Is this the best Middle Eastern Restaurant in Los Angeles? The best I've ever eaten at? Tough call, of course, but this place definitely makes the running. So what do I like so much about this place? What makes it, as I am increasingly coming to believe, better than all the rest?
First off, let me give the disclaimer outright: I've never been to Lebanon, I've never had the real deal, nor have been lucky enough to learn the ways of a wonderful Lebanese mother. Fine, trash me, dog me, call me a fake out of touch with the real cuisine of Lebanon having an opinion indebted to replication and imitation. So be it. But Skaf's is what I imagine Lebanon being like . . . I mean, minus it being tucked away in a mini-mall in North Hollywood next to an AA depository. But, hey, it's the inside that counts, right? Well, with Skaf's the inside better count.
First off, let me give the disclaimer outright: I've never been to Lebanon, I've never had the real deal, nor have been lucky enough to learn the ways of a wonderful Lebanese mother. Fine, trash me, dog me, call me a fake out of touch with the real cuisine of Lebanon having an opinion indebted to replication and imitation. So be it. But Skaf's is what I imagine Lebanon being like . . . I mean, minus it being tucked away in a mini-mall in North Hollywood next to an AA depository. But, hey, it's the inside that counts, right? Well, with Skaf's the inside better count.
I'm not going to lie: the first time I was taken here I had my reservations. Ugh, another mini mall. What went wrong in the Valley? Who thought this jam-packed mini-mall with six parking spots was a good idea? Where did this mini mall craze come from? Oh, did I mention the pounding heat and rehabilitationoids prowling around?
Ok, enough of the grungy outside. I mean, if all else fails, there's always a Wienershnitzel down the street.
And this is what I truly imagine Lebanon being like . . . stuck in the 1970's, the tile on the floor and pictures on the walls promoting tourism to a place very few Americans visit. It's kind of like a time warp in here, the owner and family taking orders, the businessmen-and-women laughing, eating, having a good time, relaxing on lunch break from work, seemingly miles from any substantial amount of business. Speaking in all sorts of tongues, the people here are having a great time, despite the ganglia outside. Did I mention a soccer game is on? It seems fun, and at the least, captivating: maybe that's why everybody's so happy. It's got to be the food too, I mean, that has to be the root of the joy, right?
Ah, Skaf's. Mr. Skaf comes to take my order—chicken shwarma plate, with all the fixins . . . and throw a beef shwarma wrap in their too—and I walk over to the cooler to grab a Mexican Coke for myself. Now just sit and wait, glancing now and then at the TV, elbows on the wobbly table.
Within a few minutes things starts to arrive. Cabbage salad first, then hummus and warm pita.
Simply, this is the best hummus. At least the best hummus I've ever had. Friend Randy Clemens (with a fantastic tattoo might I add--email him and ask about it) seems to agree: http://www.lamag.com/eat/article.aspx?id=8188. And I'll have to agree with him about what makes the hummus so delicious. . . it is so perfectly laden with lemon, the spritely citrus acidity and the sharpness of the garlic wonderfully accompany the smokiness of the paprika, the mildness of the chickpeas, and the fruitiness of the olive oil they dollop right in the center. For Randy's (see link above), they even adorn the center with cooked chickpeas. Wonderful.
Without much waiting, the rest of the food comes. Mm, chicken shwarma, crispy and succulent, perfectly seasoned . . . and beef shwarma, wrapped in warm pita with hummus and pickled turnips inside.
The beef sharma is just as delicious, more aromatic with spices, but just as perfectly paired with the hummus and turnips.
With the chicken, I make my own wrap, stuffing the pocket of the pita with hummus, garlic sauce, tahini, tomato, rice, cabbage salad, onion, pickled turnips, and chicken. Without exaggeration, this is a heavenly combination, encompassing pretty much everything I love in a meal . . . the juiciness of the meat,the perfect blend of spices,the best spreads in the world, perfectly pickled and dressed vegetables. . . .
And, of course, a little dessert. What else but baklava? They have wonderful baklava here, barely kissed with an essence of rose, judiciously sprinkled with pistachios, the honey and dough melding together as if they had been created to be as one.
Without much waiting, the rest of the food comes. Mm, chicken shwarma, crispy and succulent, perfectly seasoned . . . and beef shwarma, wrapped in warm pita with hummus and pickled turnips inside.
The beef sharma is just as delicious, more aromatic with spices, but just as perfectly paired with the hummus and turnips.
With the chicken, I make my own wrap, stuffing the pocket of the pita with hummus, garlic sauce, tahini, tomato, rice, cabbage salad, onion, pickled turnips, and chicken. Without exaggeration, this is a heavenly combination, encompassing pretty much everything I love in a meal . . . the juiciness of the meat,the perfect blend of spices,the best spreads in the world, perfectly pickled and dressed vegetables. . . .
And, of course, a little dessert. What else but baklava? They have wonderful baklava here, barely kissed with an essence of rose, judiciously sprinkled with pistachios, the honey and dough melding together as if they had been created to be as one.
The whole meal, with tax and tip, came to $22. Simply an incredible meal at an incredible price.
If I had to pick my last supper meal, the last meal I would eat on this Earth, I think this would be it. This chicken shwarma plate, and only this plate, here at Skaf's, brings me joy time and time again. Thank you Skaf's, Thank you.
My attempt at making an even better hummus: coming soon.
Additional links:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/skafs-grill-north-hollywood
http://www.sporq.com/northhollywood/skafsgrill/6008laurelcanyonblvd
If I had to pick my last supper meal, the last meal I would eat on this Earth, I think this would be it. This chicken shwarma plate, and only this plate, here at Skaf's, brings me joy time and time again. Thank you Skaf's, Thank you.
My attempt at making an even better hummus: coming soon.
Additional links:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/skafs-grill-north-hollywood
http://www.sporq.com/northhollywood/skafsgrill/6008laurelcanyonblvd
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