#Vernatoun Restaurant

[formeryelpers]

Vernatoun Restaurant, 1100 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

I had a strange experience at Vernatoun but I’ll chalk it up to cultural differences + a language barrier. Vernatoun is a new Russian-Armenian restaurant specializing in Armenian style charcoal BBQ cooking. They have kabobs, dolmas, stews, etc.

First, when I walked in, the cashier looked at me very suspiciously. When I said I wanted to order the lamb hearts and liver, she said, “Why would you want to order that?” I told her I liked lamb hearts and livers. She said it would take a long time to cook. I said that I could come back later to pick it up. She went into the kitchen and said they didn’t have any. She recommended the lamb chops or lule kabobs. I said okay and that I’m familiar with lule and Armenian food. At that point, two men came out and one asked me if I wanted the lamb hearts and liver. I said yes. I also wanted to order something for Mr. Froyo. I asked about the trout. The guy said it wasn’t any good. I asked about the sturgeon. Same thing. He muttered something about San Francisco and bad water. I asked about the salmon. He said no again. It was like they didn’t want me to order anything. The cashier handed me the menu and told me to call in my order even though I was ready to order right then. Eventually, they took my order for the trout and the lamb hearts & liver.

When I wanted to pay, they said cash only since the credit card machine was down. I tried to leave a tip but they gave the tip back to me and said no.

Lamb heart and liver, kabob style with rice, veggies, and raw onions ($18): The veggies (a whole tomato and chili pepper) were heavily charred. Mr. Froyo called them burnt and didn’t want any. The long grain basmati rice was soft but plain. The heart and liver pieces were also very charred but they were seasoned well. I wish the plate came with lavash and a dip but everything was tasty, better than average.

Roasted trout ($12): The piece of trout was wrapped in lavash with fresh herbs (tarragon?) and baked. Never had trout prepared this way. The bones are larger but do watch out for them. The white flesh was firm and not too meaty. I liked it though I wish they had taken the bones out. It was served with a ton of white basmati rice, the charred tomato and chili pepper, and raw onions with herbs.

The food seemed very authentic. They don’t seem used to serving non-Armenians. Hopefully they don’t scare non-Armenians away. The restaurant is in a strip mall and I think they’re going for an upscale dining experience. The blacked out windows are strange; you can’t see inside. But maybe they like their privacy.

4 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.