Simple Cafe Makes the Most of Latin Selections

To the casual passerby, downtown Glendale’s oddly named Lerma 76 Cafe looks like a simple coffee bar equipped with five tables, a cash register and a pastry case. Behind the case stands a crowd of French-style filter coffeepots and a juice dispenser, which is always empty.

The only real clue that this is a place to eat Latin American food comes from the cafe’s pleasing aesthetic. The walls are painted a soft, relaxing shade of green. Books on Mexican subjects (such as Frida Kahlo) and eye-catching Mexican crafts are displayed for sale in two floor-to-ceiling cabinets in the back.

A bright Diego Rivera-inspired mural depicting a bustling Mexican town square brightens up the wall behind the counter.

At first, you’ll probably be struck by the simplicity of this place; then scents from the kitchen will begin to beguile the senses. By the time you’re seated at one of the rough-grained wooden tables, the signals should be crystal clear: Quite a variety of fresh-tasting dishes are simmering nearby.

Even though the cafe’s name refers to an address in Mexico City, the food it serves is billed as Latin. That makes it possible to start a lunch here with sensational homemade empanadas. These Argentine-style turnovers, made from corn and wheat flour, have savory fillings such as spiced shredded chicken, corn with minced beef or a mousse-like spinach and cheese concoction.

The menu is tiny, but all the dishes uses first-rate ingredients and are remarkably well executed. The tortilla soup might just be the best I’ve ever tasted.

Order it by the cup unless you’re really hungry or want to share it with a couple of friends; a whole bowl is a giant earthenware crock full of chicken broth and pureed tomatillos, garnished with avocado wedges, crumbled cotija cheese, serrano peppers, cilantro, chopped onions and tortilla strips (red, blue and yellow ones).

Torta de aguacate (grilled avocado sandwich) is another wonderful dish. Imagine two slices of grilled egg bread encasing avocado, fresh tomato, melted cheese and a spicy mayonnaise.

Sandwich serrano features ham locally cured in the style of the famous Spanish jamon serrano. This is also a grilled sandwich, made with two-toned pumpernickel rye, and along with the flavorful ham it contains smoked mozzarella, Dijon mustard and cracked pepper. The sweet, wood-burnished scent of the meat makes the sandwich a ham lover’s dream. My table unanimously voted to order seconds.

Most of the dishes are garnished with mixed field greens sprinkled with imported Parmesan and a light lemon vinaigrette. The Lerma chicken salad, on the other hand, is greens, diced grilled chicken, feta cheese, red and yellow peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and green olives--a complete meal, even without the little slices of grilled bread that come along for good measure.

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The dense homemade tamales, soft masa cylinders come with a choice of three fillings, chicken, spicy chicken and vegetarian. Two of the heavier dishes on this menu are torta rustica and torta pasta.

The former is a compact rectangle of double-crusted pastry layered with shredded chicken, roasted peppers, spinach and cheese. Torta pasta is a baked lasagna wannabe consisting of spinach, tomatoes, cheese and a mishmash of assorted pastas, cut into a tummy-busting square for serving.

Lerma 76 wears its espresso-bar hat in style, too. There are fine coffee drinks and good homemade pastries for extending a leisurely lunch. The house-blend filter coffee is rich, dark and penetrating, and at its price ($1.10) the best pot of coffee in town.

Complementing that are espresso drinks, plus a fine mocca freeze, a blended ice concoction dribbled with chocolate syrup and topped with real whipped cream.

Pastries include muffin tops (cappuccino, chocolate raspberry, hazelnut), melt-in-the-mouth lemon bars and large chocolate chip cookies with crunchy edges and chewy centers. If none of them sates you, someone in the back will squeeze apple, carrot or watermelon juice.

Try one. They’re refreshing in the extreme, and will beat anything out of a dispenser by a country mile.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Lerma 76 Cafe.

* WHERE: 112 E. Wilson Ave., Glendale.

* WHEN: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.

* HOW MUCH: Lunch for two, $12-$19. Suggested dishes: empanadas, $3.95; tortilla soup $2.95 (cup)/$4.95 (bowl); sandwich serrano, $5.95; Lerma chicken salad, $5.95. No alcohol.

* FYI: Two hours validated parking in The Exchange. American Express, MasterCard and Visa.

* CALL: (818) 507-8584.