Uzbekistan Restaurant - Los Angeles - TravBuddy

this uzbeki restaurant in hollywood is in a strip mall (!!!) and parking is very difficult to find. service is also slow. but, once you have gotten over that hump, this place is a gem!

the dishes were primarily cow or sheep centric. but i don't eat the cow and my companion does not eat the sheep. luckily, there were a few fish and chicken options. we ordered a whole bunch of food for 3 people.

1. they serve bread (free) piping hot. and it was so good. it was crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. it was served with garlic butter. the bread alone was all worth it.

2. the blini (crepe) with salmon caviar. this was also very delicious. the blini was light, the caviar was beautiful and the creme fraiche was also light.

3. the armenia salad was pretty much a few blocks of feta (which weren't very strong), olives, cucumber and slices of tomato. they were fresh but i thought the dish was just ok. caveat: veggies aren't my thing.

4. eggplant samarkada (or something like that). this was actually really good. the eggplant was sliced and baked with some olive oil with tomato on top. i actually really enjoyed this dish.

5. uzbeky kabob - you can have your choice of either chicken, beef, sturgeon, lamb, pork or lula (ground pork). we chose the swine. and the pork was so succulent with the juices just flowing. i enjoyed this dish also.

6. pov (or something like that) with chicken - this was also a yummylicious dish. it was basically some diced chicken (very tender and juicy) over rice that was so full of flavor. there was also some cabbage serverd on the side, which was subtle and not very vinegary.

one great thing i loved about this place was that they actually have russian standard vodka -- my new favorite vodka. none of the bars or restaurants i know serve this kind of vodka even though it is (from what i heard) so common in russia. that being said, i had a glass served neat and icy cold. and it was cheap too!

the bill came to about $70ish plus tip. this was pretty good for all the dishes we ordered and including the alcohol. the greatest deal though is my russian standard vodka - $4.50. heck, the tea was $2.50!

i'd definitely go back.