Mediterranean, with a host of influences
IF you luck out at Sassi, you can nab one of the grandly oversized booths whose curving shape is reminiscent of 1930s supper-club seating. But sink into the deep-red leatherette upholstery and you’re not at a Mocambo-style spot on Sunset Strip but instead in a Mediterranean glatt kosher restaurant hidden away in a Ventura Boulevard mini-mall.
It’s easy to miss the flash of its red and yellow sign as you drive by, but this comfortable Israeli restaurant must have great word of mouth. The butter-and-cream colored room is a slightly stagy rendition of an ancient stone building in decay, complete with trompe l’oeil “peeling plaster” revealing areas of faux masonry.
It’s rarely packed, but among the constant flow of diners there are always groups lingering over lunchtime coffee until 4 in the afternoon or people drifting in for dinner at quarter to 10.
And the place clearly does a huge catering and take-away business: There’s a steady stream of people exiting with bulging boxes. High turnover may be why the food is always pristinely fresh.
Most items on Sassi’s menu are Sephardic dishes of the Eastern Mediterranean. Unlike the Ashkenazi cooking developed by Northern European Jews, this is the cuisine of warm weather produce, of sun-drenched eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini, of olives and garlic -- and of pita bread and olive oil.
The Sephardi tradition of warm hospitality begins with complimentary appetizers that appear almost the moment you sit down. Three bowls hold North African-style salads: shredded carrots flecked with preserved lemon zest and vinaigrette-dressed red and green cabbage slaws sliced angel-hair fine.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, regulars come for the house specialty: couscous Tripolitanian style. The name is the Israeli way of denoting a Libyan influence, in this case on the dish and the owners’ heritage as well.
The couscous platter, mounded with dainty pinhead size grains sluiced with light broth, holds an extravaganza of diverse toppings: a braised potato stuffed with seasoned beef, a chicken drumstick and tarshi kar’ah, a spicy dollop of pumpkin-carrot-garlic puree. Garbanzo beans, various braised vegetables and a crown of msayer, North African-style pickled vegetables, round out the assortment.
Keeping kosher means Sassi closes Friday night and Saturday. And because it’s a meat and fish restaurant, no dairy foods cross the threshold.
You won’t miss them. The moussaka, for example, layers of eggplant slices and gently seasoned ground beef swathed in mellow tomato sauce, is a toothsome alternative to the bechamel and cheese-topped Greek version.
Sassi’s appetizers are in themselves a grand and satisfying picnic-style meal. The small salad plate, a combination suitable for two, includes the familiar trio of hummus, sesame tahini and baba ghanouj but also includes the outrageously delicious matbucha (also offered a la carte). This rough puree of simmered tomato, bell pepper and garlic is laced with long-cooked jalapeno slices with a mildly zingy heat that counters the puree’s sweet-savory richness.
Among the goodies on the hot appetizer plate, “Moroccan cigars” are perfumily seasoned meat slivers rolled in tissue-thin filo pastry. The platter also has fried kuba (kibbeh in Arabic), a slightly chewy walnut-size ball of pounded cracked wheat surrounding allspice-infused chopped meat.
Entree prices are hearteningly reasonable considering each comes with generous portions of your choice of two side dishes from a list of eight, including mujaddara, a gently seasoned rice and lentil pilaf, green beans stewed in garlicky tomato sauce or Sephardi-style braised green olives.
Fusion of flavors
DON’T be surprised at the Asian influence of some daily specials; Chinese, Thai and Japanese food are big in Israel. One evening our waiter enthusiastically suggested tuna seared rare with stir-fried vegetables seasoned with soy sauce, garlic and sesame. Another time the special was fish teriyaki.
Chicken escapes dullness here, transformed into wonderful dishes such as a light, crispy-coated schnitzel or a plump, gently roasted half-bird stuffed with rice and pine nuts and showered with mushrooms.
Don’t overlook the a la carte items. Chrime, a dish that’s nearly impossible to stop eating, is white fish or salmon (depending on the day) in a spicy tomato sauce with the tingly snap of cayenne. It makes a fine addition to a family-style meal or a dinner of meze.
Beware the sandwiches. Although they are grand, with voluptuous fillings such as crisp-edged roasted turkey shawarma, chicken shish kebab or deftly fried falafel balls, the kitchen stuffs French fries, hummus and tomato-cucumber salad into puffy Israeli-style pita shells. Let it be known if you prefer any of these ingredients on the side.
For dessert, I might opt for the baklava as I’m not a fan of the non-dairy whipped cream fillings in several other offerings.
Whether or not you keep kosher, the skillful consistency of the kitchen, its artistry with seasonings, the dependable freshness of its ingredients and the welcoming vibe are reason enough to seek out Sassi at the back of that nondescript mall.
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Sassi
Location: 15622 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 986-5345.
Price: Appetizers, $6 to $20 (combo); entrees, $13 to $25; sandwiches, $8 to $11; desserts, $6.
Best dishes: Matbucha salad (dip), stuffed chicken, moussaka, chrime, Tripolitanian couscous.
Details: Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturday. All major cards. Lot parking. Beer and kosher wine.