Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 12, 2013

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

9

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 12, 2013 


CAFÉ LUMAR, A CROATIAN OASIS IN MONROVIA

Recently I got an email from 
Dragica Grabovac inviting 
me to her restaurant, the 
Café LuMar in Monrovia. She 
insisted that my time would 
be well spent and my readers 
would appreciate something 
out of the ordinary, a Croatian 
Restaurant in our midst. This 
is the type of restaurant my 
dad made a stellar career on, 
tiny restaurants that you drive 
by a thousand and one times 
and never stop in. In fact, this 
place is across the street from 
one of my favorite spots, Big 
Shrimps. Dragica must have seen 
my autographed picture on the wall!

Daughter Lauren and I headed over to Café LuMar one recent early Thursday night. Pulling 
up in front and seeing no one inside always makes reviewers (and patrons) nervous -- 
where is the action? Keeping in mind this was just off the beaten path of the hustle and 
bustle of Old Town Monrovia, we were committed to do our share of supporting non-chain 
restaurants. Heck it beats the airfare to Croatia, doesn’t it? We walked in and the server said 
“sit anywhere”. We found out a bit later that is the theme of the restaurant, “sit anywhere”, 
and our server was Dragica’s sister.

For those not familiar (including me) it appears to be a mix of Eastern European and 
Mediterranean dishes. Before even scanning the menu, the Mediterranean salad ($9.25) 
caught my eye. Much like the Greek salad that I enjoyed daily on my recent trip to Greece, 
the only difference is it was served on a bed of romaine. I can certainly live with that. The 
tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, and feta cheese were all there. Quite impressed 
were dearest daughter and I. So simple to make, I thought, but very few restaurants can 
perform this task, and Café Lumar did! 

As guests started to arrive and seat themselves, and with only one server (capable) we had 
a chance to study the menu. Server Visnja returned and offered Croatian Beer or Wine. I 
declined tonight, 
but will be eager 
to try it next time. 
Since I had her 
attention, I asked 
why a Croatian 
restaurant? She 
explained that 
when Dragica 
and her husband 
Bosko would host 
dinner parties 
the guests would 
say “you need to 
open your own 
restaurant one 
day”. That was 
good enough 
explanation for 
me, but what 
to order? Lamb 
Shank is always a reliable friend. Shrimp Linguine, hmm maybe. Sama-sour cabbage leaves 
stuffed with ground meat and rice, sounds all good and authentic for sure, but I let Vicky 
decide and she came through with Goulash and Chicken Scallopini. 

Daughter and I shared and were both very happy. Daughter dearest asked for Baklava and 
got the stinkeye , but did two somersaults after having the freshly made Apple Cinnamon 
Crepe. The total meal was under $50, so if you are tired of the same ol same ol’, put Café 
Lumar on your radar, it just might be habit forming!!

Café LuMar 136 E. Colorado Blvd. Monrovia (626) 357-2184


EASY SHREDDED 
PORK

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard 

3 tablespoons kosher salt

2 (7 pound) pork shoulder roasts

4 (20 ounce) bottles barbeque sauce

DIRECTIONS

Mix the paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, dry mustard, and kosher salt together in a small bowl; 
spread evenly over the pork roasts. Refrigerate the seasoned roasts at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place pork roasts into a large roasting pan.

Bake the roasts in the preheated oven until pork is tender and shreds easily with 2 forks, 4 to 6 
hours.

Shred the pork and place into a large pot over medium heat. Mix the meat with the barbeque sauce. 
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.

Croatia

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com