Review New Beverly Hills Restaurant - Momed

[trojans]

This new restaurant taking the former Rosti space is having their soft opening this week. Today I stopped by for lunch. They derived there name from MOdern MEDiterranean and that is what they are offering.

The menu consists of Salads and Dips ranging from lentil salad to Moroccan salads and dips like hummus and Baba Ganoush. They also have Mezze like saganaki and kibbe. they offer seasonal plates, one of which we tried which was the seafood salad consisting of shrimp, octopus, calamari, fennel and herbs. It was fresh and tasting. They serve sandwiches and rolls ranging from grilled lamb, lamb burgers and a delightful duck schwarma that was served on a home made whole wheat laffa with shredded duck, oven dried tomatoes black fig confit and garlic sauce. This was creative and very tasty. They also have skewers and dinner specials.

The space itself is very nicely designed a lot of white and very airy. In the middle of the restaurant they have a very large communal table that will, I imagine, see a lot of action. A great addition to Beverly Hills they offer a creative and inviting menu and space.

www.atmomed.com

[lil mikey]

The tuna kabob was outstanding. Seared medium rare, it's tender and flavorful. The Momo Chips are delicious freshly cooked thin potato slices with a little salt on top. These are like non-fast food potato chips. And the baba ganoush was very smoky flavored as I like it. But it was a little stringy for some reason. I've never had it stringy like that. The flavor was good, though.

[aching]

We tried MoMed this weekend: duck shawarma, lentil salad, and baleela (warm chickpeas with toasted pine nuts, preserved lemon and brown butter). The duck shawarma was very good - it has a cinnamon-y flavor that was unusual and appealing, and I liked the whole wheat pita it was wrapped in. The lentil salad was generously sized and quite good, although I often make a salad at home that is almost exactly the same, and I think mine is better. The baleela had wonderful flavors in the preserved lemon and brown butter, but the chickpeas themselves were undercooked, which I think is a big turn-off. Both the lentil salad and the baleela did not have their salt mixed in thoroughly - so one bite would be quite salty and the next not at all. All in all, I would give the food a solid B - but I would definitely go back and try other things, especially since the prices were reasonable.

We thought that the space itself was pleasant (although the country-style chairs seemed at odds with the modern, industrial aesthetic of the rest of the space), but there was quite a bit of white noise going on. I don't know if it was a dishwasher running or the AC or what, but it was really very loud - so we chose to sit outside instead.

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Momed
233 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

[mrsjoujou]

We had lunch here yesterday. We got our usual Pide and it was good and not greasy. We also tried the shrimp dish that came with two sides. They give you five large shrimps and they were cooked just right. I choose lentils for one side and my husband picked a boring green couscous for the other side. Somehow we got white pita instead of whole wheat this time. We ended our lunch with one of the best Turkish coffee's we had . Service was fine and owner Alex was running around trying to help out as much as he could.

[PayOrPlay]

We've been to Momed twice now and have been fairly impressed. The salads and other standard Middle Eastern dishes are good, but there are some surprise standouts to discover on that menu. Last weekend I ordered one of the specials, a grilled trout on green couscous, and it was outstanding; the yogurt-marinated chicken was also first-rate. Interesting drink selection (PayOrPlay Jr. is infatuated with the neon-green tarragon soda) and some knockout baked goods including gigantic rosewater-flavored meringue cookies and a stunning halvah-caramel-chocolate bar that's sort of a Lebanese reworking of a Nanaimo bar.

Caveats: it can be a little chaotic, and for a place where you order at the counter and grab your drinks from a cooler, it can be a little pricier than you might expect (our two meals have run about $25-29pp, including tip and desserts to go, each time we've been) . But no complaints about the food.

[omotosando]

Sounds very promising. I was going to stop by this weekend, but couldn't find convenient parking. I'm sure they have to charge a little more because of the rents in Beverly Hills. Better they charge more and have decent food then keep the prices low and serve garbage (which would describe most restaurants on Beverly Dr.).

[apple7blue]

There is free parking in the daytime in parking structures.

[omotosando]

Yeah, I know about the free parking, but it was just one of the times where I didn't want to be bothered and I thought fine, if I find a space, I'll stop in. Not finding a parking space, I skipped it. Next time I will be more determined and less lazy.

[mrsjoujou]

We liked Momed also. We tried the Spicy Sojuk Sausage, Red Onion, And Piquillo Peppers pide and the Lamb And Beef Kofte. They were both delicious. Service was friendly and wished I lived nearby.

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Red Onion
736 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274

[js76wisco]

They actually now have table service so if you're eating there a waiter/waitress will come by with menus and take orders. It makes the experience more enjoyable because the counter can get hectic when it's busy.

I agree that the food is better than I would have expected. The spicy sojuk sausage, kefta and fattoush salad were particular favorites of mine.

[apple7blue]

Are the portions small or something? Because the prices on the website seem a lot more manageable except the dinner options.

[omotosando]

I finally stopped by. I had the Halloumi Pide, which is like a pizza, and is $9. It was way too large for one person -- could easily have fed 2-3. It was also quite oily

Not sure how they are doing. It's a little pricey and "gourmet" for the hordes of teenagers who hang out on South Beverly Dr. and gravitate to places like Chipotle and Mulberry Pizza. Yet, I found the decor rather fast foodish and uninviting, so I can't really imagine wanting to hang out there and have a leisurely dinner with friends. Not really sure how they are positioning themselves, since they are open for breakfast and have a coffee menu to rival Starbucks. Wish the place looked a little more inviting - I was definitely put off by the look.

I found out they will deliver in Beverly Hills for $4 ($6 outside of Beverly Hills), so I will probably try delivery next time.

P.S. The hummus didn't do it for me. The baba ganoush was different than most - spicy, hyper-smokey and not smooth. It was interesting, but not addictive in the way that a great baba ganoush can be.

P.S.S. They had something called Mountain Valley Sparkling Water, which I had never tried before, and which was one of the best bottled waters I have ever drank. Definitely want that stuff delivered.

[apple7blue]

Thanks, I will check it out myself.

[omotosando]

How was the hummus and Baba Ganoush? I live in the neighborhood and there is such a dearth of decent restaurants on South Beverly. Here's hoping for the best.

[trojans]

No I didn't try the dips but there is not a dearth of decent restaurants on South Beverly. Have you tried Cabbage Patch? or Kiyono sushi? If you go to Kiyono Sushi sit at the bar with Kawasaki San and order Omakase he is a gem and the price is very fair for the quality. Also Frida is fantastic as is Mako. Also as of Monday South Beverly Grill is opening they are run by Houstons and Bandera. We also have Ruth Chris, Urth Cafe, Piccolo Paradiso, Mulberry Pizza. Seriously WTF what dearth?

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Bandera
11704 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Cabbage Patch
214 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA

[aching]

Not to mention Chipotle! =)

[omotosando]

No, I haven't tried Cabbage Patch. I gave up on South Beverly awhile back, so I was not even aware of its presence. What restaurant space did it take over?

Kiyono sushi I tried many years ago and it was awful, although I see that now it apparently has a different chef. I have pretty exacting standards for sushi and I do like Sushi Sushi down the street when I feel like dropping $80 for lunch (which is not often), so perhaps I will give Kiyono another try one of these days.

Restaurants that I think are plain awful include Frida, Piccolo, Mulberry and Urth Cafe. I'm not a steak eater so Ruth Chris really isn't on my radar screen. Went to Mako once and found it just okay, especially given the cost. The fact that a restaurant owned by the Houston's chain is opening doesn't excite me given that I consider Houston's to be mediocre mall food.

I will definitely give Momed a try. If it is in the class of Alcazar Express on Westwood Blvd., I will be in heaven. If it is in the class of the horrible Middle-Eastern kosher restaurant on South Beverly (which I am not even sure is still there), I will be disappointed.

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Cabbage Patch
214 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA

Sushi Sushi
326 1/2 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

[trojans]

I had lunch at Frida's today at have to agree with you. It was my favorite DF style Mexican in LA but is now just horrible. New Owners. Momed is definitely not like the Pita place across the street . I had duck schwarma? who else has that? Give it a try and let me know. I felt the same way about Kiyono until someone on CH recommended Kawasaki San, he really is good at what he does and omakase there is cheaper then at Sushi Sushi.

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Sushi Sushi
326 1/2 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

[apple7blue]

They are opening a new Alcazar Express on Venice.

[omotosando]

A new Alcazar Express on Venice? When? Where exactly? This is good news if they can maintain the quality.

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Alcazar Express
1303 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

[apple7blue]

I don't know when, but they look close to completion of the building itself. It's on Venice near Culver City. I'll get a better location when I drive by again.

[JudiAU]

Cabbage Patch is worth a visit. Great flatbread and gyros platter. Very fresh tasting.

The new quick service is better, for now, than one would expect too.

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Cabbage Patch
214 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA

[bruinike]

Thank you for the heads up. Sounds up my alley. Where are they located? That link doesn't seem to be correct.

[trojans]

Yeah sorry, the address is 233 South Beverly Drive. The internet address I got off the menu. They are across the street from the newsstand on South Beverly Drive between Gregory and Charleville.

[apple7blue]

The website is working now