Hitting the Jackpot

Fusion cuisine may be a matter of course for a new upscale restaurant, but for small ethnic haunts like Bingo, it may be a necessity. This Glendale pizzeria has become many things to many people, probably in order to keep the doors open.

I first heard about Bingo as the best place in town for khachapuri, the hearth-baked cheese bread of the Republic of Georgia. Bingo is operated by Armenians, from right next door to Georgia, but this isn’t what a red-blooded Georgian would call khachapuri. It’s still something delicious.

The usual khachapuri is a bread with the texture of an Italian ciabatta baked with white cheese inside. At Bingo, they fill a rowboat of pizza dough with mozzarella and then, about five minutes before the thing is completely baked, break a raw egg smack in the middle of the cheese. There it remains, yolk intact, until cooked to the approximate consistency of an egg over easy. At $2.99 (for a small one), I call this khachapuri an affordable culinary tour de force.

There are plenty of other reasons to go to Bingo, and I’m not even talking about pizza. In front of the pizza oven is a tiny grill for making kebabs and a refrigerated case of Armenian side dishes like lobi (broad white beans in a garlicky tomato sauce) and delicious Russian-style eggplant stewed with onions and bell peppers.

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When you consider how small the place is (two tables), it’s a minor miracle that the three women who work there can make anything but pizza. A wall-mounted menu tells us that they also make fried shrimp, fried chicken, barbecued ribs and even lasagna to go along with the kebabs and pizzas. Believe me, even these American dishes acquit themselves well here.

But Bingo really shines as an Armenian restaurant, because the Armenian dishes have a real down-home flavor. Both the chicken kebab and the luleh kebab (skewers of ground meat) are beautifully marinated, flavorsome and tender.

The hummus is dense and creamy, the tabbouleh salad nicely flavored with chopped fresh mint. There is even a sandwich made with soujouk, a garlic-happy homemade Armenian sausage.

Obviously, Bingo is about as far from a date restaurant as there is, and in fact most of the business here is takeout. But for a quick bite that beats a burger, it’s as handy as can be.

Oh, I almost forgot. The pizzas. They’re hot and crusty, brimming with all the familiar toppings. And if fusion’s really your bag, ask them to crack an egg on top of one.

BE THERE

Bingo, 627 E. Colorado Blvd., Glendale. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Parking in lot. No alcohol. Cash only. Dinner for two, $9-$17. Suggested dishes, khachapuri, $2.99-$4.99; lobi, $1.50; luleh kebab, $4.99; chicken kebab, $4.99. Call (818) 552-2525.