Nina’s Foods Fundraiser at Angeli Caffe

A couple weeks back, Carina and I went to Angeli Caffe for lunch. She had the gnocchi which turned out to be an awesome choice. I had a rather boring sandwich and soup. The flavors were there but why didn’t I choose a risotto or pasta? Well, all I can say is I’m trying to go a little lighter for lunch.

We did have an amusing time locating the restaurant. I was convinced it was on Beverly, across from Milk (as it turned out, that’s Angelini) while Carina got to the right restaurant. After a few phone calls and texts, I landed at the right restaurant, Angeli.

Angeli Caffe

7274 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 936-9086

This past Sunday, Evan Kleinman, owner of Angeli and host of KCRW’s Good Food show, opened her restaurant for a fundraiser for Nina’s Foods. Nina won the Vendy Awards but lost her space some time ago on Breed Street. She’s temporarily renting a food truck and hoped to buy one. For a detailed history about Nina’s, check out StreetGourmetLA’s post.

We had an abundance of choices. I started with a strawberry agua fresca and split a pambamzo. It was a delightful choice. The potatoes weren’t greasy and quite fluffy.

I got to taste all the stuffings offered as either a quesadilla or sope. The tortilla for the quesadilla was quite thick. Ordering 6 for a table of three in addition to the other things we ordered was probably too much. But all for a good cause, right? My favorite was the mushroom.

Pictured is Nina’s famous salsa seco (salsa with nuts and seeds) which was available for purchase. It didn’t seem like it’d be spicy until I heaped it on everything.

If you missed the fundraiser and want to help out Nina, they are accepting donations via mail.

Nina’s Food
c/o Carl Berquist
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
2533 West 3rd Street, Suite 101, Los Angeles, California 90057