COUSCOUS IN A COZY PLACE THE EVER-IMPRESSIVE SIMON'S CAFE HAS SETTLED COMFORTABLY INTO SHERMAN OAKS.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic The story of Simon's Cafe in Sherman Oaks began when Simon Elmaleh started his professional cooking career at age 14 as a chef's helper at a Club Med Club Med (short for Club Méditerranée) is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in highly exotic locations. It is seen by many as having started the all-inclusive resort concept, which is now a popular vacationing style for in Israel. At 16 the native of Morocco had signed on as an assistant chef on a Zim liner and stayed with the Israeli shipping line for 16 years. He opened his first restaurant in Kobe, Japan. Emperor Hirohito's brother, a devotee of Elmaleh's Moroccan fare, was a regular customer. Unfortunately, the 1995 Kobe earthquake brought an end to the restaurant venture there. By 2000 Elmaleh, who speaks six languages fluently (Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic, also known as Darija, is the dialect spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco, as opposed to the official communications of government and other public bodies which use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries, while a mixture , Hebrew, Japanese, French, Spanish and English) was in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and a year later he had opened his Simon's Cafe in Encino. But he chose a difficult location and soon had to close. Now, relocated and firmly established in Sherman Oaks, Simon's Cafe has renewed spirit, the same experience in the kitchen and a growing clientele. Name: SIMON'S CAFE Address: 4515 Sepulveda Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Phone: (818) 783-6698. Hours: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, for dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly except Sunday. When we last reviewed: Aug. 13, 2001. How long in business: The present location was opened on Jan. 2, 2004. Menu/cuisine changes: At his original cafe in Encino, Elmaleh wasn't allowed to purvey pur·vey tr.v. pur·veyed, pur·vey·ing, pur·veys 1. To supply (food, for example); furnish. 2. To advertise or circulate. Middle Eastern food because there was already a Middle Eastern restaurant in the same shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into . Consequently, his menu there featured osso buco os·so bu·co n. pl. osso bu·cos An Italian dish consisting of braised veal shanks in white wine. [Italian ossobuco, marrowbone : osso, bone + buco, , Hungarian goulash, wienerschnitzel and other European dishes. Some of them show up today occasionally as daily specials, but chicken schnitzel schnit·zel n. A thin cutlet of veal, usually seasoned, that is dipped in batter and fried. [German, from Middle High German snitzel, diminutive of sniz, slice, from snitzen and skewered minced beef called ``brochettes de boeuf hache'' are still listed. Now he has hummus hum·mus also hum·us or hom·mos n. A smooth thick mixture of mashed chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice, and garlic, used especially as a dip for pita. , baba ba·ba n. A leavened rum cake, usually made with raisins. [French, from Polish, old woman.] Noun 1. gannoush and other Middle Eastern treats on his menu along with numerous Moroccan favorites. Decor/physical changes: The Encino Simon's seated 120, had a patio and charged almost double the rent of the cafe's present quarters. Here, the comfortable, no-frills, somewhat cozy dining room seating 50 has Venetian-style walls, Moroccan artwork and an attractive display of Elmaleh's kettles and teapots. Personnel changes: Still basically a mama-papa operation with Elmaleh prepping in the kitchen (with wife Harouyo) but more often found in the dining room taking orders and/or chatting up the customers. Eldest son Daniel, also a professional chef, helps out in the kitchen on busy nights and weekends. Recommendable dishes: The house specialty, couscous cous·cous n. 1. A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina. 2. A North African dish consisting of pasta steamed with a meat and vegetable stew. royale, flavored with the chef's own chicken-vegetable broth features his skewered lamb, skewered chicken and a trio of his house-produced, spicy Merguez Merguez /merˈgez/ is a red, spicy sausage from North Africa. It is also popular in France, Belgium and the German state of Saarland. sausages. This dish was named one of the best of the year by the Daily News in 2001. Moroccan-style, exotically seasoned lamb tagine - boosted with dry fruits, fresh apples and cinnamon - is a delightful casserole-type dish. Kebabs here (called brochettes) are all good, and the rosemary and garlic-flavored grilled chicken with Elmaleh's potato and vegetable accompaniment provides an enjoyable entree. Superior soups (harira, potato-apple and kabocha squash) and respectable salads (Israeli, couscous) fill out the starter possibilities. Service quality: Attentive. Could be stretched if dining room fills up suddenly. Pricing: Current menu has starters priced from $4 to $8, pastas and entrees from $10 to $19 and desserts $3 and $4 each. Interesting to see that some of the dishes are actually lower in price (due to the reduced rent) in this location than they were in the first restaurant four years ago. Wine list/service: No reliable list. Elmaleh says he is beginning to stock more Moroccan and Israeli wines. Yarden's 2003 meritage ($30) from Israel is a very pleasant red wine. Policies worth mentioning: If you like hot stuff, don't hesitate to ask for a small condiment serving of fiery red or mega-explosive green harissa ha·ris·sa n. A spicy North African sauce made from chili peppers, garlic, cumin, and other seasonings. [Arabic har , the Moroccan dipping sauce. Usually proffered at no extra charge. Miscellaneous comments: Simon's takes reservations, accepts all major credit cards and presents several $9 lunch specials (soup and salad, soup and pasta or soup and sandwich) with three options of each. Our latest ratings: food Three and one half stars: wine One and one half stars: service Two and one half stars. Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Simon Elmaleh, chef and owner of Simon's Cafe, brought his winning Mediterranean fare - including Moroccan Moist Lamb Tagine, below - to its current location in 2004. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion