Taste test: revisiting Caroussel

We tried to go to Glendale's Carousel restaurant on a Saturday night recently, but all of downtown Glendale was blocked off for some enormous shindig. Still craving a dose of Middle Eastern food, we repaired to the less-glamorous Hollywood location. Sometimes live entertainment can be too loud for conversation, so it was just as well. I hadn't been to the Hollywood location in years and dimly remembered it being depressing and empty, but this time it was moderately full and seemed to have been redecorated. Even before the appetizers come, a platter of vegetables and olives arrives to snack on.

I had the Vegetarian Delight entree, which at $12 has to be one of the better deals in town. It was an enormous amount of food, including hummous, mutabal, muhammara, tabbouli, lahmajune and stuffed grape leaves, which were about the only low point. I paid a $2 supplement to exchange the cabbage salad for fattouch salad with toasted pita bread and a great lemony dressing, which was well worth it. Everything else was fresh and delicious, especially the muhammara, which was pretty much what I had gone there for. Matt had the chicken lula kebab which was also huge and tasty and reasonably priced.
Verdict: Go to Glendale for entertainment, a larger menu and a patio, or go to Hollywood for easy parking and no wait. Either way, it would be hard to beat a meal this satisfying for under $15 per person. No alcohol in Hollywood, but maybe you can bring your own.
Caroussel Restaurant
5112 Hollywood Blvd.
(323) 660-8060