Over a decade ago, former Westword food editor Mark Antonation began his food-writing career by eating his way up Federal Boulevard. Now, we're turning our attention to another vibrant culinary corridor.
The four-plus-mile stretch of Havana Street between Dartmouth and Sixth Avenue in Aurora is home to the most diverse array of international cuisine available in the metro area. From restaurants and markets to take-and-go shops and stands, food lovers of nearly any ethnicity or interest can find a place that will remind them of home or open new culinary doors. In Eat Up Havana, Antony Bruno will visit them all, one by one, week by week.
Previous stops:
- Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the Hot Pot)
- Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the BBQ)
- Pho 75
- Yong Gung
- Chopsticks A GoGo
- Angry Chicken
Originally, the L Cafe & Food Court was going to be a much different establishment than the one you’ll find today. Owner Lucy Zakaryan (the “L” in L Cafe) initially had more of a grab-and-go concept in mind, where customers could choose from a variety of pre-packaged meals and snacks, grab a coffee, and either enjoy it there or take it with them.
From a grab-and-go concept to counter-service restaurant, L Cafe/Mustard Grill keeps its welcoming vibe.
Antony Bruno
“That was my first mistake,” she says with a sheepish smile.
Soon, the existing signage and branding will all be removed and replaced with the restaurant’s new name: Mustard Grill.
But as unfortunate (and expensive) as that mistake may have been, it seems to have been the only one. The dishes that come out of the kitchen of this small, family run space are virtually error free with an obvious obsession with fresh ingredients and made-to-order fare.
Something Familiar, Something New
L Cafe/Mustard Grill bills itself as an Armenian restaurant. That’s a cuisine a bit hard to define given the long and complex history of the region. It would be easy to say Armenian food is a sort of mix between Turkish and Russian cuisine. But Zakaryan, who emigrated from Armenia to the U.S. 25 years ago, says those countries merely adopted traditionally Armenian food into their own after taking over what once was Armenian lands.“They say it’s Turkish, but it’s totally Armenian,” she says. “Many people still live over there, they change their last names, but they cook their own food. That’s why it stays all the same food.”
At L Cafe/Mustard Grill, this takes the form of dishes both familiar to those frequenting other Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurants as well as a few standouts more unique to the Armenian menu.
On the familiar end are the grilled items, specifically the kebabs (which would surely rank near the top if there’s ever a contest for best kebab in the Denver area). Organic beef. Richly spiced. Delightfully moist. The kebabs are served with just a simple accompaniment of raw white onions, cilantro, or if ordered as a plate (you should definitely order it as a plate) rice and an Armenian garden salad of crisp cucumbers and tomatoes covered in fresh herbs in a sour dressing for balance.
There are also lavash wraps (pronounced luh-VASH), which stuff chicken, steak, or pork into an Armenian flatbread with tomatoes, peppers, onions, pickles, and french fries along with a tart sauce. They’re as big as your head, and while your brain says “I’ll just eat half” your mouth ignores that noise and polishes it off with glee.
Other items perhaps less immediately familiar to non-Armenians include a yogurt-based mushroom and barley soup (known as spas, or tanabour), and a tomato and egg dish mixed with an air-dried cured meat called basturma which they make themselves with a paste of paprika, garlic, and other spices.
And since it’s a cafe, they of course offer coffee, which you can get in the American style, or go for the Armenian style that’s akin to espresso but much darker and bitter (the original way eschews the sugar). This comes out in long-handled warming pots that you pour into your mug in the traditional style.
Lavash wraps are the signature item here, with the wrap nearly stealing the scene from meat, vegetable and french fry filling.
Antony Bruno
Love the Lavash
But we need to talk more about this lavash bread. You may have seen it on other menus, although likely not the way they serve it here. The flatbread is incredibly thin, akin to a flour tortilla, but even thinner and without the lard. It’s soft, yet strong enough to hold the filling without breaking.They don’t make the lavash in-house because that would be nearly impossible without the proper equipment. The dough is just unleavened flour, water, and salt rolled paper thin and then slapped in an underground oven similar to an Indian tandoor. It bakes hot and fast, then it's removed from the oven and brushed with water to retain moisture and pliability.
True to her insistence on only the best ingredients, Zakaryan sources her lavash from a very specific spot in the Armenian enclave of Glendale in Los Angeles, sometimes driving the full distance herself to pick it up.
If the kebabs are what bring to you L Cafe/Mustard Grill, it’s the lavash that will have you coming back.
Armenia in Aurora
Since it opened in February, Zakaryan has run the place with her son Jon (in the kitchen) and his wife Milena (at the counter). Before opening the restaurant, she ran (and continues to run) Lucy’s Flowers And Design just a few doors down in the same shopping center.But after seeing the restaurants surrounding her flower shop draw customers to their Japanese and Korean cuisines, she wanted Armenian cuisine to be represented as well.
“I see everywhere these places are busy, and I want my country’s food too,” she says. “There’s none in Colorado. Maybe Mediterranean, but it’s a bit different. This is Armenian, and I want to have everybody trying that.”
L Cafe & Food Court (soon Mustard Grill) is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, at 1930 South Havana Street #12 in Aurora. Find more information at lcafe.food.
