28. Ya Hala - Lebanese cuisine,1/15/11

It has been a while since you have heard from me…I believe it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. I better get busy as I feel like I am falling behind a little so today I knocked two more items off my list…#28 and #29.



On my list is to try some different cuisines and today an old friend, my best friend from high school, Kathy, took me to Ya Hala, a Lebanese restaurant whose name is an Arabic expression for "welcome." Kathy explained to the server that this was my first time ever for Lebanese food and asked for her menu suggestions for some of the most authentic cuisine. After she gave us the explanation of the different foods, I decided that since Kathy had both eaten Lebanese food and had been to Ya Hala before, that I would defer to her choices. She made some wonderful selections:

We ordered the Veggie Mezza for a fun sampling of several items. It was all I could do to keep myself from embarrassment by not wiping up the Homous and Baba Ghanouj with the fresh-made Pita bread. The Homous had a rich creamy texture you would never find in a store-bought brand. The Pita bread was fresh and warm, handmade pockets of bread.

Homous: Garbanzo beans mashed with fresh garlic, lemon juice, and tahini.

Baba Ghanouj: Fire-roasted eggplants that have a smoky flavor, fresh garlic, tahini, and lemon juice.

Stuffed Grape Leaves: Hand chopped parsley, onions, tomatoes, rice, and spices, hand-wrapped in truly tender grape leaves and served chilled.

Tabouli: Nutritious bulgar wheat, fresh, hand-chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil; all graced with a touch of refreshing mint.

Falafel: Balls of garbanzo and fava beans ground up and mixed with fresh onions, cilantro, parsley, and spices and then quickly deep-fried. Served with tahini sauce.

Aranabeet: Cauliflower florets, quickly deep-fried in olive oil, toweled dry, and served with tahini.

Artichoke Hearts: Imported artichokes receive quite a bit of preparation. They braise them, saute the hearts, and then stuff them with either ground beef, onions, and pine nuts or a delicious melange of carrots, potatoes, squash, and onions. Choose a garlic cream sauce or, as the vegan customers prefer, chef’s fresh tomato onion sauce served with basmati rice.

While it was fun to give my palate a taste of something new – and the food was truly wonderful – it was a wonderful day spending time, reconnecting with a dear friend.