When Nassir Elmachtoub moved his restaurant, Emle’s, down to Northridge, he had to change one thing in order to fit into the Valley: the prices on the restaurant’s menu are less expensive than they were in the establishment’s original location in Carmel by the Sea. The reasoning for such a decision was simple, Elmachtoub said. “There’s so much competition, and I love to see my place full, not empty,” he said. The restaurant is a full service restaurant that cooks full-service breakfasts, once voted the best in Monterey County, and continues all day with lunch and dinner service, and the crowds, ranging from CSUN staff members to people coming from the restaurant’s early bird special, have been finding Emle’s. “Business has been excellent,” Elmachtoub said. “We did not advertise too much, it was word of mouth mostly. Apparently we had a few food critics write about us, and that was nice.” The past year or so has brought several new restaurants to the Valley ranging from neighborhood restaurants that offer good bargains to new establishments that challenge the assumption that a really terrific meal can only be found on the other end of the hill. But these places carry a higher price tag than Valleyites may be accustomed to. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opened its newest location in Woodland Hills late in 2005, featuring a relaxed layout with dark wood, dim lights and leather seating. Its beef offerings include filet mignon, rib eye and New York strip. The restaurant has over 100 wine selections by the glass, with over 80 wines available by the bottle on a reserve wine list Fleming’s caters to wine fans with its Discovery Dinners, which are three different four-course menu offerings at $75, $100 and $175. The prices have not kept people away from the restaurant, however, as diners have reported long lines most nights. In Burbank, French 75 Bistro has replicated a French bistro. Its lunch menu can range from $13 to close to $20, and dinner prices reach close to $40. French 75 Bistro is also catering to the sophisticated crowd with a six-page wine list. Aaron Robins opened up his first restaurant in his native Los Angeles after working for other chefs in restaurants in Chicago and Nashville but got sick of working for other people and moved back home to open his own place. Robins, who is a Valley native, opened Boneyard Bistro in Sherman Oaks in late October, and found that it wasn’t quite the restaurant-saturated neighborhood that the Westside is. His menu stretches from traditional barbecue to offerings that include more experimental items with duck and other wild game. “There’s definitely a lack of offerings in the Valley,” Robins said. “It’s a tougher neighborhood, and there are all of these sub-neighborhoods. But there were certain opportunities I had here.” Robins and his partners purchased the building in which the restaurant sits, and said he was well aware of the attitude most Valley residents have toward going to restaurants. “There are more bedroom communities, and what people have grown accustomed to over the years is going over the hill and one of the most difficult things to do in your life is change,” Robins said. “Here there are a lot of chains, and what I would call more conservative food, while if you go over the hill you end up with people who are pushing the envelope more. People aren’t necessarily dining out here, they’ll eat out, but they’re not dining. There’s a difference. . .when you’re dining out you’re enjoying presentation and enjoying what you’re doing.” Still, Robins found that after he opened Boneyard Bistro, his average monthly customer load is about 25 percent higher than his initial expectations. He attributes the business to his peers that are populating the neighborhood. “Most of my colleagues are in my demographic, their mid-30s, and a lot of them have lived on the Westside for their 20s and are starting families and buying houses in Sherman Oaks where the houses are still under seven figures, but they still want to go to interesting restaurants.” Boneyard Bistro is also pricier than some of its customers are ready for. “You can definitely spend less than $20 or you can spend $100 here, but the average is really between $30 and $40,” he said. “Some people think we’re overpriced, but most think we’re priced pretty fairly.” The restaurant has also garnered quite a following, and critics have had plenty of praise for the staff. Robins said that hiring the right crew was important when experimenting with a new restaurant. “One of the main things I looked at was personality,” said Robins. “I’d rather have someone who’s really interested in what we’re doing, than someone who may have a little more experience or knows a little more. We wanted friendly people with un-pompous personalities who will have fun and get in customers’ faces a little. We have so many regular customers who ask for the same servers, they really get to know them.”
