Mantee: A Delicious Combo of Exotic Charms

I’ve eaten at Mantee in Studio City too many times to count since it first opened two years ago. The place is quaint, sweet, lovely, romantic, warm, friendly, casual and completely unpretentious. The food is a scrumptiously original party for your taste buds.

Located on Ventura Boulevard, just east of Vineland (free parking in back), it’s reminiscent of a charming little bistro you might stumble upon off a beaten path somewhere in Europe. The interior is very small—a handful of wood French-country-style tables fill the room with paintings on the wall. It’s cozy and comfortable.

But the real magic is out on the patio. One half of the patio looks like an outdoor room, while the other half is full of tables nestled under trees. There are potted plants all around to enhance the outdoor look. At night, twinkling white lights and a few black-iron, European-style street lamps add to the charming ambience. An eclectic range of music plays over the speakers.

The cuisine is Armenian-Lebanese and far more interesting than any other type of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean fare I’ve eaten—in America, at least. Plus, Mantee got a bunch of big thumbs-up from some very knowing Armenian friends.

Mantee is a family-run business whose roots go back to a very well-known restaurant in Beirut, Lebanon, called Al Mayass. Chef Jonathan Darakjian is only 30, but he says he’s cooked all his life. His mother, Sylvia Gabrielian, is an artist/graphic designer (and the sister  of the Al Mayass owner), who created the design of the restaurant (which was once a house), including an eclectic and whimsical selection of serving dishes and flatware. Darakjian’s father, Rafi, often roams the restaurant, wearing suspenders and a big grin, happily chatting with patrons.

The namesake dish of the restaurant, mantee, is a traditional Armenian specialty of Turkish origin that can best be described as a type of small ravioli or dumpling. Also spelled manti, it’s their signature dish and is offered with a choice of meat (lightly seasoned ground beef) or vegetarian-style (seasoned spinach with lemon). Formed into small boat shapes, the mantee is soft with a bit of a crunchy bite, smothered with garlic sauce and seasoned with sumac and red pepper. Order it as is, and not with the sauce on the side. And, as I was told by Rafi, be sure to scoop it with a spoon to get every bite of sauce.

Beef, chicken and lamb entrees are offered at Mantee, and all are good ($13.95 to $19.95, although portions are not terribly large). However, it’s the small plates ($4.95 to $9.95) with a combination of meat and vegetarian choices that are the big draw—and what makes the dining experience so magical.

The small plates are meant to be shared, and with nearly 30 from which to choose, come with a crowd, order at least five small plates for two people, or just come back often. If you order an entree, share that as well, so you can afford many different tastes of the dishes available.

As soon as you are seated, you are given a large basket filled with toasted and fresh pita, along with a small serving of a zatar dipping sauce made with sesame seeds, olive oil and anise.

The fattoush salad is a must to start. A combination of tomato, radish, mint, onion, crushed wheat and fried (or toasted) pita bread, it has a green, leafy vegetable called purslane, which is used instead of lettuce, and mixes beautifully with the mint and a tart lemon-olive oil dressing.

There are five different types of hummos—the traditional chick peas blended with sesame paste, and others with sautéed pine nuts,  sautéed beef filet, a combination with pine nuts and filet, and grilled Armenian beef sausage.

Mohammara, made from pomegranate molasses, red pepper paste and crushed walnuts, is pungent with the consistency of a paste, and wonderfully flavorful. Motabbal is very much like baba ganoush, but here it is preferably thickened with more eggplant than tahini. The dolma is completely different than that found in Greek restaurants. The Mantee version is a sliced and hollowed Asian eggplant stuffed with rice and a light tomato sauce. It can be ordered with or without yogurt sauce. Both are divine, but the yogurt makes it extra special. They do serve sarma, which are grape leaves stuffed with rice that are also excellent, but the dolma is unique and a step above.

Cheese lovers unite, there are a few dishes for you—hot feta that has been baked in the oven and topped with tomato and jalapeno; sue (or soo) berag—a pasta pie filled with cheese and parsley, and grilled halloom (Cypriot white cheese).

There are also more classic Armenian dishes, such as variations of soujuk (Armenian beef sausage) with tomato sauce, quail egg and pastrami and the Mantee's Queen's Delight, mini-sliced filet mignon sautéed with a sweet and sour cherry sauce.

The full menu is available at lunch; or order special meat, chicken and vegetarian combo plates for $9.95 to $10.95 per person.

The desserts are a tad on the pricey side at $9.50, but each selection is a specialty dish and beautifully presented. You won't find them elsewhere.

Mantee is waiting for its liquor license, which is expected to arrive within a month or so. Keeping checking back, but in the meantime, go enjoy a wonderful meal at a very special restaurant.

Mantee, 10962 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; 818-761-6565. www.ManteeCafe.com. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Closed Monday. Free parking is available in back (take the alley off Vineland). Reservations are suggested, especially if you want the patio for dinner.