Some of LA’s Best Kebabs Can Be Found Tucked Inside Armenian Meat Markets | Eater LA

"Behind its Van Nuys storefront (replacing Karabagh Meat Market), Tigranakert—whose logo with two eagles references Armenia’s Artaxiad dynasty—feels like a small market-meets-kebab counter run by Anna Ivanyan and staffed by chef Sammy Stefeney. I had a customized combo plate of marinated sweetbreads, beef lule, and marinated iki bir (pork belly); they send kebabs to a commissary across the lot where they grill over smoldering charcoal (about 30–45 minutes), and while you wait you can watch Armenian music videos or explore a wraparound village-like fresco. The market stocks sausages, spices, Armenian cheeses like Lori, and akhtsan salads, and advertises whole fish, pork shank, and whole roast pig as special orders; when Stefeney returned with my $20 plate it included rice plus two colorful sides I’d chosen: a sweet, creamy shredded beet salad with crushed walnuts and ikra, a smoky eggplant dip he recommended pairing with kebabs." - Eater