Village Pantry Prepares For a ‘Soft Opening’

For several weeks, residents have been leaving nose prints on the windows of Village Pantry on Swarthmore as they curiously peer inside to watch the transformation of the former Mort’s Deli. An official opening date has not yet been set, because Executive Chef Douglas Silberberg is still testing recipes and training help, but the restaurant could have a ‘soft opening’ early next week. ‘The staff and I are getting to know each other,’ said Silberberg, a Palisades Highlands resident who previously worked at the Water Grill and Michaels. ‘We don’t want to open and not be prepared.’ A grand opening will be held once the Village Pantry and the adjoining Oak Room, an upscale bar and grill, are both up and running under the ownership of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. The Village Pantry will be ‘an upscale casual restaurant that offers deli foods like pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, ‘ Silberberg told the Palisadian-Post last Saturday. But it will also feature non-deli items such as the pulled pork sandwich ($12), where the meat is slow cooked in Guinness stout, smothered in barbeque sauce, joined by apple-wood smoked bacon, and served on a warm Kaiser roll. After the restaurant received its certificate of occupancy last Friday, the first staples were delivered. Most of the equipment, with the exception of the espresso machine, had already been installed. The entire restaurant has been redone; the only vestiges from Mort’s are the ice machine and the exhaust hood in the kitchen, though owner Riordan plans to have a wall dedicated to the former owners, Mort and Bobbie Farberow. On Saturday morning, Silberberg was teaching the staff recipes. A plate of French toast was brought to him, and he gave this reporter a taste. The bread was light, with the right amount of egg, and delicious. Silberberg was more discerning and sent it back to have the cooks work on the bread’s thickness, as well as the sweetness. ‘A lot of people will associate this space with the old Mort’s for a long time,’ Silberberg admitted. ‘We can’t please everyone, but we will please an overwhelming majority. Those who are not initially pleased will come around.’ The chef’s attention to detail is evident in the products he has been selecting, keeping with the menu’s theme: ‘Celebrating the bounty of California.’ Meat for the restaurant will come from the Niman Ranch in northern California, where the animals are raised free of antibiotics. Eggs are from free-range chickens raised without hormones and antibiotics. ‘Those eggs cost twice as much,’ Silberberg said, ‘but because of my background, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best.’ Most of the restaurant’s produce will come from farmers’ markets, and will be organic. A native of West Los Angeles, Silberberg was trained as a chef in New York City and worked at the Oceana before moving back to California. He was a chef at Water Grill in downtown L.A. and executive chef at Michaels in Santa Monica, which he left for the Village Pantry and the Oak Room. He’s been at Gladstone’s (also owned by Riordan) the past few months working on recipes and adjusting them. ‘I’ve been dying to get in here since August,’ he said. Silberberg and his wife Ivy have a two-year-old girl, Emme, and are expecting their second child in May. ‘I’m cooking for myself and my family because we live here,’ the chef noted. Looking at the menu posted on the front window at the Village Pantry, a few residents have questioned the prices, which begin at $10 for sandwiches and salads. Various scrambled egg dishes (with toast and potatoes) are $10, omelets $10.50 and French toast $9. ‘It’s very fair for the quality we’re serving and the ingredients we’re using,’ Silberberg said. One example: the cheddar cheese used in omelets and sandwiches is aged two years and is white instead of yellow (not dyed). ‘We’re serving upscale full-flavored breakfasts and lunches.’ The Village Pantry will be open for breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon and for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Take-out dinner specials will be available until 6 p.m. The Oak Room, once opened, will be a high-end California bistro and is recommended for adults because a full-sized bar will dominate the middle of the room and there’s no children’s menu. Silberberg said that people who bring children for dinner can sit on the Village Pantry side, where there will be a children’s menu. Adults will be able to order food from the Oak Room menu and drinks from the bar. ‘The Oak Room is not designed for children,’ Silberberg said. ‘It’s designed to be an adult high-end restaurant.’ During the interview, a Palisades resident came in the back door and told Silberberg that he should have brisket and hot dogs on his Village Pantry menu. Silberberg politely explained that the restaurant isn’t going to be a renovated deli, but a new entity, although it will carry Matzo ball soup. He also didn’t discount the idea of adding hot dogs.