It’s only been six weekends as a pop-up at Vintage Wine + Eats in Studio City and the locals are already lining up on Ventura Boulevard for the fresh and colorful Swedish-style open-faced sandwiches from Smögen Appetizers that are a fish lover’s dream. These San Fernando halves rival any of the hipster bagel joints on the West Side.
Zach Werner’s unique concept offers an upscale spin on the traditional bagel and smoked fish offering in a cozy wine bar packed with families on the weekend that also features an internationally diverse champagne and wine list.
The Joint Venture (Courtesy Smögen Appetizers)
Made in the Tex Mex kitchen of El Tejano, the foundation of Werner’s naturally leavened sourdough is a bagel that undergoes a 25-hour process to create an airy and crispy anchor for the colorful toppings that reflect Werner’s Miami background and wife Monica Glass’ Colombian roots. Vintage Wine + Eats owner Joe Barker opens his wine bar to the Werners on weekends and provides them with the kitchen space at his restaurants, which include the Tipsy Cow and Thirsty Merchants, to create their permanent pop-up products.
The signature Smögen is a brilliant orange layer of Black Pearl smoked trout roe on plain cream cheese with fresh dill, that provides a luxurious but subtle burst in every bite. The Joint Venture is Smögen whitefish salad with the nearby Joint Seafood’s smoked dry-aged kanpachi collar on plain cream cheese topped with crunchy bright green wasabi-infused flying fish tobiko roe.
Zoey’s Poke (Courtesy Smögen Appetizers)
The pillowy salmon mousse soft scramble is topped with trout roe and chives, and Eleanor’s Heirloom is sort of a Jewish pan de tomate with grated heirloom tomato, olive oil, flaky salt and red pepper flakes. Zoey’s Poke is the exclusive creation of Werner’s daughter, with piles of purple ahi poke and scallion cream cheese on a furikake bagel. For anchovy lovers, there’s the Sicilian with tomate spread that pairs well with a salty white wine.
The concept gets its name from a fishing village in Sweden where Werner’s grandmother Eleanore came from. Her ancestors smoked fish for hundreds of years and brought that culture and technique with them when they immigrated to America, smoking trout in the cornfields of Iowa. Sunday mornings were spent with Eleanore telling stories in Miami Beach, where Werner grew up eating bagels and smoked fish from The Rascal House.
His career as a TV and film producer known for 48 Hours and Big Easy Justice brought him to the San Fernando Valley and got the attention of Barker over a little league baseball game and the love of smear.
Smögen Appetizers is open Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and also features wine and champagne pairings with its sommelier.
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