Romanian Fare Hearty Cold-Weather Food

The 5200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard is one long row of auto dealerships. Though several restaurants cluster together on the east side of the street, it’s clearly a struggle for them to operate there--the most recent addition to the group occupies a space where at least six establishments have died over the last five years. But hey, this new place has an advantage: Dracula is one of the undead.

The count’s lair makes an attempt to summon images of the homeland of history’s most famous Romanian. The walls bear travel photos of snowbound castles and broad avenues bordered by neutral-looking cement-block edifices, and one very American “Rocky Horror Picture Show” movie poster. The overall effect of the room is rather neutral: a long, rectangular dining area with gray cloth banquettes that cry out for a good seamstress, blood-red tablecloths, paper place mats and rather harsh lighting.

Most of Dracula’s customers seem to be Romanians. They congregate toward the rear of the restaurant, and look, with their dark suits and cellular phones, the very picture of ‘90s businessmen from the former Soviet Bloc. In the evenings, there is usually live entertainment by a golden-throated Romanian singer, who wanders from table to table with a remote mike singing in Romanian, Italian, Hebrew and English. He even does the occasional Patsy Cline song.

In case you’ve never eaten Romanian food, expect an unabashedly Balkan mixture of Near Eastern and Central European affinities. The distinctive staple of the Romanian diet is the cornmeal mush called mamaliga, similar to but perhaps creamier than the more familiar polenta of northern Italy. It’s eaten with every meal, as a foil for sour cream and cheese or as a sponge to mop up the intensely meaty Romanian stews. I’d describe the food at Dracula as hearty, salty and on the heavy side, a style of cooking best enjoyed during the cold months.

Dracula offers only a few appetizers, and the two to try are icre and tarama. Icre is a version of the Balkan puree known as eggplant caviar; it’s a bit oily and doesn’t feature the penetratingly smoky flavors of eggplant that you may have tasted in other eggplant caviars. Tarama is two pink scoops of cod roe whipped with oil, rather like the Greek taramosalata. It’s satisfying enough when eaten with the good house French bread but saltier than it would be at a Greek restaurant.

Mom’s soup (ciorba in Romanian) is basically a thin broth with carrots, potatoes, green herbs and your choice of stewed beef or chicken. The only other appetizer of note is mamaliga cu bri^nza, which the menu describes as polenta with feta cheese and sour cream. It’s lighter than you’d think and delicious, but if mamaliga comes with your main dish, it’s more than a bit redundant. And remember, nearly all main dishes come with mamaliga, and a big portion of the stuff at that.

Tochitura Dobrogeana is a three-meat stew in a hearty tomato sauce; the name indicates that it comes from Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea that is divided between Romania and Bulgaria. The meats are pork, veal and beef, and the chunks are lean and tender, though powerfully salted. The stuffed cabbage (sarmale) is solid and dependable but lacks the smoky overtones of Serbian-style sarma or the rich sour cream and paprika blend found in the Hungarian version. I’d call it one of the milder-flavored stuffed cabbages of Central Europe.

Saramura is grilled carp cut into a huge steak and served in a salty broth. It’s just fine, but be warned that this is an extremely bony fish. Mititei is essentially three cylinders of charbroiled hamburger, absolutely unseasoned and totally uninteresting, paired with a few less-than-crisp fries. Dracula stew is chunks of well-done pork in a thin gravy in which an island of mamaliga has been submerged.

As at most restaurants these days, it seems, you can order tiramisu, but I’d pick the Romanian desserts here. Papanasi consists of two homemade doughnuts topped with sour cream and sour cherries, and I recommend it highly. Another good one is clatite, crepes rolled up with apricot jam and a touch of caramel sauce.

Accompanying them is the biggest cup of Turkish coffee you’ve ever seen. Got to stay awake in case the count comes calling.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Dracula.

* WHERE: 5254 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

* WHEN: Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

* HOW MUCH: Dinner for 2, $16-$24. Mom’s soup, $2.95; tarama caviar, $2.95; stuffed cabbage, $5.95; papanasi, $2.50. Beer and wine only.

* FYI: Street parking. MasterCard and Visa.

* CALL: (818) 981-9425.