Pita Pocket

Mediterranean Kitchen is a consistently good little ethnic restaurant, but it’s easy to miss, hidden away as it is in a tiny commercial development right where Ventura Boulevard metamorphoses into Cahuenga.

Now, the word Mediterranean might make most of us around here think of France or Italy, rather than somewhere (north-)east of Suez. But owner Bahaa Hilal is Lebanese, and so is his menu.

The vegetarian section is most appealing. Take the mezze tray, an almost ridiculously opulent platter of heartily spiced dips and condiments, and the thickest, creamiest labneh (yogurt “cheese”) I’ve ever tasted.

The centerpiece is the garlicky hummus, flanked by a nicely smoky baba ghannouj (the eggplant roasted over coals before being given the same sesame tahineh flavoring as the hummus) and a winningly fresh tabbouleh salad.

Also on the plate are deep-fried cauliflower (zahra) in a rich tahineh sauce, olives, cucumbers, that great labneh and some falafel. (One night we asked for a couple of Hilal’s tender stuffed grape leaves, as well, and he graciously included them at no extra charge.) A stack of grilled pita bread comes on the side.

In short, this is one little place where I can be almost perfectly content without meat. Unless, that is, Hilal is grilling. In a restaurant as small as this one, the scent of kebabs on a charcoal brazier is almost impossible to resist, and I’m very likely to break down.

The best is probably the kafta kebab, two sizzling skewers of spiced ground beef fragrant with onion, served with a mound of perfectly cooked white rice. The lamb shish kebab has nice flavor, but mine was a wee bit tough.

You’re on safer ground ordering shish tawouk, a flame-broiled chicken kebab--big chunks of tender white meat with subtle overtones from a garlic, lemon and herb marinade.

There are one or two misfires. The lamb couscous is made with tender lamb shanks, a nice touch, but the couscous itself is smothered in a misbegotten tomato sauce that cloys after one or two bites. And the Lebanese gyro (shawarma), which is supposed to be made from meat sliced from a vertical brazier, is not the real article. Hilal cooks it on a flat metal grill, which will never give quite the same flavor.

Still, the Mediterranean’s eastern shore has gotten ever so much closer.

BE THERE

Mediterranean Kitchen, 3175 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Hollywood. Monday-Saturday, lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-9 p.m. Closed Sunday. Limited parking in lot. No alcohol. American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Dinner for two, $23-$37. Suggested dishes: mezze tray, $14.95; stuffed grape leaves, $6.25; shish tawouk, $9.95; kafta kebab, $8.95. Call (323) 878-2666.