Mediterranean food is marvelous at this Reseda restaurant
I do believe that, eventually, my diet will winnow itself down to nothing but small plates.
If I could, I’d live on nothing but highly focused, deeply flavorful, but not overly challenging dishes. A 48-ounce ribeye is work, and lots of it. Hummus is easy as, well, pie. But lots healthier if it’s protein and fiber that you’ve come to worship as the dietary gods of the moment.
And I’m not alone. Take a look at the small dishes of the world, and you’ll find one cuisine after another, with a plethora of little bites. Consider the tapas of Spain, the antipasti of Italy, the banchan of Korea, the sozai and sushi of Japan, the zakuskis of Russia, the smorgasbord of Scandinavia, the pupu platters of Hawaii, the dim sum of China … and the mezze of the Middle East, where small plates have risen to a high art, and a mad pleasure.
There are numerous Middle Eastern restaurants where mezze dominates. Though few as totally as at Monaia Mediterranean Cuisine. While they offer kafta kabob, filet mignon, lamb chops and sundry shawarma, along with a bestiary of sandwiches, it’s the adoration of the small that brings me to this affably diminutive café in a Reseda mini-mall.
It doesn’t take much for the place to fill up. And fill up it does, with large groups confronting more small plates than seem possible for the kitchen to crank out. But then, 13 of the mezze are cold. And cold dishes, along with pita, emerge instantly. At which point, if you’re like me, you’ll fall into a small dish stupor, eating everything in sight, and craving yet more. A need satisfied with an additional hot mezze. Monaia (3 stars; 19642 Sherman Way, Reseda; 818-514-6204; www.monaiala.com) lists it under appetizers. (A small dish by any name, is still a small dish.)
Thoughtfully, the restaurant offers a number of pre-set mezze plates, allowing you to dive in without the bother of thought and consideration. Trust me: If it’s there, you’ll eat it. The vegan mezze platter runs to hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli, falafel and stuffed grape leaves.
The Monaia Meza Platter adds muhammara, cheese rolls, sambousek and fried kibbeh. There’s also a combination plate of the three raw beef dishes — called nayyeh; in this case, kibbeh nayyeh (raw meat mixed with kibbeh, onions and spices), kafta nayyeh (a mix of raw meat and parsley) and habra nayyeh (heavily spiced raw meat).
I love raw food — steak tartar, oysters, clams, sashimi, Ethiopian kitfo. Always have, despite warnings and tongue cluckings. Nayyeh is raw food lifted to a dazzling height.
And, as a small dish goes, it shines. I can delude myself, with ease, into believing it’s devoid of calories. It’s cooking that adds calories, right. No cooking … no obesity. Easy. Also … not true. But hope springs eternal.
And so does my passion for hummus, which at Monaia seems a bit thicker than others, and better spiced as well. The hummus here is also served with sautéed minced meat and pine nuts, giving it a texture shift that amazes. For spice, though, the muhammara is a real kick — roasted red peppers, chopped with walnuts, spiced and flavored further with olive oil. It’s a dish that dazzles with every bite.
As a committed yogurt-oholic, I also worship the labneh, the kefir cheese topped with olive oil, that has a yogurt tang that brings goodness with every bite. And for even more yogurt, there’s the fatteh — crispy pita topped with a layer of well-soured yogurt, garbanzo beans, toasted pine nuts and, if you want, sliced beef.
Garbanzo beans are a staple here, found as well in the balila, sautéed with olive oil, lemon and garlic. Fava beans are mashed with garlic and lemon juice in the foul. Cauliflower is deep-fried with tahini sauce. Mixed vegetables are both grilled and fried.
Fresh sardines are breaded and fried — a surprise to those of us who grew up believing sardines were born and raised in flat tins.
And for a dish that’s halfway between mezze and a main course, try any of the four pies, which look a bit like open-faced knishes, with a thick crust, well-browned, and an open interior of spinach and onion, cheese, zaatar spice, and ground beef with tomatoes and onions. The menu calls it lahm bi ajeen. I’ve long called it lahmajoun.
Order one with the falafel salad — crunchy and crunchy with crunchy. Follow the path of the mezze, and there’ll be room to spare.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Monaia Mediterranean Cuisine
- Rating: 3 stars
- Address: 19642 Sherman Way, Reseda
- Information: 818-514-6204; www.monaiala.com
- Cuisine: Casual, mini-mall Lebanese café, with wonderful mezze combinations, allowing for a meal of many delicious tastes, with pita bread as well.
- When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday
- Details: Soft drinks; reservations important
- Cost: About $30 per person
- On the menu: 13 Cold Mezze ($8-$17), 23 Hot Mezze ($6-$17), 3 Mezze Combinations ($19-$40), 5 Salads ($10-$13), 1 Soup ($8), 4 Savory Pies ($2), 11 Grilled Dishes ($13-$45), 5 Seafood Dishes ($22-$43), 11 Sandwiches ($11-$17), 5 Desserts ($2-$15)
- Credit cards: MC, V
- What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)