Sam’s Kebab in Van Nuys is an unexpectedly wonderful find

I credit Sam’s Kebab with saving my sanity one recent Saturday night. Seriously.

I often go out with a list of interesting sounding places off the beaten path that I’ve seen mentioned online, which seem like they’re worth a nosh and hopefully a story as well. I began the evening going to a nifty sounding joint — which turned out not to be a joint at all, but an anonymous door in a warehouse district ghost kitchen. The food might have been good. But there wasn’t much of a restaurant to write about.

Then, I headed for a seemingly tasty Middle Eastern spot, with a website that said it was open till 8 on Saturday nights. The sign in the door disagreed; the place was closed on weekends. Nearby was a pretty good beer pub, which was a good place in which to bend an elbow, but didn’t offer a bite of chow. There was a neighborhood bar that did have a short menu, but the lack of customers on a Saturday night was…discouraging. (I always wonder, walking into an empty eatery, if everyone else knows something I’m about to find out.)

Feeling a bit desperate, I went to a restaurant near the Van Nuys courthouse, surrounded by bail bond shops and pawn brokers. It was almost empty, with just two diners. There was a menu under glass on the table. It had no prices. I asked the server where the prices were. She said she didn’t know. I asked her how she added up the check. She walked away, and came back with a cell phone that she gave me, to speak to the owner who explained the prices were on the QR code, which I could get on my phone. I did. The place was much more expensive than it should have been; prices were twice what I expected. I decided to go back home.

Which was when, driving west on Victory Boulevard, I spotted a cloud of smoke rising high into the warm autumn night. It was arising from a grill on the street in front of a quick-service Armenian spot called Sam’s Kebab. Feeling life flowing back into me, I parked down the street, and followed a trio of revelers heading for the dance studio next door — a pair of dully dressed dudes, and a woman who stood well more than 6 feet tall in her heels, dressed in a skintight leopard skin jump suit, with a tower of hair crowning her head. They were out for a night of dancing. I was in the mood for kebabs.

Talk of our kebab community has been buzzing about for the past few weeks, since the New York Times’ food section included a tiny shop in Glendale called Mini Kebab (313½ Vine St.; 818-244-1343) on its annual list of “The 50 restaurants we’re most excited about right now.” Mini Kebab is an excellent choice by Times writer Tejal Rao. But it’s only open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Joe’s is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. And, unlike Mini, it’s got space for you to sit down and comfortably enjoy your kebabs. Plus, there’s the guy in front doing the grilling. And a décor like no other kebab place — anywhere.

There’s a photo mural of a waterfall covering one wall. The ceiling is covered with clouds. Another wall is dominated by a complex design of brick and tile. There’s red brick on the floor. But mostly, there’s the sweet smoke of the kebab grill, which gives as much a sense of being at someone’s home for a barbecue as being on Victory Boulevard on a Saturday night.

And, for that matter, the menu isn’t much more complicated than what you’d find at an Armenian friend’s home. There’s barbecued beef and chicken chunks, and barbecued ground beef and ground chicken. There are pork chops and lamb chops. There are the most remarkably crisp barbecue potatoes, and very good grilled veggies as well. Everything comes on plates with grilled tomatoes, salad and mounds of wonderful Armenian rice, so much better than anything I make at home.

There are also sides of creamy tzatziki, sumptuous hummus, chunky tabbouleh, a tasty Armenian summer salad — and french fries because, why not? There are several soft drinks, along with a yogurt drink called tan, made with yogurt, cucumber, salt and herbs like parsley and mint. This is savory yogurt, not sweet. I cherish every sip.

According to the menu, Sam’s does catering packages for four to six for $100, and eight to 10 for $140. Which is great. But then, your guests won’t get to see the cloud of glorious smoke rising as cars zip by, and high steppers head for the dance studio.

It’s the whole package that matters. And in this case, Sam’s gives us everything we need. Including a visual of a waterfall. And pretty clouds to consider while you wait. And remember that this is why writing about restaurants can be so much fun. Especially after a night when it wasn’t.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email [email protected].

Sam’s Kebab

• Rating: 3 stars
• Address: 14511 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys
• Information: 818-942-4800
• Cuisine: Armenian kebab shop, with some of the best in town, cooked over an open grill on the sidewalk — just look for the rising cloud of fragrant smoke!
• When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday
• Details: Soft drinks; no reservations
• Prices: About $15 per person
• Suggested dishes: 9 Barbecue Plates ($6-$18), 5 Wraps ($9-$10), 5 Appetizers ($5-$6)
• Credit cards: MC, V
• What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)