Korean BBQ Corner (Farmers' Market) - Alhambra (Closed)

Recently, I was browsing the Farmers' Market - Alhambra when I noticed a new stall. Korean BBQ Corner. BBQ ribs. BBQ beef. BBQ Chicken. Wait, pitas? Wraps?

Curious, I came closer and saw...




Whoa! Korean/Middle Eastern fusion. Pitas and lavash wraps stuffed with Korean barbecue. Genius!

Zankou Chicken - Pasadena

One evening several years ago, shortly after I had first moved back to the San Gabriel Valley, I left to go to the gym, and came back with...

...a whole chicken from Zankou Chicken in Pasadena. :P



"Huh?" said a confused lil' sis, when I woke her up from her nap to eat. "I thought you went to workout?"

I couldn't find the gym, but I did find Zankou Chicken and who knew when I'd be in the area again? I just haaad to stop in. I had seen Elmo of Monster Munching's review of their Anaheim location long ago and remembered him waxing poetic about the garlic paste.

Quick and Easy Hummus

By now I think it's fairly obvious that I love chickpeas. I love chickpeas in salads. I love chickpeas in soup. And I especially love chickpeas as hummus.Rather funny then that I've never done a hummus recipe. Yet, I've made Bissara, a Moroccan dish similar to hummus, made of fava beans.

I like my hummus spreadable with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Served on a small dish, not a bowl. Perhaps that's because that's how hummus was served at Pita Inn in Skokie, where I enjoyed many cheap meals during college. A small dish back then was only $1.50. Even today, it's only $1.85. The shawarmas were excellent as well. And as with many memories, the most vivid ones shape just how particularly I like it.

Tahini, the Middle Eastern sesame paste, is important for a really good hummus. But let's face it, tahini is expensive. And I rarely use it. So, ssshhhh, I usually omit it, or toss in some sesame seeds to be ground up in the puree. Cans of chickpeas are usually less than $1, so without the tahini, hummus is such a cheap meal. You can use dried chickpeas if you wish and this dish would be even cheaper.

Abraham Partamian Armenian Bakery - Los Angeles (Mid-City)

Several weeks ago, I received an invitation to a pre-grand opening tasting of Fulfilled, a Japanese imagawa-yaki pastry shop in Beverly Hills. Go outside of the San Gabriel Valley? Ack! Because I had to drive so far, I wanted to make it worth my while. So I decided to detour to Abraham Partamian Armenian Bakery in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles.



I was searching for an Armenian bakery in a neighborhood that's now half Latino because it supposedly offers the best lahmajoun in town. Lahmajoun/lahmajune/lahmacun, however you spell it, according to Wikipedia is an Anatolian dish of very thin dough topped with minced lamb, tomatoes, and spices. It's sometimes referred to as Armenian or Turkish pizza.

Earlier in the spring, I was inspired by this Los Angeles Times article about how Leon Partamian, Abraham's son who never married or had children, left the bakery to his two Mexican workers. Francisco Rosales and Jose Gonzales had been with him for more than 35 years. That two Mexican Americans make the best, and bake upwards of 500, Armenian "pizzas" a day definitely goes on my list of things that are "Sooo SoCal." Not that I'm suprised since I've often seen Mexicans working in the kitchens of Little Saigon restaurants.

Day 10: Tabbouleh Cravings

"Who gets cravings for tabbouleh?" Cousin Q asked. Evidently, I do. Am I the only one? I prefer Lebanese-style, heavy on the parsley and tomatoes, light on the bulgur and green onions. $4.99 for a huge take-out box that totally hit the spot and lasted me through several meals. I ate other stuff too, of course. Which I'll tell you. Eventually. In slightly more than a week, I ate half a dozen different ethnic cuisines. Yes, this really is how I eat. Wahib's Middle East Restaurant and Bakery 910 E. Main Street Alhambra, CA 91801 626-281-1006 Sunday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. ***** 1 year ago today, I still need to perfect my recipe for Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. More black vinegar, I think.

Grapevine Mediterranean Cuisine - La Verne

Grapevine Mediterranean Cuisine restaurant is a century-old house with a hookah lounge and belly dancing on weekends. Although, it was the first and not the second or third that caused me to dine there.

Actually, the real reason I got lil' sis to dine with me back in March was the lack of dining options in this area and that we had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon.

We went for lunch since prices were slightly cheaper than dinner. We were seated in the patio area. I asked, but there was no seating inside during lunch time. I guess there wasn't much point because the entire time we were there, only one other customer showed up. One. As in, he dined alone.

I don't know how it is during dinnertime, but it seemed like an awfully big, empty space.

Kefta Kebabs (Middle Eastern Ground Meat Kebabs)

So you'd figure that since lil' sis likes meat, she'd like kebabs right? Well, not kefta (ground meat) kebabs because there's parsley and spices and she doesn't like spices. You see what I have to deal with here? Kefta kebabs are Middle Eastern in origin, yet each country has their own variation. According to Global Gourmet, for instance, Turkish kefta kebabs have rice, cinnamon, and all-spice; Kuwaitis add an egg, garlic, and thyme; and Egyptians add rice flour and cumin. Kefta Kebabs (Middle Eastern Ground Meat Kebabs) Adapted from Guilty Carnivore For 4 kebabs, you'll need: About 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef 1 small bunch of parsley, minced (about 1/2 cup) A few sprigs of cilantro, minced 1 small onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 slice of bread, or about 1/4 cup bread crumbs 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground black pepper I'm assuming you know to wash the greens and peel the onion and garlic. :P In a food processor, grind 1 small onion, small bunch of parsley, a few sprigs of cilantro, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 slice of bread or 1/4 cup bread crumbs until finely minced. Dump mixture into bowl of ground beef, add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin and mix by hand until blended. Section the mixture into four parts. Shape each section into a long "sausage"-like shape. Then insert skewers through the center. Grill. Serve with albalu polow (Persian sour cherry rice) or zafarani polow (Persian saffron rice). Enjoy! Who else made kefta kebabs? I adapted this recipe from Guilty Carnivore's recipe.