So much for the Sabbath. The Jewish day of rest that lasts sundown-to-sundown from Friday through Saturday thwarted our initial efforts to eat at Itz Kosher. However, we eventually timed our visit right, enjoying dinner at a recent Studio City find from LA Times writer Linda Burum. The homey Israeli-Moroccan restaurant from Esther Adir and son David was worth our second attempt.

The glass-fronted strip mall space is spare, with nearly bare walls, a limited number of tables and an open kitchen.

Our meal began with a surprising but welcome salad trio: crunchy cole slaw, crinkle-cut beets seasoned with cumin, and carrots spiked with Moroccan spices.

We began in earnest with a Falafel Plate ($6.95) featuring four crispy, parsley-flecked chickpea cakes.

These weren’t the pillowy wonders found at restaurants like Elena’s or Sahara Falafel, but I enjoyed were them nonetheless. We spooned on sesame-rich tahina sauce and enjoyed the central pile of basic but tangy Israeli salad featuring diced cucumber and tomato.

Merguez ($9.95) – spicy Moroccan sausages – could have featured snappier skins, but we enjoyed the juicy forcemeat and layered flavor.

The sausages were redolent of spices like cumin, paprika and cayenne. They came with paprika-dusted hummus that the chef drizzled with olive oil. Cuts of sausage melded well with the hummus when folded with fluffy pita, which came from a local bakery.

We bypassed kabobs in favor of a daily special, Moroccan Meatballs ($12.95).

Dense beef meatballs were infused with addictive turmeric sauce. So were the tender green beans, celery sheets and potatoes. Our meal came with a choice of two sides, and we opted for steamed white rice and potatoes that would work just as well at breakfast, pan-fried with olive oil and onions.

The menu at Itz Kosher wasn’t especially deep, but Burum (and our waitress) hinted at other treasures that appear at the restaurant on the chef’s whim. Given that, and our initial exposure, we plan to return for a second helping.