About our Gesher Project

We have always had interests in learning more about various cultures around the world. While the most effective way to do this would be to further travel around the world after March of the Living, due to a number of both logistical and financial concerns, that isn’t exactly an option.

We have also always been “foodies”. We love all different kinds of food and truly enjoy exploring cuisines of different cultures. We thought a great way for me to explore a number of different cultures and cuisines would be through going on a “restaurant quest”. We would visit everything from the ‘most traditional’ American restaurant (McDonalds) to some of the fancier and more extravagant restaurants in the Los Angeles area like The Little Door. Some of our excursions will be lengthy dinners in restaurants while others may be as simple as getting a baguette and coffee from the neighborhood French bakery.

Logistically, we will be keeping a live blog where we would write short reviews of each visit to each restaurant (in a similar manner to the way users do on websites like Zagats and Yelp). We plan to keep all receipts (simply for “proof”), and will take as many pictures as possible, of both the restaurants themselves and of the actual food.

Check back soon for our "first post"

All the best,

Sepora and Josh 

Restaurant Choices

Where we've already gone:

1. The Little Door - French

2. Kushiyu - Japanese
3. Rustico - Italian
4. Charlie's Pantry 

Where we may go:

1. Soy Y Luna- Mexican

2. Johnny Rockets - American

3. PF Chang's - Chinese

4. Shamshiri/Flame/Shaherezad - Iranian

5. Pho So1 - Vietnamese 

6. Hummus Bar - Israeli

7. Koutoubia - Moroccan

Shamshiri Grill

Shamshiri Grill
1712 Westwood Blvd.
Westwood, CA 90024

http://www.shamshiri.com/
310.474.1410

Theme/Culture = Iranian (Persian - one of Sepora's favorites!)

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	28	The food at Shamshiri is delicious. Classic Persian dishes are cooked to perfection. There's a wide variety of dishes, from stews to kabob to soups and appetizers. The food blends classic Iranian dishes with other Mediterranean styles to create delectable blends that will leave your mouth watering. Though the food is not always perfect, it's overall pretty tasty.
DÉCOR	25	There really isn't much decoration. It's nice that you can see the grill and can also basically see part of the kitchen, but everything else is just very plain and wooden. The tablecloths are white and although it is a classy place, I wouldn't go there for the decoration.
SERVICE	27	The people are generally nice, often coming by to fill your water and speaking both English and Farsi. The overall feeling is very hospitable and friendly, and there are normally no complaints, although there are always obviously some servers that are better than others.
COST	27	The price isn't bad, their lunch specials are good and you get a nicely sized, pretty large, portion if you're ordering an entree. Actually, even their appetizers and such are large. For the amount of food and quality, the price is really not bad and you could leave without feeling a huge dent in your pocket.

SEE BELOW FOR PHOTOS!

The Kitchen!

View From the Street!

Tadig With Various Stews

Inside Shamshiri

Shamshiri's Lamb Koubideh w/Rice and Veggies

Shamshiri's Salmon w/Rice and Veggies

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Nearly 1,500 locations nationwide (Some internationally, too!)

http://chipotle.com/en-US/Default.aspx?type=default

Corporate Phone: 303.595.4000

Theme/Culture = Mexican

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	25	Chipotle is a mix between fast food and sit down, leaning more toward the fast food end. They have few options, burritos, tacos, salads, bowls. And, a few meat options, chicken, beef, pork. They mix your food there and then, and in an almost subway style way, make your Mexican meal in moments. Their food is pretty tasty though, and it's an easy and filling fix for Mexican food that you'll often find yourself craving. It is a little heavy though!
DÉCOR	15	There's not really any decor to this place.The colors are basically red and wood, and the general layout of the restaurant is generally those colors with boots and tables and chairs. It's kind of boring but it's not gross or anything so we don't have much complaining to do, or raving for that matter.
SERVICE	20	The service is pretty good, it really depends who you're dealing with though. But, there's a different person for each little station and you tell all of them to give you what you want and it just quickly moves along. Normally they work pretty fast and they communicate with each other. In our experiences, they've been definitely decent.
COST	25	The food is cheap. I mean it's probably not that expensive to buy the ingredients and it's not supposed to be a high-end place, but the prices aren't bad and it's pretty filling and big for what you're paying for. We definitely are frequent buyers because it just makes sense to buy, price wise and food wise.

Check out Chipotle's Unofficial Secret Menu Here: http://www.ranker.com/list/chipotle-secret-menu-items/secret-menu-items 

SEE BELOW FOR PHOTOS!

Outside a Chipotle Restaurant

Chipotle Burrito

Chipotle Employee Prepares a Burrito and Two Bowls

The Meat!

Chipotle Bowl

Rustico

Rustico Resturant
1125 Lindero Canyon Road
Westlake Village, CA 91362

http://www.tuscany-restaurant.com/rustico/
818.889.0191

Theme/Culture = Italian

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	29	Rustico is an Italian restaurant located in a strip mall in Westlake Village, CA with absolutely delicious food. When you first sit down at your table, your waiter brings you complimentary bruschetta on toasted bread along with a basket of a number of delicious, hot breads. I enjoyed a delicious Cesar salad to start and, being the fish fan that I am, chose to indulge in the delicious sea bass (served as a whole fish). The sea bass was served with spagetti tossed in a olive oil and garlic sauce. On another occasion where I have been to Rustico with my family members, they have enjoyed the Sandabb Fillet and the crusted Halibut. One thing to note, however, is that I presentation is not Rustico's speciality (the food makes up for that, however).
DÉCOR	23	To me, the decor at Rustico is mediocre. The restaurant almost appears out of place with its wierd location in a strip mall. And while once you are inside you do feel as if you are enjoying delicious italian food, they tables are a bit close together and its quite a tightly packed restaurant  Additionally, due to the fact that the kitchen lies directly up against the dining room, it can sometimes be very noisy with the upwards of 10-15 chefs speaking to one another.
SERVICE	26	The service at Rustico is great. Your water glass is never empty, and you are always offered more bread. Being that it is a fancy restaurant, the waters are dressed in slacks, dress shirts, and ties, and serve the meals very professionally (always with a napkin on the forearm, etc). The service of the restaurant essentially ties into its Italian formality - i.e. when one orders a glass of wine, instead of bringing you the full glass, your waiter will offer you a small sample to make sure you enjoy it. There is a very large staff and you never need to worry about your needs being met.
COST	25	The cost is high, but not ridiculous or unreasonable. To be frank, it is a relatively nice restaurant and at the end of the day, nice restaurants simply charge more. Most entrees run from the mid $20 range to the low $40 range. You can get out of there,  at around $50 a person. That said, however, if one ends up adding on a salad, starter, full glass of wine, and dessert, the price can easily jump to over $75 per person. The price at Rustico is essentially what you make of it.

SEE BELOW FOR PHOTOS!
Note: Unfortunately, we totally forgot to take pictures of the food itself! Our apologies!

Visit to Rustico for my mom's Birthday!

Rustico's Dining Room. Kitchen is on Your Left.