Baklava Blizzard at Work!

The first week back to work from the holidays was sweetened with Middle Eastern treats.  It was as if the office had had some kind of storm while we were away of phyllo and pistachio sweets.  We had boxes and plates of this stuff around, provided by visitors to our department.  I'd not predicted such a sweet forecast upon returning to work!

Ossmalleya with pistachio

Well. 

Crazy about Middle Eastern food (eg I am a baba ghanoush and hummus addict), I jumped on the photo and tasting opportunities...

Ballourie with crushed pistachio

These gorgeous treats came from two sources: Shatila, a bakery in Dearborn, Michigan, and Abdul Rahman Hallab & Sons, a bakery in Lebanon (bottom half of post, pictured with paper).

Burrma 

These photos are closeups making the sweets look bigger than they are. They are, on average about an inch-and-a-half around, I'd say. 

Burrma with a different kind of nut center.

The package from Shatila contained a small bag of minced pistachio, which--it is a shame--sat in the corner of the box unused.  You are supposed to sprinkle that on top of the treats.  Ignorant, and guilty as charged.  The bit of green would have looked lovely atop Mini Roses, below:

"Mini Roses"

Many of them contain nuts, and have a distinct butter flavor.  As a munch-bound co-worker pointed out, even in these bite-sized pieces, you can totally taste the butter.  Many of the sweets are also flavored delicately with rosewater.   

Finger

"Finger" was one of my favorites.  Layers of delicate Phyllo lightly sweetened with syrup.  It's like baklava, but not as dense or heavy. (Yes, I am on a sugar high, but I am consciously changing up the spellings of these desserts to reflect the regions they came from.)

Abdul Rahman Hallab & Sons' Barma (Lebanese version)

The pistachio barma from Abdul Rahman Hallab had chunks of pistachio in it, and had a toasted, crispy outside.  The pastry seemed held together by a honey goo.  But it was hardly sweet at all. 

Barma, another variety.

This nuts in this barma I think were almonds (slivered).  This one too was hardly sweet.
 

What's light as a feather, oily to the touch, and super flaky?

Baklava

Baklawa from Abdul Rahman Hallab was my favorite of all. Like Shatila's "Finger," it reminded me of the baklava (or baklawa) you see in Middle Eastern restaurants in the US, but without the syrupy heaviness.

Having been bombed with chocolate cookies, biscuits and chocolate-covered fruit before Christmas, and now this...I can't fathom how we will get through the rest of January, and the dark and rainy months of February and March without these special treats...

Mediterranean Wraps

433 S. California Ave

Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 321-8189
http://www.kanzeman.com/medwraps

Reviewed 10/28/2008

I used to love Med Wraps. The word shawarma would set off a flight-or-fight response that screamed: destination Med Wraps.

But now that I've tried other Middle Eastern places, the sympathetic NS says: destination Elsewhere.

This place is good for fast food. It's well priced and quick and the service is delightful. Also the men preparing the food always look like they are enjoying themselves, and the owners care about the customers. This has been the case for years.

But the tabbouleh is consistently too lemony, the humus a bit bland, and tonight the dolma was filled with mush. It was like porridge inside. And the bread is just, well, you could get it from Safeway.

Falafel is the best offering of what I have tried. Actually the chicken shawarma is (or used to be) good too.

I like the festive, inviting and casual and I'd keep going with some improvements in But for now, I‘d rather get my Mediterranean cravings elsewhere. :(

Sultana

1149 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650) 322-4343
www.thesultana.net

Reviewed 7/12/2008

Think: creamy and thick... I think I may have found my Middle Eastern restaurant--in Silicon Valley anyway. Definitely on the Peninsula.

All the offerings on my veggie combo plate, except of course for the tabbouleh and dolma, were thick and creamy...and delightful. They could call their plate Turkish Delights but of course that might cause confusion. But each offering on that plate was a treat, like the candy.

I can't give it top billing yet since I just got take-out. But I'll gladly give it another star if I continue to enjoy my experiences there, as I did eating out of my Styrofoam container.

So on this day, a mediocre hummus would have satisfied me given the intense craving I was having. Instead I had possibly the best hummus and babaganoush I have tasted short of the kind my Lebanese-raised friend, G, makes. Dolma too. And throw in the tabbouleh.

I can't tell you how often I will order this combo elsewhere and it is too lemony, or salty, and I need a fire hydrant to cool my throat. But I'll order it anyway because I am too lazy to make it myself and I am howling for this stuff. But it looks like I no longer have to settle!

It was my first time trying ezme, which is described as "blended fresh tomatoes, onion walnut, and spices." I would call it a creamy spread the color of roasted pepper soup. It's slightly sweet and a little tangy. And then after you decide you like it, it kicks you in the back of the throat. Ditto for kizartma, which reminded me of ratatouille topped with yogurt. LOVED it.

This place is potentially habit-forming. I feel an addiction coming on.

I want to try the lavash wraps and the lentil soup that I have heard much about.

Will Sultana become the Sultan of my Middle Eastern restaurant options? To be continued, because I will be coming back here.

Zaytoon

209 E Canon Perdido St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 963-1293

Reviewed June 26, 2009

This place is preening with charm.

Fireplaces, waterfalls, adorable lighting, indoor and alfresco options, pretty flowers, and gorgeous food.

Lighting inside

Plus the food is yummy. Three of us shared the Vegetarian Feast, which was just the right portion for three reasonably-hungry-but-not-famished adults.

Inside

Faves:
Labneh- creamy and thick
Hummus- wonderful smoked flavor
Tabbouleh--almost entirely parsley--delicious

Service was reasonable. I didn't get any eye contact, but that could have been because I was with The Good-Looking Couple. It was, at least, efficient.

Our bread basket caught on fire, so watch the flames.

And if you sit by the mini-waterfall, make sure your hearing is good so you can hear the dinner conversation.