At 15, good food and a social conscience

IN Echo Park, it’s not uncommon to find a young, well-heeled professional living next door to a family that sells corn and candy from shopping carts in the park. The narrative is so familiar that it came as no surprise when a humble pupuseria named La Paz transformed into an attractive New American bistro named 15.

Alex Eusebio, 15’s 33-year-old Dominican chef and co-owner, says that he and his partners Rick Huschitt and Toby Donnellyare trying to cater to the needs of all the neighborhood’s residents, not just the wealthier ones.

“We don’t want to rip people off,” says the self-effacing, curly-haired chef. “Five years ago, I’d get upset overpaying for a meal. As a chef, you know how much it costs. I feel like chefs have a responsibility to society.”

To that end, 15 offers a special three-course menu for $15. Called “$15 at 15,” the menu can be had daily between 5 and 6:30 p.m. Diners pick an appetizer such as tomato bisque or hand-picked herbs and field green salad, an entrée such as skirt steak over parsnip purée or seared salmon over fresh mango, and a dessert.

Huschitt, a former general manager of downtown venues the Palace and the Mayan, is Eusebio’s biggest booster: “He can give any chef in town a run for their money,” says Huschitt. “I think he’s giving his food away.”

When you consider that on the regular menu the same skirt steak and salmon each cost $17 (“The portions are supposed to be smaller, but they aren’t really,” says Eusebio, grinning slyly at Huschitt), Huschitt has a point.

Despite 15’s desire to fit into the neighborhood, the place sticks out on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue, next to House of Spirits Liquors and across the street from a bustling block where vendors hustle bacon-wrapped hot dogs, nopalitos and bags of cherries. Its exterior is painted a rich dark-fudge brown and the inside walls a muted sage. Polished wooden floors, tall-backed black leather chairs, a frosted-glass door and black-and-white photos of rock ‘n’ roll stars create a soothing impression of low-key class. A long bar stretches across the rear wall and there’s a hidden smoking patio out back.

Eusebio’s specialty is his braised short ribs served with earthy golden beets and mission figs. The sweet, smoky meat is tender and shreds effortlessly. The homemade olive tapenade that comes with fresh bread and welcomes you when you sit down is also addictive, with just the right amounts of garlic and olive oil.

To help keep costs down, Eusebio cooks six days a week and Huschitt works as a host/busboy/bartender/server. This down-to-earth attitude is reflected in Eusebio’s thoughts on his work.

“At the end of the day, any chef is a cook,” he says. “That’s your trade.” 1320 Echo Park Ave., (213) 481-0454; www.restaurant15.com