Amy ScattergoodThe reopening of Butter Tart in Glassell Park has been pushed back to mid-January, as chef-owner Andre Guerrero (The Oinkster, Marché , BoHo) fine-tunes his new bakery/restaurant.
For Guerrero, fine-tuning in not simply figuring out which coffee to buy (Intelligentsia) or tweaking his granola recipe, although he's done both in the last few weeks. Fine-tuning means installing a hand-built 2 group Syneso espresso machine. And ordering grinders and water heaters for the coffee brew bar. And installing a water purifier for both the brewers and the breads. And bringing in a sous-vide machine for his bacon confit. Oh, and working with longtime pastry chef Jan Purdy on the monkey bread and country boules and pastries that they'll have on the menu.
Guerrero says that at first they'll be open for breakfast and lunch, and will add dinner in the future. Look for dishes like Anson Mills grits with bacon confit and poached eggs; and vanilla-fig yogurt with housemade granola, plus sandwiches and pastries. As for the dinner menu, Guerrero is still playing around, even thinking of Indian food. “We're going to be doing some crazy stuff. I'm planning my retirement, which means I'll only be working 40 hours a week.”
Guerrero grew up in the neighborhood near the bakery. In fact, you can see a fruit tree on Guerrero's sister's property from the front door. Butter Tart was previously owned by Karena Higgins and was a bakery by the same name. “Butter Tart's a Canadian thing,” says Guerrero, who loved the name, so he kept it. Maybe because he's retiring, if you can call opening a fourth restaurant retirement, Guerrero is planning on putting in a small garden in the back of the bakery. Maybe some fresh herbs and vegetables to pair with all that bacon confit.
Butter Tart: 4126 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles.
Butter Tart bakery; Credit: A. Scattergood
Butter Tart bakery; Credit: A. Scattergood
Butter Tart bakery; Credit: A. Scattergood
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