“Hi, I’m Don, and I’ll be your Navy veteran server.”
That’s not a greeting you’re likely to get at local restaurants, except for one: Long Beach’s Fourth & Olive. Owner Dan Tapia is also a veteran, he strives to hire veterans at his restaurant. He’s even helping to start a garden program so he can use vegetables grown by vets with post-traumatic stress disorder.
There’s only one sign of this dedication in the restaurant itself: a shrine-like table in a corner that is always set but never occupied, in honor of those who are missing in action. Otherwise, Fourth & Olive is just like any other Greater Los Angeles restaurant that specializes in the cuisine of Alsace, which is to say that Fourth & Olive is unlike any other Los Angeles restaurant; it alone serves the recipes of that French region on the borders of Switzerland and Germany.
Alsatian cuisine is hearty and unfussy, rich in varieties of sausage, smoked meats and pickles. The region also makes superb Riesling wines and malty lager beers. Not many Alsatians moved to the West Coast, so this cuisine is undeservedly obscure.
On my first visit it was happy hour and I zeroed in on two specials: housemade duck liver mousse and a bacon and leek tarte flambé, the Alsatian equivalent of pizza. Tarte flambés originated as a way of testing a woodfired oven to see if it was ready; bakers would slide in a sheet of very thin dough to see how quickly it turned brown. And as long as they were cooking dough, why not put something on top of it? In Alsace, where most people are bilingual, it is also called a flammkuchen, which means “flame cake.” But the crusts are nothing like a cake. Some are made with a flaky pastry, and others are a thin, crisp biscuit, like those found here. Either way, they’re a treat, and the ones here benefit from housemade apple-smoked bacon that has a slightly sweet character. Whatever else you try here, you should get a tarte flambé — among the ones available is one made with stinging nettle leaves, which is less weird than it sounds because the nettles taste a lot like spinach.
The duck mousse paired nicely with the tarte, as the richness of the meat spread was balanced by housemade pickled onions and cucumbers on a toasted whole grain baguette. Get these two at happy hour and you’ve spent about 18 bucks for a very good dinner. Of course, you might feel inclined to have some wine or beer; I enjoyed a very good pinot blanc and a glass of riesling and still left without spending much.
I went back for brunch a few days later with friends and tried a German pancake as a starter, followed by venison hash, house-pickled and smoked salmon and a spring bean cassoulet topped with a fried egg. The German pancake isn’t like any American variant; it is a cross between an omelet and a custard baked in a skillet. The pancakes have a crust at the edge with a fluffy, soft center and are a mildly sweet, decadent delight. Though it’s a bit light as a meal, one of these and a side of housemade sausage would be a great breakfast.
My companion ordered the venison hash after ascertaining that it was just what it claimed to be, since some places that list an exotic meat use pork or beef as filler. This was indeed a hash of deer, potatoes, onions and mild seasonings. The venison was not overshadowed by the other ingredients, which my companion appreciated. The lean meat can be tough unless cooked slow and moist, but it came out surprisingly well in this pan-fried preparation.
I ordered the vegan cassoulet with deep suspicion, since this slow-cooked bean dish is usually laden with pork sausage and trimmings. The meat was replaced with mushroom, eggplant and a rich vegetable-onion and bean liquor stock. While it was not an exact substitute for a traditional cassoulet, it was enjoyable on its own merits.
Those seeking a slightly lighter meal might prefer the salmon, which was smoked and pickled like Scandinavian gravlax and served on a baguette with housemade soft cheese and a topping of dill, sorrel and arugula leaves. This puts all the focus on the craftsmanship of this kitchen — how many other local places attempt anything approaching this? The skill is consummate, showing that the veteran in the kitchen deserves the title in more ways than one.
The restaurant was short-handed that morning but our server, Don, kept everything moving despite being almost alone on the floor. We didn’t get a chance to talk to him before we left and wanted to respond to his initial greeting, so here goes:
Hi from Richard and Janice, both offsprings of World War II Navy vets. Thank you for your service to the country and the good service you provided to us that morning. Both are deeply appreciated. Keep up the good work.
Fourth & Olive is at 743 E. Fourth Street in Long Beach. Beer and wine are served. Reservations are accepted.
Details: (562) 269-0731; 4thandolive.com