IF YOU GO
Place: Hollywood Grill.Address: 905 Broadwalk (at Buchanan), Hollywood.Contact: 954-272-2525.Hours: Noon-3 a.m. daily.Prices: Appetizers $5-$18, soups $5-$10, entrees $5-$18, desserts $1-$4.Hollywood Grill's tasty Caucasus cuisine and balmy oceanfront setting are rare South Florida finds.
Husband-wife owners Hovich Gregoryan, who is Armenian, and Zina Petlyar, who is Georgian, came here three years ago from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Gregoryan, known as ''Mother Goose'' for his nurturing manner, has been cooking since he was 16. He mans a wood-fired grill in the open kitchen, while Petlyar attends to customers.
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan make up the Caucasus, the land mass that separates the Black and Caspian seas. Tradition has it that Noah's ark landed there, and that one of his descendants founded the ancient kingdom of Armenia. Over the centuries, invading Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Mongols and Russians left their imprint on the food and culture.
Bread, yogurt, eggplant, olives, walnuts and lamb are staples in a cuisine that celebrates abundance. Chaiman -- a mix of ground fenugreek, cumin, cinnamon, sumac, allspice, cloves, pepper, paprika and salt -- is a signature seasoning.
Start a meal at Hollywood Grill with appetizers for sharing, such as feta-like banir cheese with radishes and fresh herbs, grilled eggplant with tomatoes, satcivy (cold chicken curry in walnut sauce), lobio (red bean and walnut salad) or herring with potatoes. Roll up morsels in paper-thin lavash bread that can be used as a plate, scooper or napkin.
Move on to borscht; okroshka, a cold yogurt soup with cucumber and dill; or harcho, a Georgian stew of boiled lamb feet and rice with garlic and tomato thickened with ground walnuts and finished with a splash of vinegar.
Smoky, succulent kebabs include chicken, pork, salmon, ground lamb and lulu (ground lamb or beef). There are also gyros; cabbage stuffed with rice, walnuts, tomatoes and herbs; roasted trout and lamajoun, a pizza-like Armenian favorite topped with spiced, ground beef and a little tomato sauce.
Save room for a napoleon -- soft sheets of pastry layered with custard cream.
Linda Bladholm's latest book is Latin and Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.
