Openings: Momed in Beverly Hills

If you've got hummus on your mind (I often do) you might want to check out Momed restaurant and marketplace in Beverly Hills, which professes to specialize in "Modern Eastern Mediterranean" cuisine. Indeed, the menu has options that don't much resemble the highly traditional offerings of tried-and-true Eastern Mediterranean restaurants like Marouch on Santa Monica Boulevard.

For breakfast there's sheep's milk yogurt with organic honey and toasted walnuts, hardboiled eggs with cumin and pita, and organic eggs baked over roasted tomatoes, peppers and onions, as well as a variety of za'atar bread with akkawi cheese.

Lunch and dinner bring nuanced offerings including zucchini and feta cheese fritters with yogurt sauce; Djemaa el Fna (escargot with garlic and herbs); spicy sujuk sausage, red onion, piquillo peppers and halloumi cheese; apricot and smoked chile-glazed grilled lamb riblets; and cabbage leaves stuffed with veal, avgolemono and rice.

Skewers, sandwiches, salads, soups and the expected sides such as hummus, house-marinated olives, dolmas, baba ganoush and tabbouleh are also available on the menu as well as to take home from the marketplace.

The space is airy and light, with an open kitchen and an attractive counter filled with dips and desserts. There are also communal tables and a patio.

Momed, 233 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; (310) 270.4444.

--Jessica Gelt

Photo: Courtesy of Momed