Alchemist in the Kitchen at New Harissa Restaurant

(Darien Morea, photos by Gerry Furth-Sides) Got Kosher? Cafe, for nine years a well-known strictly Kosher cafe in the Pico/Doheny corridor, is rebranding itself with a new name – Harissa Restaurant.  Owner/alchemist Alain Cohen wants his Westside neighborhood and beyond to come experience the expansion of the menu towards the cooking of his native Tunisia, via his upbringing in Paris, where he worked in his family’s landmark restaurant since the age of nine.

The foods I tasted were a delight, demonstrating artfulness yet managing to follow the laws of Kashrut as well, not an easy task for those in the know.  His restaurant’s cooking is sophisticated, inventive, playful, enlightened and an altogether ethereal way to spend an afternoon or evening.  Really, this is one of the best restaurants in all of Los Angeles, and priced more as a bistro than with the stars it well-earns. 

To begin with, Chef Alain has put together a large International wine list of Kosher wines, suitable to be served to observant persons (mevushal).   Mevushal wine is frequently used in kosher restaurants and by kosher caterers because it allows the wine to be handled by non-Jewish or non-observant waiters.

A chilled, crisp Rose’ from Provence was delightful and the perfect accompaniment to our appetizers.

The Homemade Charcuterie Board emulating Italian styles of Prosciutto and Genoa Salami, uses Kosher beef instead – a process that takes the restaurant at least 4-5 months for each iteration; Chicken Liver pate’ in the French style and Chicken Liver Pate’ with Cognac, which I particularly liked; Cornichon pickles and Home-marinated Tunisian green and black olives with Lemon and Herbs.

After the meats, we enjoyed a  “Tunisian Street Eats” Sampler, including fried avocado egg rolls cut on the diagonal; Tunisian Brik with the traditional fried egg inside – sort of crepelike; and Fried Tunisian Beef Cigar, also cut on the diagonal.

Next, a “Sea Food Plate” with home-cured salmon gravlax with boukha & dill, a slice of salmon mousse, bottarga (pressed cod roe), more roe in the form of Tunisian Taramasalata (spread on toasted crostini it was superb) and a delectable whitefish salad.

The new Harissa Burger mixes ground beef with their mild-spice Harissa paste (they offer two homemade Harissas at table as condiments, and the other is hotter), and includes Harissa Mayo, lettuce, tomato and their famous Pretzel Buns, which sell out at their next-door bakery daily.

Is there anything in the world I like better than a Tunisian Tagine? That’s a rhetorical question, because the answer is NO!  I adore Couscous, that staple pasta grain-like fluffy base upon which to place any number of juicy, braised meat and vegetable delights.

Our entrees included a Couscous Royale which consisted of all of these to place over the couscous: grilled beef Kebabs, chicken kebabs, lamb kebabs, merguez sausage & a beef meatball.  To moisten this as desired, you could add any amount of the classic mixture of vegetables in soup served separately.

We also loved the House Special Chicken with Lemon and Plumped Raisins Tagine, a special creation of Alain’s that veers from the usual standard featuring garbanzo beans to highlight a sauce of light lemon and spices.

A triangle of Sweet “Arissa” (a word which actually means “pounded”) Almond Cake was served with a chilled orange flower sabayon “Ice cream” – there is actually no cream in it – to complete our dinner. Very nice way to end, along with a digestif mint tea that was not overly sweet, as Tunisian mint tea differs from the common Morroccan style.

I’ll be eating those tagines a lot from now on……

(www.harissala).Location: 8914 W. Pico Blvd. (1 block west of Robertson), Los Angeles, California 90035, Telephone: (310) 858-1920. Catering Telephone: (310) 858-3123

Airline, vacation, special occasion, institution; fine dining at take-out prices.  Street parking.