Falafel is nearly ubiquitous in the Holy Land. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim it as their own, not unlike the land itself. The truth may be different—the deep-fried balls of chickpea and fava bean dough were probably first made in Egypt—but it’s unlikely there’s any better … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: A taste of the Middle East in the College Area
Maybe I should have known or at least suspected. Middle Eastern restaurants in lightly retrofitted chain spots are hardly unusual, sure. And the light-box pole-top sign depicting a vaguely Arabic castle inside a walled city added little to the equation. But it was the other sign … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: A Lebanese take on drinking food at La Miche Kabobgee
No one truly knows whether Russia’s Tsar Nicholas I, in fact, referred to the Ottoman Empire as the “Sick Man of Europe.” But three things are certain: (1) that sick man liked to drink; (2) he liked to eat, and; (3) when that sick man died, he left behind the meze (or “mezze”) he … [Read more...]
WORLD FARE: Ishtar Restaurant: fighting ISIS one falafel at a time
There was once an old Vietnam-era slogan on posters, buttons, bumper stickers and T-shirts. Today it would, no doubt, be a ubiquitous Facebook meme: Join the Army; travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them. It had resonance because it … [Read more...]
SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT FOOD ISSUE: Best-kept-secret ethnic eateries
The types of places featured on Guy Fieri’s Food Network show, Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, are generally not the restaurants I want to frequent. As I’ve observed in the past, “What makes [the show] work is the sense it highlights examples of a mythical ‘authentic American … [Read more...]
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