Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

My colleagues and I convened at Ollie's for a very good dinner and discussion. Dearborn is a hub of Lebanese and Middle Eastern food. Ollie's is located at a mall very near Ford HQ. The bread was excellent: puffy, soft, aromatic. The bread was the perfect platform for these two appetizers: hummus and eggplant. The eggplant had a perfect spicy kick. My salad was coated in a light, flavorful dressing and felt very healthy. My chicken shawarma was very good and plentiful. We ended up with this baklava. It combined wonderful flakiness, honey sweetness, and nutty heartiness.

An afternoon of errands gave me the chance to enjoy a light lunch at Mediterranean Bakery. The bakery is located in that little corner of Chamblee on the east side of I-85. I have been a fan of their breads for a long time but usually don't order anything more substantial. My falafel on pita was fery satisfying and just the right amount of food. I'm not sure of the name of that little pastry but I couldn't resist---it was great.

The university district in Pittsburg is a wonderland of quick food. Small shops sprawl around Forbes Avenue selling pizza, sausages, sushi, gyros, you name it. I stopped by Forbes Gyro for a quick bite. I didn't order ice cream, but I enjoyed their Hershey's Ice Cream display. My falafel was very satisfying. It was cooked as patties rather than little balls, as you can see. The taste was fresh. The texture was crunchy on the outside, soft and rich on the inside.

I landed at Raleigh-Durham to find a brand spanking new terminal, so new that some of the stores haven't yet opened. Given the delays for our flight, I was very much in the mood for lunch. I headed to Neomonde, located in the middle of a lively neighborhood of Middle Eastern restaurants and stores. I ordered the lasagne, which has no pasta. It was made of layers of sliced eggplant and potato, along with cheese and tomato sauce It was delicious and hearty. The baba ganouch was excellent, always a treat that I used to fill the puffed breads. The chick pea salad included a nice kick of parsley and was possibly my favorite of the meal. Of course, I had to try one of their pastries. It was superb: thin layers of pastry, nuts, just the right amount of honey. After I finished my meal, I took a minute to look around the grocery section. It was full of temptations: chocolate covered dates, spices, olive oil.

Food folk gather occasionally to talk about food and life. Several of us gathered at Halal Guys for a good meal. Sometimes keeping things simple makes the experience enjoyable. My falafels were excellent. They were fresh out of the fryer, both crispy and full of flavor. The texture of the chick peas came through nicely as did the herbs.

Roswell Road in Sandy Springs is transforming itself with new apartment complexes and businesses. Zafron is on Howell Mill Road, insulated just a bit from the traffic. The space and service are elegant and gracious as befits good Mediterranean dining. I started with a delicious hummus. The table salad is one of the enjoyable aspects of ordering this dish at a restaurant rather than eating out of a container at lunch time. For my main course, I ordered this eggplant and beef stew. It was very nicely spiced to enhance its savoriness. The result was rich but not heavy.

The Khans and I enjoyed a superb meal at Rumi's Kitchen. I had visited their old location a half-dozen years ago. Their new digs are quite large. Despite this, they provide excellent service and wonderful food. Despite being a crowded Saturday evening, we didn't feel the slightest hint of rush; to the contrary, we were encouraged to take our time and enjoy. The stellar reputation and long lines are well-earned. We started off with the standard bread, cheese, nuts, olives, and herbs... but our waiter suggested the off-menu appetizer assortment. Our eyes popped open as they kept laying these dishes on the table. We tried two kinds of eggplant, hummus, yogurt and cucumbers, spinach and yogurt, and something else I can't remember (it was a long meal). Everything was outstanding. I really canpt pick a favorite. This is sumac (I think, still a long meal). Our waiter recommended that we sprinkle it on meats, explaining that it highlighted their taste and improved ...

Falafel King is an Emory institution. It's located across the street from campus on the Emory traffic circle. I finally made it there for a satisfying lunch. But I didn't realize that they now serve sushi as well... As you can see from the menu, they aren't joking about this sushi thing. But I guess I will have to make another trip to try that side of the menu. I ordered the falafel plate. The star of the show is crispily fried---quite crisp in fact---but pretty good. The grape leaf rolls were a nice complement. The spices on all the dishes were quite mild. The bread is very puffy and served pleasantly warm.

Falafel's Drive In is a San Jose institution that has also received national media attention. And it's easy to see why. Not only is the food great, but where else can you get great middle Eastern food with old fashioned drive-in atmosphere? Here is the business end of the menu. They also have a variety of other items, including the usual hot dogs, etc. I must say that the banana shake was very tempting but I haven't been good enough lately to justify that treat. I ordered the falafel salad. The lettuce and tomato salad comes with a tahini dressing that is light but pretty tasty. It is chock full of falafels. Break into one and you see an incredibly green interior, which I take as an indication of the quality of the ingredients. The outside of each is crispy, the inside is soft and tender. Great stuff.

I had a great lunch at Hovan Mediterranean in Brookhaven. It's an uncomplicated place to eat---go to the counter, order what you like, and enjoy. But their menu goes beyond lunch to include dinner items as well as a selection of beers and wines. I ordered the falafel sandwich with a Greek salad. The falafels were made by hand based on my order---they couldn't be fresher. Everything about my sandwich was extremely fresh and enjoyable. The salad was also excellent. And it's a real Greek salad! Greeks, who call this salad "Mother's salad," would be perplexed if they saw the pile of lettuce and feta that passes for a Greek salad in the U. S.

The Incrediball Falafel food truck came to my neighborhood. The owner explained to me that he has been on the road for about three years. His truck is equipped with a falafel machine (who knew?) and the falafel comes out fast and fresh. My falafel and a cucumber and tomato salad was wrapped in a very tender, pillowy pita. The falafel was, indeed, outstanding. The salad was a great complement, moist and tasty but not goopy or overwhelming. The owner gave me a mint lemonade to try---the mint was a great addition to the lemonade. I think that neighborhood food truck visits are a great idea. There's no reason why only a few parts of town should have a monopoly on fresh, interesting, relatively inexpensive food. Let's hope that the food trucks continue to come to both my neighborhood and yours.

Mohammad and I enjoyed a lunch at Oasis Grill across from the Moscone Center. We managed to beat the lunch crowd. But by the time we had finished, the line was out the door. I ordered a veggie sampler. The falafel was superb with a great crunch on the outside and great flavor. The cucumber and yogurt dish was another particular favorite of mine. The hummus was very good. Mohammad ordered a wrap, which he declared a winner.

Moin and I convened our latest technical discussion at Kabob Land. It's located at Piedmont and Peachtree just across from Bones. The space has a lot of outdoor covered seating, New York style as Moin pointed out. The service was very friendly and helpful. Moin tried the beef shawarma; I had chicken koobideh. We agreed that the meat was excellent, very juicy with lots of flavor. Mine came with two sauces. I'm not sure what the white sauce was but it was fairly mild. The greenish sauce was much spicer---great stuff. Overall, a very enjoyable lunch.