Moroccan Mix

Jean Christophe LeVarrat has a new menu at Gypsy Grill in Encino to tempt those who enjoy the foods of the Mediterranean.

LeVarrat opened Gypsy Grill a year ago last fall with a menu best described as French with a lot of California tossed in--which is to say, inventive. Now, in Yahya Dauodi, LeVarrat has a saute chef who can add a touch of North Africa to the mix too.

Dauodi comes from Morocco, which touches both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The Muslim kingdom dates from the 11th century, but because in recent times it has been a protectorate of both France and Spain, its cuisine is distinctive.

Working with Gypsy Grill’s executive chef Christian Monchatre, Dauodi overhauled the restaurant’s list of offerings some weeks ago.

“The menu had been the same since we opened,” LeVarrat says. “We wanted to refresh it a little bit and give it a new flavor.

“The Moroccans are a big ethnic group in France, so now we have couscous, and we also have a Moroccan-style chicken casserole with prunes and almonds, and a baby spinach salad with almonds, honey, walnuts and sesame and anise seeds.”

Dauodi cooks the couscous with chicken, with lamb and with a mixture of chicken, lamb and a mildly spicy Moroccan sausage containing both lamb and beef. The prices for these dishes range from $14.95 to $17.95.

He does the chicken casserole with a light honey, saffron and cinnamon; it costs $12.95. He does the spinach salad, which costs $5.75, with selou, a delicate concoction of flour and honey with crushed sesame seeds and almonds that ends up looking like sand, LeVarrat says.

Indeed, LeVarrat adds, that’s what selou means in Morocco--sand.

Elsewhere on the menu: a sauteed salmon filet served in a red wine sauce with portobello mushrooms, for $14.50; a grilled ahi tuna steak with a sauce of red wine, peppers, and pears, for $15.95; and jambonneaux aux lentilles, a traditional French country dish with shank ham and garlic sausage in a lentil stew, for $15.25.

“We’re going to continue to move forward into a more traditional French menu in California style--which means no cream, no butter and very light sauces,” LeVarrat says.

Gypsy Grill seats 100. It serves dinner seven nights a week, lunch weekdays. It is at 16911 Ventura Blvd., at the corner of Balboa Avenue in Encino, (818) 784-7393.

*

If you’re among those who find food an adventure but wine a bewildering source of intimidation, check out Larry Levine’s list of specials at Monty’s Woodland Hills restaurant.

Levine takes good wine seriously, just as he does good food, and he understands that plenty of people know lots about the one and little about the other.

Levine changes his specials weekly, sometimes even daily, and he also features the wines of different vineyards each month, offering them by the glass or by the bottle so regular customers can explore a variety of excellent vintages.

This month he features Kenwood wines, and his list of specials for the week--five fish dishes and four steak dishes--suggests a different wine for each.

“We only do this for our specials,” Levine says, with a laugh, “because if we did it for everything on the menu, it would get too big. Even my computer couldn’t handle that much.

“And we also do a wine of the month to help our guests learn about wines too. Sometimes we even suggest a wine to go with a salad, which is very difficult to do.

Monty’s is located at 5371 Topanga Canyon Blvd., just south of Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, (818) 716-9736.

*

Gaetano Palmeri has a special deal for businesspeople lunching at his Gaetano’s Ristorante in Calabasas--10% off all lunches. Frequent guests get one lunch free for every six they pay for, and if you drop your business card in a bowl near the entrance, you qualify for a regular drawing for a free lunch.

Gaetano’s Ristorante is at 23536 Calabasas Road, just off Valley Circle Drive in Old Town Calabasas, (818) 223-9600.

* Juan Hovey writes about the restaurant scene in the San Fernando Valley and outlying points. He may be reached at (805) 492-7909 or fax (805) 492-5139 or via e-mail at [email protected]