Home cooking: At Larchmont Larder, a renovated bungalow serves up takeout

Katie Trevino and Michael Beglinger met the way many people do: Their children went to school together. They began talking about their dreams. She wanted to own a shop like those she knew as a child in Michigan -- where everyone knew one another and felt a sense of community. Beglinger, executive chef for Wolfgang Puck Catering in Los Angeles, wanted to leave the corporate world.

Four years later, the result is the Larchmont Larder, a mostly takeout shop that opened Dec. 15, just north of the Larchmont Village business district. "We do the hard part," and customers can finish the dishes at home, Beglinger said one afternoon at closing time, which in December was 3 p.m. In the new year, they plan to stay open until 7 p.m.

The menu, which Beglinger expects to change weekly, this week includes chicken cordon bleu ($16 a pound), a Swiss barley soup ($5.50 a pint) and tuna salad with red onion and lemon mayonnaise ($10 a pound). There are vegetable dishes, $8.50 to $13 a pound, including braised Savoy cabbage with bacon and onions, stir-fried Asian vegetables, and sauteed mixed mushrooms with shallots and herbs.

The Larder also has sandwiches, baked goods and oils, mustards and other prepared items. Located in a renovated bungalow, the Larchmont Larder has a few tables inside and out. Catering also is available.

Larchmont Larder, 626 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles 90004, (323) 962-9900. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo credit: Katie Trevino

Comments

[Sarah Picchi]

This place looks great. Thanks for sharing this.I think this is becoming more and more of a trend. My sister was telling me that in VT more and more caterers are starting to cater to working families and they will even drop meals off. Apparently the meals are nutritious, home-cooked meals that aren't too expensive. I would love to know of personal chefs in LA who make well-priced meals that they would deliver. Anything out there? The caterer my sister referred to in VT is called the Plumpest Peach. Would be great to know if there's anything in LA like this. (See URL: http://www.plumpest-peach.com/)