Baba Ghanoush! Baba Ghanoush!

I had brunch at Open Sesame today with 10Years, CBB, Y_L, KP, Nessdogg, starlily313, and JD2B. The decor was rich and colorful with a dash of kitsch.

I love watching huge chunks of meat spin.

Open Sesame adds mint to a number of its drinks, even to my Arnold Palmer. Nice touch. Refreshing. And I don't even dig mint that much.

We started with some hummus and baba ghanoush for the table. Yummers.


CBB had the chicken shawarma plate, which included tender thinly sliced marinated chicken, served with hummus, garlic sauce, wild cucumber pickles, pita, and a choice of salad.

I had a bite of CBB's chicken and garlic sauce. Pretty awesome.

I opted for the kafta pita, which was a charbroiled skewer of ground beef and lamb mixed with parsley, onion, and Lebanese spices rolled in a pita with hummus, parsley, onion, and sumac.


It was like happiness in my hand. Delicious. Please pay no attention to the fact that it looks like I'm holding poo in a pita. Best damn poo in a pita I've ever eaten.

More deliciousness -- CBB's Marc Jacobs' wallet.

I think everybody was quite pleased with their meals.

After brunch, we strolled down the block to get something refreshing for dessert. On our way, we ran into 10Years' secret side business -- a bikini store.

And then we reached our destination. Mmm.

Yogurt in hand, we walked along 2nd Street, chatting and enjoying the sun. We saw some kittens for adoption.

We went into this store, among others, briefly.

Then I got a call from my dad. It was about his sister-in-law. It was sort of urgent but not super-duper-right-this-moment-urgent. I told him I'd call him back in an hour. After walking around for a bit more, I decided I should go home to call my dad, so I bid my buddies adieu.

I had such a wonderful time. It was especially nice to meet starlily313 and JD2B. Thank you all for coming!

More Lebanese, Please

A few co-workers and I had lunch at Wahib's Middle East Restaurant today.

The owners are from Lebanon, but the restaurant offers a number of different delicacies from the Middle Eastern region, as you might guess from the name.

The hummus for the table was delicious and steeped with fresh garlic, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes and laden with the ideal amount of extra virgin olive oil.

Even my salad was fairly spiced for salad.

My fish of the day was fantastic -- lightly pan-fried to perfection on a bed of rice and seasoned diced onions with a side of tasty beans.

Service is fast and friendly. Great for a not-too-long lunch on a workday.

Big Bad Movies and Cheap Armenian Chicken

We spent 7.5 hours in a movie theater today. That period of time included three bad blockbusters and an emergency evacuation.

Yes, evacuation.

You see, when somebody burns popcorn at work, you simply endure a nasty smell. When somebody burns popcorn at a movie theater, you're forced to leave the building.

Thankfully that was it.

A bit of humor for you -- while people sauntered out nonchalantly in response to the whooping siren and flashing lights, they ran and trampled each other to get back to their original seats.

Yeah, we ran, too.

There's not that much to say about the movies. I'll be brief.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Very much like the first three Indy films. Seeing as how it has been a whopping 19 years since the last flick, this is not a good thing. Like all Indy films, the plot was ridiculous, the bad guys horribly stereotyped, and the dialogue absurd. I felt bad for Cate Blanchett and her Mia-Wallace-from-Pulp-Fiction wig. But Shia LaBeouf was surprisingly good, notwithstanding his stupid hair and even stupider lines.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Ugh! So bad! And so very very sad in light of the fact that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was actually quite wonderful. Not enough whimsy. Not enough magic. Just...not enough.

Speed Racer: Nevermind that the logo looks like Burger King, this movie wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I'm not saying that it was good, but at least it was visually engaging and interesting. It was like watching real people inside of a video game. On acid. Or so I would imagine, not ever having actually dropped acid.

Around 9:30 p.m., we emerged from the darkness and drove to Zankou Chicken to grab some take-out. If you've never been to Zankou, I feel sorry for you and the rock under which you've been living.

Zankou boasts that it is "the best chicken in town at any price: moist, juicy and fragrant." I don't disagree. However, while most people go for full or half chickens accompanied by pita, this lazy Monkey prefers getting her wraps made for her.

Chicken Tarna Wrap (grilled chicken with garlic sauce and tomatoes).

Tri-Tip Shawerma Wrap (grilled steak with sesame sauce and tomatoes).

Falafel Wrap (falafel with lettuce, tomatoes, and sesame sauce).

Each wrap was $4.99 and delicious. The Monkeys find that sharing three is perfect.