RESTAURANT REVIEW : Star Shake Rattles, Rolls in Israeli Fare

At Star Shake Cafe, a big, boisterous Israeli supper club, you dine in the immortal presence of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe--life-size, fully costumed replicas, that is--staring down from inside hermetically sealed glass cases. The walls are covered head to foot with movie posters and head shots of wannabe singers and actresses--just the type likely to wait on you. The Hollywood mystique doesn’t quite make sense in a restaurant that specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine, but you can just as easily dine on burgers and milkshakes in this restaurant.

The restaurant occupies the second story of a shopping mall and seems to have more space than it knows what to do with. Hard rock pounds away on the stereo system, but that’s about the only thing to disturb the silence if you come for an early dinner. Things don’t really begin jumping until around 10 p.m., when the place fills up with young hipsters who come for events like karaoke (Tuesdays), live reggae (Fridays) and a down-home blues band (Saturdays).

On weekends, the outdoor balcony is open, looking directly down onto Ventura Boulevard. During the week, you can content yourself at one of the particle-board tables or in one of the pink vinyl booths, mindlessly glancing at the silent overhead TVs or staring into a giant aquarium filled with tropical fish.

If you get restless, you can always head for the candy store just behind the hostess stand. My friend’s 6-year-old did just that during his French fries and came back with a plastic bag of Gummi Worms and his very own Star Shake T-shirt.

The best things to eat here are the dishes that are popular in Israel, although a variety of sandwiches, salads, pastas and pizzas provide you with lots of options. The combo platter is a magnificent, color-splashed palette of Middle Eastern appetizers: creamy hummus , the marinated eggplant spread known as mtabbal , vinegary pickled mushrooms, a chunky, cumin-spiked tomato chutney that the Israelis call Turkish salad and a spicy cucumber relish.

There is nothing like a good cigar--that is, that Moroccan-style cylinder of phyllo pastry stuffed with minced beef and lamb, deep-fried and served with hummus. The American-style appetizers don’t have nearly as much savor, though. The Buffalo wings drip with oil and Tabasco, and the mozzarella sticks are little more than breaded fingers of goo.

They serve French onion soup in a little soup cup with a cheesy crouton taking up most of the space. The broth underneath is apt to be tepid and bland. Their Caesar salad would get a better reception if you didn’t know if was supposed to be a Caesar. The greens are fresh enough; the creamy dressing is tasty, and there are plenty of crunchy croutons mixed in. Now if only we could taste egg, lemon, Worcestershire or even anchovy.

Pizzas are prepared in a wood-burning oven, but you could never tell by the flavor. Our pizza came smothered in gooey yellow cheese stuff that bubbled over the sides and tasted burnt to a frazzle on top. We couldn’t taste anything else.

The entrees don’t seem to suffer these indignities, especially the ones with those good Middle Eastern flavors. Shawarma is like the Greek gyro : layered, aromatically spiced lamb slices, cooked on a vertical spit and served with an Israeli cucumber salad and an oily rice pilaf. Good falafel come with hummus and sesame sauce. The roasted Cornish hen--a whole one--comes crisped, skinned and stuffed with a tangy rice mixture.

There are a few good grilled items, like the tender, nicely charred New York steak and the tiny lamb chops, five to an order. The meats come with a choice of surprisingly well-crafted sauces, like bearnaise and Dijonnaise, a smooth mustard sauce. I actually had the Cajun sauce on my lamb chops, and found it subtle and complex.

I can’t find anything good to say about these desserts, though. Pass on the pastry tray altogether; it’s an assortment of vapid mousses and cheesecakes unappetizingly spritzed with aerosol whipped cream. No one in my group had much success with the ice cream, either. One tried the vanilla and remarked that it had freezer burn. Dean and Monroe may live forever, but ice cream definitely has a shelf life.

Suggested dishes: combo platter, $7.95; cigars, $4.95; lamb chops, $13.95; roasted Cornish hen, $10.95.

Star Shake Cafe, 17167 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 981-1288. Dinner 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Full bar. Parking lot. American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted. Dinner for two, $20 to $40.