The York
5018 York Avenue
Highland Park
Open seven days for dinner. Brunch on weekends.

With its exposed brick walls, stained concrete floor and 20’ft. ceilings, York, which opened last summer, has the feel of a stylish downtown loft and is tasteful addition to the new crop of bars, cafes and restaurants sprouting along York Avenue’s booming Eagle Rock to Figueroa corridor.
Though dominated by the bar that bi-sects its enormous industrial-chic space, York’s kitchen produces excellent quality and surprisingly diverse food choices, featuring dinner seven days a week and brunch on weekends.

Hanging above the booths and tables in the food service area are chalkboard menus. Waiter service is limited to food delivery: patrons order their meals at the bar, but follow-up service for condiments, soft-drink refills was attentive.
We tried the brunch menu first. Fish and chips came with a generous portion of deep fried cod, with a rich breading that set off the homemade tartar sauce and the malt vinegar, available on request.

A Chinese chicken salad arrived with a good selection of greens, grated carrots, julienned red and yellow peppers, studded with cashews and almonds mixed with nicely grilled chicken strips and dressed with a perfectly-balanced wasabi-ginger vinaigrette.
Other breakfast entries included omelettes (at $8), eggs Benedict ($11), scotch eggs, French toast and pancakes, all reasonably priced.
We arrived for dinner on a weekday night. For an establishment so geared to its drinking clientele, the dinner choices are unexpectedly varied and very well prepared. A pan-seared tilapia ($15) arrived atop a mound of steamed chard and shared the plate with lentils and a garnish of cherry tomatoes. A thick juicy cheddar burger ($12) came cooked perfectly medium rare as ordered, served on a toasted bun garnished with aoli, pickled onions and accompanied by a mound of hand-cut French fries, the potato skins crisped to perfection.

The wine list was respectable. A Dal Bello pinot grigio was available at $7.50 per glass ($23 for the bottle). A Moro Bay cabernet was offered at $8 per glass, $28 per bottle. Other selections ranged from the Campos Reales Tempranillo at $20 per bottle and a Chateau St. Michelle Ophelia for $28
For those who come mostly for liquid refreshment, an order of snacks featuring a deep dish each of warm olives, fried garbanzo beans and mixed nuts ($11) was enormous, enough for at least four persons. And drinkers can also order a side of the hand-cut fries for $3, a great accompaniment to the draught beer.

Draught beer selection was exotic: a Craftsman 1903 Lager, a Newcastle, Guinness, Boddingtons’s cider and a Peroni pilsner, all at $5 per glass.
A good range of premium tequilas, vodkas and single malt scotches were on display.
A large video projection screen dominates the bar area, but the volume was subdued so as not to interfere with conversation. Programming is eclectic: on a Sunday morning, a basketball game was in progress and on a weekday evening, Buster Keaton’s “The General” flickered above the room.
As a casual dining experience or as a warm and welcoming place to sip and talk, York is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
####