Jazz with some rockin’ specialties

INDUSTRY Cafe & Jazz in Culver City is probably best described as a scruffy little jazz club with great food. But when the music’s not playing and the place is sparsely populated, the staff is so confident and friendly and the East African dishes (no matter when you drop in) so fresh and distinctive, it’s like stopping by a friendly household where there’s always something good cooking.

Our first visit is to check out the music. Why not? Music, a casual bite, wine and beer. No reservations, no cover, no worries. As it turns out, the music is terrific, and the East African-Eritrean vegetarian platter is great -- fresher, with a better variety of offerings and more deftly prepared than at any number of Ethiopian or Eritrean spots that dot the landscape along Venice or Washington boulevards west of Fairfax.

And though, as at other African restaurants, there’s often a social-club feel to the place as regulars gather around the bar and back tables, first-time visitors are warmly catered to.

That vegetarian platter is pretty straightforward, but delicious. Depending on your selections, sweet-pungent yatakilt alitcha (a cabbage-based vegetable combo), a delicate lentil puree and peppery collard greens are offered atop and served with injera, the spongy, sour crepe-and-plate-in-one of East African cooking. The combination of pungent-sour pancake and crisp-spicy vegetables or savory lentils is so great with beer that it’s hard to share the platter, though it’s intended to serve two. You can also order injera with stewed beef, lamb or chicken, but the vegetable version is better because the meats and poultry tend to be dry and less than tender.

There’s soul food on the menu, too, but it’s mostly a distraction: fried chicken or fish offered with sides. Salads and sandwiches are nothing special.

The best nonmusic time to go to Industry Cafe turns out to be breakfast. Oh, the things you can eat! East African fata is a revelation -- pita bread cut into triangles, lightly sauteed in ghee-like butter and bright, flavorful but not-too-hot ground chiles, drizzled with sour cream. The Eritrean version of chilaquiles or French toast, this is a wonderful meal. Or try the ful, a huge portion of stewed favas with a super-spicy sauce of fresh chiles, topped with a tangy feta-like cheese, chopped tomatoes and chopped onions. Served with pita, it’s superb, and as everyone’s grandpa probably says, it will put hair on your chest.

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Industry Cafe & Jazz

Location: 6039 Washington Blvd., Culver City; (310) 202-6633.

Price: Breakfast dishes, $4 to $6; lunch and dinner entrees, $7 to $9.

Best dishes: East African fata, vegetarian platter No. 2.

Details: Open 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, till 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Live music Wednesday through Sunday; no cover charge. Beer, wine. All major credit cards. Street parking.