The Best Lamb of Our Lives: Zahav

When we're traveling, I like to try things that I can't get at home.  Mrs. Beagle and Laptop both recommended that we go to Zahav for our anniversary dinner in Philadelphia.  I was sold as soon as I learned it was an Israeli restaurant.  I think this may have been my first full Israeli meal ever, and I'm not aware of anything comparable in Los Angeles right now.  Readers, are you?

It is dark at Zahav.  Really, really, really dark.  It was so dark that we requested an ever-so-slightly better lit table in a feeble attempt to aid my photography.

We chose to do the Mesibah, described as a "party time" menu with "limited availability."  It is apparently "the ultimate Zahav experience."  For just $48 per person, you get "a full tour of the menu" below.

Salatim -- a selection of salads.

It's like banchan, Israeli-style!  Well, except there weren't unlimited refills by Korean ladies.

Hummus with laffa.

Outstanding hummus.  I could eat it by the spoonful.

Amuse bouche.

A bacon-like bite with hot mustard.  Yum.

Crispy haloumi, peach-amba puree, local corn, almonds.

Fried cheese!  Yes, please!

Fried cauliflower, labaneh with chive, dill, mint, and garlic.

This is how you make veggies tasty.

Roasted zucchini, Kashkaval cheese, hazelnuts, anchovy.

No, really, they don't mess around when it comes to vegetables here.  Fabulous.

Whole-roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate and chickpeas over crispy Persian rice.

While our meal at Graffiato was my favorite meal of the weekend, my favorite singular dish of the weekend was this one.  It completely blew us away.  It was the best lamb of our lives.

People.  People!  Did you read that?  The! Best! Lamb! Of! Our! Lives!

And it was gigantic.  We felt like we ate our own weight in delectable, crisp, tender, juicy lamb, and yet there was still at least half of a humongous mountain left on the plate.  Not to mention, the bed of crispy rice was crazy good, too.  I wish I could've hauled the remains all the way back to Los Angeles.  Seriously.

It was so phenomenal that we just had to ask our server how it was prepared.  First, the lamb is whole-roasted.  Second, it is grilled over coals.  Third, it is braised in pomegranate juice.  There are probably other steps, but the entire labor-intensive process takes three days.  Three days!  No wonder this lamb was so incredible!

Chocolate almond cigars, chocolate mousse, stewed cherries.

Aww, look at the candle for our anniversary!  This was perfect for a chocolate lover (i.e., not me), but the bite I had was rich, dark, slightly tart, and lovely.

Vanilla semifreddo, pistachio cookie, strawberry, blueberry.

Now this was perfect for me!  My favorite base ice cream flavor!  My favorite nut in cookie form!  And berries to which I'm not allergic!  Woohoo!

Zahav met and exceeded our fairly high expectations.  I will dream fondly of that lamb.  If you're ever in Philadelphia, you should make your lamb dreams come true.

Quick, Cheap, and Tasty: The Kebab Shop

The Kebab Shop rocks.  It's fast.  It's affordable.  It's tasty.

Our chicken and lamb doner kebabs ($6.79 each) were both juicy, flavorful, and portable.  Great meal on the go!

Afghan Near the Andaz: Chopahn

Chopahn is an Afghan restaurant just steps away from the Andaz Hotel, so we gave it a go.  We were quite pleased with our dinner.

I'd recommend this restaurant to anybody up for something a little different in San Diego.

We opted to share one $35 three-course dinner (soup, entree, dessert), some appetizers, and one additional entree.

Sambosa -- fried pastries filled with ground beef and chickpeas ($7.95).
Aushak -- steamed dumplings filled with leeks and spring onions topped with yogurt, meat sauce, and mint ($6.95).
Mantu -- steamed dumplings filled with chopped beef, herbs, and onions topped with yogurt and sauteed mixed vegetables ($6.95).

A delicious appetizer assortment!  Spice party in your mouth!

Aush -- chicken-based vegetable soup with noodles, yogurt, meat sauce, dill.

Like a soup version of our appetizers.  Nice on a cold night.

Saffron salmon and shrimp -- charbroiled salmon and sauteed jumbo shrimp with saffron sauce, asparagus, and white basmati rice.

Light and bright.  Good for you health.  Good for your tastebuds.

Quabili pallaw -- seasoned pieces of lamb under a mound of delicately seasoned browned basmati rice topped with carrot and raisins ($18.95).

Fantastic sweet and savory mix.  The lamb was so rich and tender.

Firnee -- light pudding with cardamom, slivered almonds, and pistachios.

I love kheer, so I knew I was going to love this, too.  Sweet but not too sweet.

Chopahn serves delicious food with a smile.  You'll leave with one as a result.

Tasty Enough: TastyMeat

According to its signage, TastyMeat serves Turkish-style wraps, falafel, and more.


The signage also boasts that this is delicious meat. It was probably closer to decent. Not bad at all but certainly nothing special.

Grilled cheese with meat ($3, add $1 for meat) -- pita with Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled with butter.


The Chickwich ($6 for 8", $8 for 12") -- chicken shawarma, Romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, red onions, tzatziki, feta, and tahini.

The Bamwich ($6 for 8", $8 for 12") -- mixed beef and lamb shawarma, Romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, red onions, tzatziki, feta, and tahini.

The grilled cheese was my favorite, but most people could probably make it pretty easily at home. The other two sandwiches were tasty enough, but it's nothing that you can't get at any ordinary Middle Eastern eatery.

Scrumptious Shawerma: Babylon Cafe

Babylon Cafe (716 Robson Street, Vancouver) can barely fit a half dozen people in line.

But the wraps certainly pack a punch.

We walked over to the nearby Vancouver Art Gallery.

We made ourselves comfy on the steps and dug into our sandwiches.

Chicken shawerma wrap and beef shawerma wrap (CAN $5.70 each).

Are these shawerma wraps luscious or what? Such a great lunch on the go.

Spices and Low Prices: Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant

My good friend Little Chief had a baby only two weeks before we came to New York City -- not exactly the best time for a dinner out! We picked up some grub to go from Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant, one of Little Chief's favorite places.

This is one of three locations. It's small, efficient, and just as good as I remembered it. The last time I had Mamoun's was back in 2004 when I was in trial in New Haven, Connecticut.

To remember the way something tastes six years later? That's special.

At Little Chief's awesome pad, we plowed through a pile of pita pockets packed with shawarma ($5.00), chicken kebab ($5.00), and falafel ($2.50). Seasoned meat and chickpeas, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and Tahini sauce galore!


The flavors were nearly as delicious as the prices, which were almost as awesome as catching up with old friends and meeting their perfect little new son.

After a great evening with good friends, we hopped on the subway.

The night was young. There were still adventures to be had.