Sidewalk Grill: Much more Med in Los Feliz, plus Paradis Ice Cream

The patio on hopping Vermont Ave. is the place to be at Sidewalk Grill

Though the Middle Eastern population is spreading more towards Pasadena and the west valley these days, Armenian/Lebanese/Mediterranean restaurants continue to open in Los Feliz. Middle Eastern is one of my very favorite cuisines -- healthier than most restaurant fare, easily adaptable for vegetarians, and usually reasonably priced. I don't get why some Middle Eastern restaurants seem a bit stuffy or formal (Desert Rose, I'm talking to you) --  a little out of touch with current dining trends: they could use a touch of casual, rustic and fun. Fortunately Sidewalk Grill is a more informal spot, good for a pitstop before the movies, a play or barhopping. Here's an excerpt from my Los Feliz Ledger review:

 The simple menu includes chicken, salmon or steak kabob plates, pita wraps and several salads that can be topped with chicken or salmon. Despite the traffic and enthusiastic beer drinkers from the pub next door, the patio tables are the place to be to check out the pedestrians' fashion statements. Los Feliz certainly needs more healthy, reasonably priced options, since prices in the area seem to rise every time a new place opens. At first glance, the Sidewalk Grill seems to fill that bill. But a $10 filet mignon kebab plate might leave bigger eaters hungry even with roasted potatoes, rice, pita and babaganoush on the side.

Sidewalk Grill's filet mignon plate

Mediterranean salad with romaine and feta is a fairly healthy choice, topped with grilled salmon, though green olives seem incongruous instead of the usual black. Other side dishes include tomato soup, hummus or yogurt tzatziki, or combine several for a vegetarian plate. With the addition of more choices—roast chicken a la Zankou, or traditional Persian dishes like the lamb shank and cherry rice available at the family’s Shekarchi restaurant downtown—Sidewalk Grill could become a real neighborhood fixture.
After dinner, stroll across the street to another recent addition, Paradis Ice Cream in the former Pinkberry location. Read more at the Los Feliz Ledger.