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| - We decided to go outside our comfort zone and stop here for lunch. My review is based on the fact that we have probably had true Lebanese food once or twice in our lives, and it was given to us by the Lebanese girl dating our son, so it was homemade and dessert, at that. If you aren't Lebanese, I'll try to explain what we experienced so your taste buds will be alerted. If you are, pardon me if I get any of the spices or seasonings wrong.
Firstly, "free" weekend parking in the area is hit or miss. We were there on a Saturday at lunch time and had to circle to actually see someone leaving within 2 blocks of the place. Good luck with that.
Secondly, when we entered, no one came to seat us. We stood in the foyer for a good 4-5 minutes waiting. It wasn't until my husband actually walked into the dining area that the waitress saw us and came over.
We were seated pleasantly enough, and we were brought a basket of flat breads with olive oil that appeared to have a very mild black pepper as well as sesame seeds in it. I'm not a fan of olive oil. I don't do bitters very well, and olive oil sets that off for me in a very unpleasant way. The husband enjoys bitters and he was the one doing all the dipping.
We both got unsweetened iced tea, the regular kind, though they have different flavors. No sweeteners were volunteered, so after 20 minutes or so, I had to ask.
We ordered the shawarma for an appetizer, and then I got the kebab pita and the husband got the lamb pita.
The shawarma was different for a non-Mediterranean person. It had peppers and onions on the plate, sauteed in olive oil, but then it also had a chopped/diced meat, almost like minute steaks cut up, in olive oil and some bitter seasoning I couldn't place. It wasn't lemon, it wasn't citrus at all, but definitely very bitter. The back sides of my tongue are bothering me now as I type this in memory. The husband ate more of it than I did and seemed to like it.
When the meals came, we had a sandwich which was grilled on the outside then cut in half, and fries with an "ancient" seasoning on them. I personally didn't know that French Fries existed in ancient times, nor that the Lebanese had a special seasoning for them back then, but ok. Whatever. They weren't bad. Just different.
The husband enjoyed his sandwich, but after the first half, was full, so he disassembled it and ate the veggies he knew and the remaining lamb chunks. He wasn't a fan of the pickled turnips. I know that much.
I, on the other hand, was having a heck of a time with my kebab pita. In each side, there were 3 chunks of meat, about the size of a standard ice cub. That would have been fine except it was the toughest meat I've eaten in a long time. On top of that, it was very sinewy and hard to bite into without grabbing the entire chunk and looking extremely uncouth. So I had to hold the sandwich to my face and chew - chew - chew - chew until I could actually bite through the gristle and sinew. Again, the meat was bitter tasting, like the shawarma, and on top of the pickled turnip, some bitter greens inside and a slightly sour sauce, it was too much for me. I put the sandwich down and picked through the rest, eating small bites until it was time to go.
The husband enjoys bitter, like I said, but by the time we were hitting the french fries, he had admitted it was enough for him in one sitting, too.
So we paid the bill and headed out.
Now, truly, I don't know the culture very well, as the girl who was dating our son remained very removed from us for almost the 4 years they were together as she lived 1200 miles away with him, so I can't say whether it was authentic food or whether it was just restaurant food. It was good. It was fresh. It was very flavorful (especially if you enjoy the bitters) and we did enjoy what we had. The waitress and hostess (?) were very attentive once we were seated and catered to our needs very well. However, that said, I wouldn't go back. It was one of those "did it, moving on" type experiences for me, and didn't have enough draw there to call me back for a second time around.
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