Lamb Kebab, Elena's Greek-Armenian Cuisine
For dineLA.com
For millennia, spring has been synonymous with lamb, an animal that was just as celebrated in Biblical times as it is now. Here’s a round-up of LA's top lamb dishes, spanning different cuisines, parts of the city and price points.
Glendale is more than just The Americana and car dealerships, as evidenced by restaurants like Elena’s. The family-run Greek-Armenian restaurant has been a Glendale staple since 1976, when the matriarch (Elena) and her husband opened in a residential area. Most customers come for kebabs, and inevitably, juicy chunks of lamb, stained red with a mysterious marinade and singed until smoky by grilling over wood-lined coals.Elena’s Greek Armenian Cuisine, 1000 S. Glendale Ave, Glendale, 818.241.5730, www.elenasgreek.com
The breakout star of downtown’s pan-Latin scene is undoubtedly Rivera, where chef John Rivera Sedlar blends ancient and contemporary influences, often on the same plate. The New Mexico native has taken a circuitous path to South Park, including some time in Spain, which no doubt inspired Rivera’s cordero Vasco. Rivera’s Basque lamb chops appear with a tangy mix of chorizo, piquillo peppers, olives and capers. Sedlar playfully sifts spices onto the plate with stencils. Allspice appears as a set of seductive eyes, drawing diners to the lamb.Rivera, 1050 S. Flower St, Los Angeles, 213.749.1460, www.riverarestaurant.com
Reseda Boulevard is a veritable United Nations of eating options, and It’s All Good would be a fitting delegate for Persia. Medhi Ghasemil hails from Isfahan, Iran, and knows his way around a kabab grill, but it’s his weekend-only lamb biryani that warrants a special trip. A dome of ground meat is coated with cinnamon and encased in buttery pull-apart wheat flatbread.It’s All Good House of Kabab, 6800 Reseda Blvd, Reseda, 818.757.7702
After the buzz dies down, customers are bound to look for substance, and that’s just what chef Tony DiSalvo added to The Viceroy’s indoor-outdoor restaurant when he arrived in 2009. The CIA grad is applying classic French technique to the season’s best ingredients. For example, he sears cumin-dusted Colorado lamb loin medallions, making sure to keep the core nice and rosy. On the side, look for a Mediterranean thatch of baby artichokes, Marcona almonds, Castelvetrano olives, mint, pill shaped goat cheese and shaved orange slices.Whist, 1819 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, 310.260.7500, www.viceroysantamonica.com
The rarely seen cuisine of China’s western provinces is showcased at this Rosemead institution, which specializes in meat butchered in accordance with Halal practices. A steaming “warm pot” contains bubbling brown liquid, tender bone-on chunks of lamb, creamy rectangles of tofu, bok choy and flat glass noodles and topped with cilantro. Still, it’s the slightly gamy flavor of the lamb that shines through and permeates the broth.China Islamic, 7727 E. Garvey Ave, Rosemead, 626.288.4246, www.chinaislamic.com
On Koreatown’s western fringe, Feng Mao specializes in the cuisine of China’s Jilin Province, which borders Korea. The signature dish is spice-crusted mutton, gamy old lamb that’s grilled tabletop, over charcoal. Spice-crusted chunks of lamb are layered with fat, which keeps the meat moist over high heat. It’s a delicate dance as your waitress shifts metal skewers from the bottom to the top rack and back again to ensure optimum cooking. If the mix of cumin, sesame and chile powder that coats the mutton isn’t intense enough for you, the table holds a dish of ground cumin.Feng Mao, 3901 W. Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, 323.935.1099
Genet Agonafer bills her restaurant as “The only authentic gourmet Ethiopian restaurant in Los Angeles,” and it’s no wonder considering all her sun-dried spices are imported from her homeland. The Kebena native bombards palates with flavor bombs like Hirutye's Yebegsiga Alitcha - tender chunks of lamb shank stewed with garlic, ginger and “other spices.” The juicy nubs of bony sheep meat are of course served with injera, sour, crepe-like bread made from a grain called tiff that subs for utensils.Meals by Genet, 1053 S. Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, 323.938.9304, www.mealsbygenet.com
No lamb round-up would be complete without a heaping plate of barbacoa, slow-cooked Mexican lamb. This takes us to My Taco, a family-run restaurant in a subsection of Highland Park called Garvanza where Maria Garduño and her family have built a loyal following since 1994. Barbacoa de Borrego is traditionally steamed overnight in aromatic maguey leaves. At My Taco, spice-soaked lamb is griddled until crusty, then formed into DIY tacos with raw onion, cilantro, mild Yahualica salsa and fresh-pressed corn tortillas. Dip your creation in a murky cup of goat consommé for added moisture. My Taco, 6300 York Blvd, Highland Park, 323.256.2698
