicken top the Caravaggio pizza. The Le Rodin pizza has a bud-kicking combination of Fontina cheese and barbecue sauce.

The excellent Caesar salad is juicy and large. I also enjoyed the luscious Firenze salad, with arugula, blue cheese, apples, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and good mixed greens.

Soups come in large bowls only. The chicken gumbo was earthy and peppery but was eclipsed by a flavorful, cheesy, onion soup.

The Revival Cafe has a beguiling lack of sophistication, which, I suppose, is a nice way of saying that the service is not very good. In a town of overqualified waitpersons, it’s almost (but not quite) refreshing to meet waiters so grievously inexperienced that they don’t know to bring your salad before your entree, or a soup spoon with the soup. Once, my potatoes arrived 15 minutes after my eggs. Yikes!

The ‘80s promised fulfillment in the material realm; the ‘90s may have ushered in an age of diminished expectations. Cafe Revival may exist to prove that the simpler things in life--good coffee, a good place to chat, a decent, if limited menu--just ain’t all that bad.

Revival Cafe, 7149 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 930-1210. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No alcohol served, no credit cards. Cash or checks accepted. Dinner for two, food only , $20-$36.