Phara's Mediterranean Cuisine

Recently I met some friends for dinner at Phara's. Although the restaurant interior is small and dark, it opens onto a large, beautifully decorated patio courtyard, which is where we dined. 

I had the mezze sampler plate, which came with dolmades, tabouli, baba ganoush, hummus, yogurt, and pita bread.  My friend Carey ordered the sampler as well, and we both noticed that the baba ganoush and tabouli both had a slightly sweet, spicy flavor...maybe cinnamon or nutmeg. The hummus was absolutely one of the best I've ever tasted, thick and full of flavor.

A talented belly dancer came out to the courtyard a couple of different times to entertain us. I kind of want to take a belly dancing class now. It looks fun! 

As the sun set, the Moroccan lamps and multicolored Christmas lights strung everywhere created a beautiful, serene atmosphere.

I had only dined at Phara's once before, years ago when it was called by a different name. Tonight's meal showed me that I definitely need to return again soon!

Shandeez

Today we had lunch at Shandeez. It's located in a nondescript strip mall that I've driven past several times. When I saw a Groupon for the restaurant, I decided we should try it out.

 

We started with some baba ganoush and pita bread.

 

 

Hummus, too.

 

I had the choose-your-own vegetarian sampler with kashk-o-bademjan (eggplant with yogurt, mint, onion and saffran), dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with lemony rice) with yogurt, falafel patties, and tabouli. The tabouli was served in layers -- bulgur on the bottom, followed by tons of parsley, then tomato, then red onion. This presented a problem because it was served in a tiny bowl, making it impossible to combine the ingredients without spilling them all over the place. I thought it was funny. Aside from the odd deconstructed tabouli, everything tasted pretty good. I wouldn't say it's the best Middle Eastern food in town, but it was a fine lunch.

 

Afterwards we took the kids to the bookstore. The train set in the kids' section has been such a godsend for us this summer. Anytime we needed to get out of the house for an hour, but it was too hot to go to a park, this is where we found ourselves.

 

 

The books are fun, too!

 

 

Restaurant Review - Zorona

Yesterday, the kids and I were stuck inside due to the nasty weather. I was having one of those "hungry days" where I could never eat enough to feel full. And for some reason, every time we emailed each other during the day, Tony and I brought up restaurants -- our all-time favorites, as well as new ones we'd like to try. So of course, when Tony got off work a little early, I was quick to suggest getting out of the house and going out to eat, and he immediately agreed.

We chose Zorona, a Jordanian restaurant we had dined at a couple of times previously. They have a great deal where you can pick five items for $9.99, with plenty of vegan options.

We started with velvety, rich hummus and pita, which Jackson mostly commandeered for himself.

Olivia loved the Middle Eastern music that was playing. She practiced her belly dancing while we waited for our food.

Tony had the unsettling feeling that he was being watched.

When our food arrived, we dug in and cleaned our plates. I had baba ganoush, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, fava beans, and falafel. 

There are different kinds of stuffed grape leaves, known as dolmas or dolmades. Some are filled with lemon rice, and some have rice with a tomato-cinnamon sauce. Oh, and some contain ground beef, so it's a good idea to ask before biting into one! Zorona serves the kind with lemon rice, a.k.a. the best kind.

Olivia ate almost all the fava beans.When I would stop feeding her to take a bite of my own, she would grab at my arm with her little hands and try to push my spoon back towards the fava beans! It always surprises me what kids like eating if you just offer it to them. With a full tummy, she contentedly fell asleep in the car on the way home.  And my tummy felt full at last, too.