Almost anything's possible at Greta's -- if it's kosher

Where do you go in this burg when you feel like some sushi followed by a plate of Tunisian couscous and a monster mug of mint tea?

Why, a restaurant called Greta. Greta Cuisine Mediterraneenne, that is.

In keeping with its Melrose Avenue location, it's what you could call shoestring stylish: etched glass and chrome, boxy folk-art Tunisian candle holders, no parking valet, ceiling tiles that could use a tweak or two. It has survived there since February, and the owner is about to remodel and make it look less shoe-stringy.

In effect, Greta is a French bistro with a Tunisian theme. You're not limited to Tunisian dishes, however; you can get pastas, you can get grilled salmon, you can get steak with fries. Just don't try to get them on Friday night: Greta is strictly kosher. It's locked and bolted from Friday afternoon till well after sundown Saturday, and dairy foods never cross its threshold.

This is very likely the only Tunisian restaurant in the entire country that advertises "Shabbat to go" meals. (Considering how tight parking can get in this neighborhood, being closed on Friday night probably works out OK.)

Tunisian food can be spicy, but the homemade harissa sauce that Greta uses is rather mild; it wouldn't unsettle the most sensitive Parisian palate.

Naturally, you can get the universal Tunisian snack brik (spelled "brick" on this menu). It started out as the Turkish borek, a small baked or fried pie something like a samosa, but in Tunisia the concept took an original turn.

Greta's basic brik is a flat triangular packet made by folding the Tunisian equivalent of filo dough around a filling of mashed potatoes and frying it in olive oil. It's surprisingly luscious.

The most famous brik, also available here, is brik a l'oeuf: a sheet of Tunisian filo folded over a raw egg. The resulting half-circle is fried just until the egg cooks -- call it a crunchy quesadilla with an egg sunny side up as filling. (Eat carefully, it's still runny.)

Tuna galore

You can get brik a l'oeuf straight or with tuna and capers in it. Tuna, in fact, is one of the basic food groups on this menu, reflecting the fact that Tunisia has some of the richest fishing grounds in the Mediterranean. Beside sushi on Friday and Saturday, Greta always has several kinds of fish, cooked either by grilling or sauteeing.