Larkin's Joint in Eagle Rock

Larkin's in Eagle Rock is a self-described "contemporary soul food joint." Its mac and cheese and fried chicken have won raves from Jonathan Gold in particular. It is located in a quiet converted house on a corner; I almost drove by it. Note that there is a small parking lot in the rear.

The night I was there, it was quiet at Larkin's, with only one other table occupied. I had the fried chicken, with red beans and rice and garlic mashed potatoes. ($15). The mac & cheese ($9) remains to be sampled another time.

The chicken was crunchy and had some good flavor but just didn't wow me the way the chicken does at Flossies, the Lazy Ox or Bastide do. Solid neighborhood spot with better service than you would expect in a casual neighborhood restaurant, but the fried chicken is certainly not pilgrimage worthy, let alone worth dealing with east side traffic on a weeknight.

The chef/owner of Larkin's recently opened a macaroni and cheese shop/cafe on West 8th Street in downtown Los Angeles, called Mac & Cheeza. I hope to check it out soon.

Larkin's is located at 1496 Colorado Blvd (@ Loleta Avenue) in Eagle Rock. Phone: (323) 254-0934. Website: www.larkinsjoint.com