Shish Kabob, Marietta GA

Shish Kabob

962 Roswell Street, Marietta GA

770-499-7399

(photo from Creative Loafing. I was too mad at Betty to remember to take my own)

I'm about ready to throw my GPS (affectionately named Betty) out the window. She has failed me yet again, trumped by serendipity. As I was driving around Marrieta, searching for Middle Eastern restaurants using keywords such as "gyro" and "falafel" because Betty blatantly LIED to me by insisting that there were none in the area, I stumbled upon this restaurant.

Betty, Betty, Betty. What will I do with you? Is Iran not in the Middle East? Such a kidder you are. Always ready with suggestions such as "Wendy's" or "Shoney's" but you keep the restaurants with actual flavor hidden, all for yourself.

Shish Kabob featured an appetizing buffet of Persian cuisine such as absolutely delicious grilled chicken, yellow rice, chopped cucumber salad, roasted vegetables, and some delicious exotic tasting pudding that I couldn't quite figure out what was in it (something like coconut, mango flavor, and rose water maybe?). Plus, the restaurant had another one of Dineometer Deb's hallmarks of adventure dining: crappy exterior that belies the quality inside.

I can't give it a Dine-o-meter rating yet because I've only been there once, which is really just an excuse to go back.

For Sale:

One heavily used GPS named Betty.

Works but not very well.

Great sense of humor, likes to kid.

Several dents due to being slammed into the dashboard on multiple occasions.

Will let go for cheap. Very, very, cheap.

Cuisines of the Axis of Evil

Here's an excerpt from the intriguingly titled Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations.

"While most folks recognize the power of food to bring people together, I notice most its power to divide. Many religions enshrine various forms of commensalisms, or rules that govern with whom you can eat and with whom you
cannot. In Hinduism, high-caste persons can't eat in the presence of those who are low caste, whose very shadow defiles the former. Many religions specify not only the animals that can be eaten but the ways in which those animals must be killed as a precondition for eating them and the means by which they must be prepared. This can seriously limit the number of people one can eat with."

You can listen to the entire excerpt on NPR's website here.

And here is a link to the authors Amazon blog. Not having posted since August 19th, Chris Fair is coming dangerously close to a knitwithcats award.

Ali Baba's Time Out Deli

Ali Baba's Time Out Deli
Knoxville Tennessee






This is another one of Knoxville's much beloved dining spots. Housed in what looks to be a former roadside motel, with the restaurant in the part of the motel that was the office. The interior is a bit claustrophobic and you will be lucky if you get one of the two tables. Otherwise, you will have to sit on one of the stools by the counter which face the window, giving you a lovely view of the always clogged Kingston Pike traffic. The stools are a bit tall so your feet will dangle uselessly unless you use the one buttock on, one buttock off method with toe touching the floor to ensure stability.

Despite the cramped interior, there always seem to be a constant stream of visitors, chatting with the cook/owner/waiter/etc. behind the counter. After you order your food, you will probably attempt to pay, but we be told to come back when you finish. It's the same man who takes your money as gives you your food, he just refuses let you pay until you have finished eating. So, you sit down, eat, and then go back up to the counter pay. I always find this a bit anxiety provoking. If you have a short attention span and poor memory like me, you will probably spend the entire meal silently reminding yourself to pay before you leave and will have visions of being pulled over by a Knoxville police officer a few blocks down the road. The minute you see the flashing lights, you will think "CRAP! I forgot to pay." Paranoid perhaps but I really would prefer in a restaurant with counter service to get the financial transaction over with so that I can eat with a clear conscience. I think this payment system is a cultural thing as other Middle Eastern restaurants I have been to have a similar set-up.

The menu is full of many deep fried options. But, in addition to hamburgers and fries, are Middle Eastern options such as falafel, hummus, baba ganouj, and the King Solomon Special. They are great at deep frying things and the fast food is good if you are in the mood for that sort of thing. I would suggest trying some of the Middle Eastern options however, because those items are their best work. Not to mention the fact that you can't get things like falafel at other places.


