El Caserío

El Caserío in East Hollywood feels like a family kitchen. And why wouldn’t it? Since 1989, owner William Velasco has kept his Ecuadorian-Italian eatery in the same location. But for the entire 23 years he’s been in business, everything else is pretty much the same, “Same menu, same wife…same everything,” says Velasco, with a demeanor that’s reminiscent of a distant relative.

Having lived in LA from ages 8 to 11, then back again when he turned 20, Velasco is a culinary gift from Quito, Ecuador, where grains, indigenous fruit and fresh fish and meats serve as plentiful staples for everyday cooking.

El Caserío nourishes faithful customers with dishes like ceviche, featuring Ecuadorian shrimp that’s blanched and shocked to perfection before immersed in a mild lemon sauce; Seco de Chiva—tender goat partly flavored with naranjilla, a perennial plant that grows only in Ecuador and Columbia; and Seco de Gallina—hearty chicken that falls off the bone in an invigorating purée of beer, fresh tomatoes, onions, pepper and cilantro.

Velasco sat down with some highschool pals and me, having prepared dishes for a grateful clan that included Steve Cunningham of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center (who introduced me to the place) and Brian Olea of the Playboy Mansion.

What makes your cuisine distinct?

I learned my cooking through my ancestors. My maternal grandmother came from Columbia where she used to cook at the Peruvian embassy. My other grandmother grew up in Ecuador and was a great cook. The secret from my mom was that it takes time to cook something delicious. You have to let the process, the flavor, develop.

How else did your childhood influence your cooking?

As a child, I would go back and forth from South America to here. When I lived here, I lived with my uncle. My father had a condiments factory in South America. We imported spices from all over the world, wind milled them and presented them differently. So I grew up among flavors and spices.

Why Italian food?

I love Italian food because of the presence of the ingredients. I used to be a waiter at an Italian restaurant in West LA. When I opened El Caserío, I took one of the chefs with me, Armando Rajui. He is from Genoa, Northern Italy.

What dishes represent your family?

We serve a soup at the beginning of Lent called “Fanesca.” The last day we serve it is on Good Friday. It’s an Ecuadorian tradition and has a lot of ingredients. It’s made with cod and 12 different types of beans—one for each Apostle. Fanesca is a family tradition because I used make it with my mother. She passed away 2 years ago. Now, my brother and sister help me make it.

You’ve opened a new restaurant as well, a dream of yours and your mother.

Yes, I have a special table dedicated in her honor. It’s down the street and is called El Caserío Silverlake. It’s South American and has a different menu than here. We also serve alcohol drinks using the South American fruit juices we serve here—naranjilla, mora, guanabana, maracuya and quaker.

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El Caserío - $$$

309 N. Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles, 90004

213-664-9266

Contemporary Ecuadorian-Italian Cuisine, beer and wine