Chez Manelle, named with the future in mind

Affection for her daughter wasn't the only thing that prompted Chedlia Dridi to name her Tunisian eatery, Chez Manelle in Arlington, after the 16-year-old. Mom confesses to an ulterior motive: "I'm hoping she'll take over."

Launched in late August, Chez Manelle counts 25 seats, three flat-screen TVs and two cooks in what used to be a Korean noodle parlor. The small space is dressed up with a few ornate mirrors and pictures of camels and elephants painted by Manelle. It is strangely purple, thanks in part to the neon lights that Dridi retained from the former occupant.

The menu at Chez Manelle is small, satisfying and gently priced. Many of the dishes, including chickpea dip and lamb kebabs, will be familiar to fans of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Items that are distinctly Tunisian are marked as such on the menu. They include couscous; brika, which are flaky pastries holding potatoes, tuna, capers and egg; and kaftaji. The big plate supporting the last dish frames chopped zucchini, peppers, tomatoes with piping-hot french fries and spicy merguez sausage. (Tunisians like zesty flavors.) All you need to conquer the entree is a big appetite.

Chez Manelle is Dridi's first restaurant but not her last. (She also owns a company in Alexandria that sells aircraft parts.) Next month, she and Ramzi Louati, a fellow Tunisian and the owner of the pleasing El Pollito in Crystal City, plan to open a Peruvian spot in Gaithersburg called Noches de Lima (Nights of Lima).

Dridi is also in discussions with the owner of Listrani's, in the same block, to infuse more music into the neighborhood. She hopes to take over the place and turn it into a jazz bar.

2313 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703-522-2140. Entrees, $5.95-$10.95.