"Elf Cafe in Echo Park has a Turkish, Lebanese, and Italian-influenced menu that’s vegetarian-friendly and sticks to the “whole foods” mantra: roasted carrots in a garlicky herb sauce, meatless tagine, warm hummus with a baguette for smearing, and non-fried proteins, like juicy lamb shish kebab that hit the table steaming hot. Perhaps eating “whole foods” doesn’t sound very sexy on paper, but the food here is delicious, comes out quickly, and it all takes place in a tiny, low-lit space we wish we could call our neighborhood spot." - sylvio martins, brant cox