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| - The City of Angles, Los Angles, has to be one of my favorite foodie destinations. Pretty much every food trend over the past 5 years or so has its epicenter in LA. From Korean style frozen yogurt to cupcakes and now food trucks, the people of LA know a good thing when they taste it. While all of these trends have some how made their way to the Valley of the Sun, there's one thing that I've never been able to find here, garlic sauce like the one that's served at the LA institution Zankou Chicken.
If you've heard of Zankou and its amazing Lebanese chicken and tangy fluffy garlic sauce you know exactly what I mean when I say it's ethereal. For those who've never tried it either pack an overnight bag and head to LA or drive down to 20th Street and Van Buren to Al-Hana inside of Baiz market, its the closest thing to Zankou Chicken in Phoenix and its close location makes it even better.
The area located around Baiz Market might seem a little rough around the edges but the market itself is clean, well lit and packed with all sorts of interesting Middle Eastern grocery items from dairy and fresh produce to meat and hookah paraphernalia. Tucked in the corner of the market is Al-Hana, a postage stamp sized restaurant specializing in, you guessed it Middle Eastern cooking.
While the offerings might seem typical the flavors are bold and shouldn't be missed. The creamy roasted eggplant dip Babaghannuj ($4.49) had a smokiness usually not found in many other places. Al-Hana leaves their version thick and chunky with just the right amount of olive oil drizzled over the top.
Ordering the Falafel Plate ($5.99) will get you 6 deep fried cumin scented pucks of ground chickpeas and fava beans. Pile a couple of these onto a freshly baked pita, slather with tahini and enjoy the crunch. Id also highly recommend the Labneh Pie ($2.99) which is filled with labneh, a Lebanese cream cheese, onions and tomatoes all baked in a light tender crust.
The main dish for me was of course the Whole Roasted Chicken ($9.99). It comes with pita, pickles and garlic sauce. The chicken itself is so well seasoned and juicy it would seem like a crime to adorn it with anything until you get some garlic sauce on it. The texture is light and fluffy, almost like a garlicky mayonnaise. After one taste you might ask them for another container, seriously delicious.
After a wonderful meal you'd think there wouldn't be enough room left for desert, but my rule is there's always room. With that I sauntered to the back of Baiz Market where their in store bakery is located, most of the case filled delights are around $2 each including a flaky syrup soaked baklava.
While I love LA, knowing that I don't have to drive 300 miles to get my garlic sauce fix makes the drive across town all the tastier.
Al-Hana inside Baiz Market
Open Daily
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