Momed, short for modern mediterranean, draws its inspiration from the kitchens of the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa, providing a modern interpretation of centuries old cuisines with ancient traditions of seasonal and farm to table dining.
I had been familiar with the restaurant from having sought out and enjoyed its flavorful offerings over the years at various food festivals, but somehow never got around to actually visiting the Atwater location. That probably had something to do with its distance from Santa Monica.
Perusing the schedule of this year’s LA Times month long Food Bowl Festival, I discovered that Momed would be part of the Festival’s Immigrant Dinner Series, hosting a dinner every Wednesday in May that would be curated by an immigrant friend of the restaurant who would share a family recipe. With so many dates to pick from, there was no excuse, and I decided it was time to make the trek to Atwater Village, and managed to do so just in time for the final installment of the series.
I was surprised at the restaurant’s location – which was not on the main drag of the town, but a low key street in a mostly residential neighborhood. Just across the street is a large, swanky development of residential lofts – which no doubt provides the restaurant with a built in clientele. Yet another advantage of its location is the theatre complex next door, the Atwater Village Theatre. That would make Momed very convenient for pre- and post theatre dining. But I hear it even attracts regulars who routinely drive all the way from Orange County to pay homage to the solid reputation the restaurant has built since its opening in 2010.
Entering the restaurant space, you find yourself in a huge laid back patio with plenty of planters and greenery. Along with the dining tables are comfortable cozy spaces with sotas for seating that are great for small intimate gatherings. Here you can relax with a drink, and it is easy to strike up a conversation with people next to you – with a good chance that they are from the neighborhood.
At the Immigrant Dinner, you could order from both the regular dinner menu as well as from a special curated menu called Immigrant Dinner: Taste of Italy and Iran. The menu’s first three items were offerings from the guest chefs Bita Milanian of @bitakitchenofficial and Marzia Rossetto, while the last three items were the restaurant’s own creations.
We started off with a guest chef dish, an arrugula salad, loaded w mushrooms, pine nuts, with a delicate pernod brut dressing. Though it was labelled Armenian, it was perfectly Californian, and a great start.
Our next dish came from the regular menu: a spiced grass fed beef with parsnip hummus topped with toasted pine nuts and pita. It was rich and flavorful, without getting too spicy.
Then came brasato con polenta, a brisket braised with parmiagiana and mascarpone, also a guest dish. When my friend had first suggested ordering it, I felt it was something better ordered at a Jewish delicatessen, so I wouldn’t be having more than a taste, and she would have to eat it by herself. The brisket came with a sauce that was rich and nuanced – quite different from its common American counterpart. One spoon, and I had changed my mind; now, the dish was going to be shared.
The dish I ordered came from the host chef Drew Adams – kufteh, a giant beef and rice meatball with barberries, split peas, walnuts, fresh herbs, and grenache, and finished off with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. Its many different ingredients made for a multi flavored and multi textured experience.
Normally, this much food should have been enough, but we managed to make room for one more dish, also from the host guest. The Atlantic salmon came with sides of basmati rice delicately seasoned with saffron and dill, and a side of green fava beans. Unlike the other dishes, the fish itself was mild, and and the fragrant, delicately seasoned sides almost stole the show.
My friend said she was too full for dessert, but, given the rarity of finding it in LA, of course, I had to order the rose ice creme. It was a lighter version of rose ice cremes I had had before.
We strike up a conversation with the lady and her son at the adjacent table. She lives in the lofts across the street and is a restaurant regular – specially when her husband gets held up at his job at the dinner hour. She raves about the elderflower martini with berries, and my friend who had hitherto been too full for dessert no longer is. The martini – best shared because of its large size – turned out to be the perfect way to top off the dinner.
We were happily full, but because we had opted for the first 5pm seating, it was still fairly light outside, so we headed out to Silverlake reservoir to work off some of the dinner by walking the perimeter. The trek from Santa Monica to Atwater Village had definitely been worth it!
Momed Atwater Village, 3245 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles. (323) 522-3488
Beef and Hummus 
Braised brisket 
Kufteh 
Atlantic Salmon 
Elderflower Martini