Review: Cheesy breads headline big Georgian flavors at this tiny Valley cafe

"At Saqartvelo in Van Nuys, baker Nini Qutidze stands in view behind the tiny restaurant's ordering counter, forming dough into seven versions of made-to-order Georgian breads. Watching her calm pace - cutting, rolling, sprinkling and layering various shapes, hauling sheet pans in and out of the oven - soothes the primal brain, like staring into flickering campfire. Saqartvelo is run by a small group of women,"

"For restaurants in Los Angeles serving cuisines such as Mexican, Chinese, Thai or Japanese that extend from the city's deepest-seated communities, one might hope for micro-regionality or first-person specificity. We have few true Georgian specialists, though. Thumb the pages of Carla Capalbo's "Tasting Georgia," a definitive cookbook and travel guide on the country's ancient food and wine cultures, as a primer on the small nation's astounding topographic breadth."

"Speaking from the pre-streaming era, sometimes a greatest-hits collection can be a masterpiece of sequencing and narrative, rather than a retread of played-out anthems or a randomly compiled playlist. That's how it feels to dine among the shelves of folk-art dolls and jars of plum preserves at Saqartvelo. If you're new to Georgian cuisine, it's an ideal immersion experience. If you're familiar with its stews, dips, dumplings and of course its breads, you'll find heart and intention behind the repertoire."

Saqartvelo in Van Nuys features a baker, Nini Qutidze, who forms dough into seven made-to-order Georgian breads, performing calming, rhythmic tasks from cutting and rolling to oven work. The restaurant is run by a small group of women led by Ketevan Urdulashvili, all raised in Tbilisi, where architecture and cooking blend indigenous traditions with Persian, Turkic, Soviet and Russian influence. Menu selections of nearly 30 items favor dishes that are popular and delicious. The space displays folk-art dolls and jars of preserves, creating an immersive introduction to Georgian stews, dips, dumplings and breads that balances accessibility with authenticity and care.

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