By Joseph S. Amster

Longevity and Intimacy on the Strip

Cravings Restaurant offers fresh and healthy al fresco dining in a surprisingly quiet setting.

West Hollywood's Sunset Strip is well known for its trendiness, with businesses struggling to keep up with the times. Yet, Cravings Restaurant has been serving up Mediterranean-inspired cuisine at its Strip location for nearly 20 years (almost 25 on the Strip in total), so you know they must be doing something right. With its intimate patio (which is surprisingly quiet for an outdoor location on Sunset Boulevard), fresh, imaginative and flavorful cuisine, attentive service, and moderate prices, all the elements come together for an enjoyable dining experience. The establishment is clearly popular -- it was packed on a Monday night.

This evening's meal began with their chicken curry soup, which had a slightly tangy flavor and a light touch on the curry powder. The texture struck a nice balance between creamy and chunky, achieved by puréeing half of the soup and leaving the other half left as is -- an excellent technique. Among the best appetizers was the tuna tartare Napoleon served between fried ravioli, with the tuna roughly cut, and mixed with a good balance of sesame oil, lemon juice, and onion. The hearts of palm salad came with two large butterflied shrimp, wonderfully tender hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, and baby greens topped with a surprisingly spicy dressing. The standout appetizer was the whole grilled artichoke served with honey balsamic vinaigrette. Basted with this same dipping sauce, it was a refreshing change from the halved grilled artichokes usually found at most restaurants. The sauce makes a tasty caramelized glaze that is somewhat messy, but well worth it -- you should probably request a finger bowl.

The entrée list is extensive, and also features pastas and pizzas. Be sure to peruse the list of specials and ask your server for off-menu items. This particular evening, we had the couscous Moroccan style lamb chops aux raisins with eggplant peppernata and the pan-seared spicy salmon with black bean mango salsa. The lamb chops were fork tender and spiced with a fragrant combination of cumin, saffron, oregano, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Served on light-as-a-feather couscous, the combination of eggplant peppernata and plump raisins were the perfect compliment to the lamb's slight gaminess. The salmon was delightfully rare (I hate overcooked fish!) and the coolness of the black bean salsa was a nice interplay against the heat and spiciness of the salmon. A dish I'll have to return for is the whole grilled striped bass, which they serve with the head and tail, which can be removed for the squeamish -- some people don't like their meal staring back at them.

If you have room left for dessert, choices range from cheesecake to rice pudding, créme brulée, trifle, and more. We opted for a carrot cake that had a light texture and a wonderful flavor of brown sugar, and strawberry shortcake with lots of whipped cream. A glass of sweet and smoky grand port was the perfect finish for a delightful meal.

Cravings Restaurant is located at 8652 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. For reservations, call (310) 652-6104.