RESTAURANT REVIEW : Tiberias Offers Israeli Dishes to Remember

I believe I was about 10 when I first heard of Tiberias, a town at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. If memory serves, it was at an afternoon matinee showing of “King of Kings,” starring Jeffrey Hunter.

I won’t have to strain to remember the name anymore, though. Tiberias also happens to be the name of a glatt kosher restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Encino, where you can eat specialty dishes from Israel and most of the Middle East.

The force behind this particular Tiberias is Shula Amrani, a robust-looking woman rarely seen out of her splattered, battle-scarred apron. Amrani is chef and materfamilias of this restaurant, a family affair if there ever was one.

Jacob, her husband, handles the business end and their daughter-in-law, an American who speaks fluent Hebrew, serves the food. It’s certainly a modest enough place, one more of those small, boxy boulevard restaurants with white walls, bright lights and simple furnishings.

But Amrani’s food is anything but modest; she devises subtle, delicate interpretations of dishes that can be downright heavy in the hands of smaller talents. The fact that her father immigrated to Tiberias from Morocco may explain occasional whiffs of aromatic spices.

The proceedings begin with a few complimentary garnishes and, believe me, you will be tempted to make a meal of them. Amrani’s dark, almost smoky-looking homemade pickles--briny, crisp slices eaten out of a bowl--are addictive, and her pinkish pickled turnips, with their mild, slightly bitter aftertaste, balance the salty sourness of the cucumbers skillfully.

Then the Turkish salad arrives: tomatoes and green peppers minced with cumin and olive oil into a semi-sweet, dark-red paste, and you had better be ready. If you don’t dive right in, Amrani might come out of the kitchen, as she did with us one afternoon, and say, “What, you aren’t hungry?”

We certainly are, Madame. Who could resist these appetizers? What she calls Moroccan cigars are pencil-thin cylinders of rolled-up phyllo dough, filled with a light meat mixture. At Tiberias, they come four to an order, angling up out of a mound of the smoothest tahina (sesame paste) I have tasted in years.

Kube, as this menu spells the croquettes more usually called kibbeh in Near Eastern restaurants, have a fried crust made from bulgur wheat and a stuffing with or without meat. The vegetarian version is eccentric. It’s on the crumbly side, with a wannabe duxelles of mushrooms and pine nuts inside.

Amrani’s fried eggplant salad reminds you of the borani you find at Persian restaurants, minus the yogurt. It’s mashed fried eggplant simply flavored with olive oil and lemon.

Soups, though, are the real stars at Tiberias. In Amrani’s kettle, the Eastern European Jewish classic matzo ball soup becomes an epiphany. This has to be the lightest matzo ball I know of, in a sweet broth fragrant with a very non-Ashkenazi heap of fresh dill. A sleeper the menu lists as bean soup with meat is another excellent, rather more hearty soup.

If you want an authentic Israeli favorite, call in advance and ask her to cook up a potful of Yemen soup. The original recipe, brought to Israel by Yemenite Jews, calls for stewed meat, vegetables and beans simmered in an aromatic broth flavored with cinnamon and cardamom. I had a towering version once at a truck stop in Israel, and Amrani’s tastes every bit as good.

The entrees are almost an afterthought, although some of them can be quite good. One that qualifies is the delicious vegetarian combination plate loaded up with stuffed grape leaves, stuffed, dry-braised zucchini and magadera , a rice and lentil pilaf.

Eastern Europe surfaces in dishes such as brisket, stuffed chicken and even schnitzel, not substantially different from the journeyman recipes a Yiddishe grandmother would prepare. The house goulash, for example, bears no resemblance to its Hungarian namesake. Rather, it’s a plate full of braised beef, extra well-done, served in soft, rather dry cubes.

Because Tiberias is strictly kosher and serves meat dishes, no dairy products of any sort are permitted. Incidentally, the restaurant serves beer and wine, but they too must be kosher. I find the light Israeli lager Maccabee goes down easier than the earthy Israeli wines, most of them from the Carmel firm.

Do try to save room for dessert. The homemade mamoul are excellent, shortbread-style cookies dusted with powdered sugar and filled with either dates or walnuts, and Amrani bakes up rich cakes made with apples and walnuts daily. A cup of grainy Turkish coffee is the chosen way to end a meal here. Ask for yours with hel (cardamom), Bedouin-fashion, and you can almost smell the desert breeze.

Ready for my scene now, Mr. De Mille.

Suggested dishes: cigars, $2.95; matzo ball soup, $3.25; Yemen soup, $3.75; combination plate, $8.25; homemade cookies, $1.50.

Tiberias, 18046 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 343-3705. Lunch and dinner 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturdays. Beer and wine only. Parking lot in rear. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two, $20 to $35.