Esso Mediterranean Bistro

Esso Mediterranean Bistro Restaurant Review:

This Mediterranean restaurant in back of an Encino strip mall features comfort food grounded in Syrian and Armenian traditions. The name refers to the childhood nickname of the owner’s wife. The space is fairly simple, with a small patio out front, an open kitchen and red Christmas tinsel that even surfaces outside the holidays. A strong starter consists of creamy hummus dressed with Aleppo pepper, parsley and olive oil. Falafel complement the hummus well. Discs are crafted from garbanzo beans and fava beans, deep-fried and served with nutty tahini sauce. Esso makes Armenian charcuterie in-house. Chicken martadella involves smooth processed chicken slices that incorporate spices and pistachios, and rest on a bed of lettuce with pickled cucumbers and punchy garlic paste. Magheaneh is a house-made Armenian beef sausage. Still, ras nahnah is the star of the show. This fried beef patty is marinated in garlic and mint, grilled and submerged in a shallow pool of lemon juice, garlic, dried mint and Aleppo pepper.