‘lebanese’


Rocking Falafel at Falafel Arax

March 20th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Strip mall eating!

As an unvegan, I usually shy away from falafel. It’s not veggie-based, but it’s also not meat and I would typically rather fill my stomach with schwarma when I have the opportunity. Yet, in heading out to Falafel Arax, I had heard they had the best falafel in the land of Los Angeles and I knew I would end up getting some. The place resides in a little corner strip mall in a strange part of town east of Hollywood that I usually wouldn’t find myself in, but the temptation of having amazing Lebanese falafel was enough to get me there. Oh, and before I go any further, I should mention they are cash only. With that said, let’s get on to the food. Continue Reading»


Mantee, not Manatee

December 5th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Yes, I would like meat in my hummos.

When my buddy recommended heading to a place called Mantee in Studio City, I was really excited to eat a sea cow and hoped the manatees were farm-raised (because we all know they are endangered in the wild).  But he quickly corrected me, saying that the restaurant was lacking that all-important second “a” and was actually Mediterranean.  And one look at the menu showed this was not your typical Mediterranean.  There were no schwarma wraps to be seen here and instead items like that were replaced by unique Lebanese, Turkish and Armenian delights. Continue Reading»


The Ultimate Shawarma at Sunnin Cafe

September 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Fit for a king.  Or sheik.  Or whatever.

Fit for a king. Or sheik. Or whatever.

In the quest to finally find some good schwarma in LA, I made my way to a little Lebanese place called Sunnin Cafe.  I have fond memories of delicious Lebanese food back in Michigan, so I hoped that this place would be at least a little awesome.  Getting there was a little confusing, though, as it appeared as though there were two Sunnins, right across the street from each other.  On further inspection, it looked like the larger of the two is unopened and the small place will be moving in there soon.

The inside of the little cafe gave the appearance of a generic diner.  There were seats

Mmm spinning meat.

Mmm spinning meat.

at a counter and no more than ten small tables.  The big difference, though, was the strong smell of the Middle East and the rotating spool of meat where a deep-fryer might typically belong.  I also loved that they made no effort to hide the fact that the cooks were Hispanic.  It’s a pretty widely known fact that kitchens of ethnic restaurants all over LA are filled with Hispanics, despite the fact that waiters and such fit into the ethnicity.  It was refreshing to see that Sunnin didn’t hide that aspect of their business.

We ordered some “hommos” (love the spelling) to start things off.  Continue Reading»


Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

Continue Reading»