The King Solomon special was a huge portion and enough for leftovers the next night. If I wouldn't have forgotten it in the car for a few days. It wasn't the best dish I have had at Ali Baba's but I did like the tasty marinade on the chicken breast that included jalapenos.

There is also a small selection of groceries available such as tahini, grape leaves, and Mediterranean pickles.



And hookahs!










Dineometer Rating: 70%

Persian Cuisine

House of Kebab
Nashville Tennessee






In recent years there seems to have been an increase in Middle Eastern restaurants in Nashville, with several in the Nolensville Rd, Thompson Rd. area, suggesting an increase in the Middle Eastern population in Tennessee. In fact, Nashville was one of the chosen locations in the United States for the Iraqi elections.

House of Kebab, serving Persian cuisine, has been around for about 10 years and is the first Iranian restaurant that I have ever visited. Iranian food seems to be a healthy cuisine with many grilled meats, fresh herbs, and olive oil.

I think that it is unfortunate that many people may avoid trying House of Kebab because of political views or whatever misconceptions they have about Middle Easterners living in the United States. But that is their loss. They are missing the opportunity to try a healthy and flavorful cuisine.

Click here for the full review.

Adventure Dining Gold, Memphis Tennessee

Jerusalem

Memphis Tennessee

Now this is my kind of restaurant. I happen to see it while driving past and made a sharp left turn, cutting off two lanes of traffic, and was thrilled to see that it was open on a Sunday. My kind of restaurant because the restaurant sign was barely discernible and it is Middle Eastern, which is so hard to find in Tennessee. The restaurant was in the back of a store, set away from the road in a small cluster of stores and not readily apparent to the naked eye. Inside, the signs were all in Arabic—including the no smoking sign—with secondary writing in English underneath. The menu featured all my Middle Eastern favorites such as baba ghanoush, kebabs, and kibbeh. The prices were very reasonable with an order of kibeh for only 2 dollars. The sandwiches were served in pita and baba ghanoush was used instead of mayonnaise, adding to the Middle Eastern flavor.

One mildly odd thing was the fact that this restaurant was also name Jerusalem but was not affiliated with this Jerusalem restaurant in Kansas City, where I had dined only a few weeks ago.

Jerusalem Cafe

Jerusalem Café
Kansas City, MO

Near the University of Missouri at Kansas City, this local chain of three Middle Eastern restaurant serves kabobs, falafel, Turkish coffee, and other traditional dishes in what may be the only of its kind in the area . I tried the lunch buffet option featuring roasted red pepper hummus, a very tender baked and seasoned chicken, gyro served cubed with sautéed vegetables, and a multitude of other dishes. The Jerusalem meatloaf was very similar to traditional US meatloaf. Something new for me were the wild pickles that looked to me like pickled okra but were entirely too sour for my taste. All dishes at Jerusalem Café seem to be fresh and homemade. There are regular menu options as well if you wish to bypass the buffet, and there is an ajoined shop serving wraps with non-middle eastern ingredients such as fajita chicken and Philly beef steak. This restaurant also has a small store which sells middle eastern foods and merchandise such as bottled rose water, dried figs, and elaborate tobacco pipes. Enjoy the large screen satellite TV broadcasting programs from the middle east while you dine.



Dineometer Rating: 80%

Adventure Dining: Chattanooga: Middle Eastern

University Pizza and Deli,
Chattanooga Tennessee

This is one of the few restaurants in the Chattanooga area where Middle Eastern food is served. Since there is a picture on the wall of Palestine, I am going to make the logical leap that the owners are of that ethnicity. I am a fan of the Baba Ghannouge and I think this may be one of the only (if not THE only) place in town to get that (Baba Ghannouge is a roasted eggplant puree with olive oil, garlic, and lemon that is eaten with pita bread). I also love the grilled kebabs served with basmati rice. That said, this restaurant has a few issues. I for one would prefer less grease on the food (such as the rice dishes and eggplant parmesan) even if it is olive oil. The gyro is not the real gyro that is cut from a rotating skewer--which I can almost understand and perhaps even forgive--due to the small order volume. The deserts, while tempting, are not homemade (I am being picky, aren't I). Being near the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the pizza is quite popular although I have not yet tried it.

http://www.dineometer.com/