Any good Middle Eastern restaurants/bakeries?? (Phoenix: neighborhoods, school, live)

[Sunvixen]

Don't tell anybody, but...

ALL HOCKEY PLAYERS EAT RAW KIBBEE

[nicest2]

Originally Posted by Sunvixen

Don't tell anybody, but...

ALL HOCKEY PLAYERS EAT RAW KIBBEE

I was born Lebanese, ate lebanese food all my life, went to Lebanon and marriied a Lebanese girl, brought her here and taught her the preparatiion of lebanese food, and eat lebanese food each and every day. I very seldom go to a lebanese restaurant to eat, but why would I buy lebanese food when we can cook it home. I was born in Detroit, shopped each and every saturday in dearborn, bought all my groceries there, and by the way, the restaurant on Michigan and Schaeffer was called la Shiish and they have all gone under. I now live iin Phoenix and shop for my groceriies at Baiz Market at 20th and van buren. They are as close to Dearborn as you will get. And, they are from dearborn and they know how the food is supposed to taste. Although there prices are very very high, the people are payiing it and they stay in business. They are very rude people and they like to add items on the bill if you dont watch them at check out, but they do make the best pita bread just like yasmeen and golden. I will be oopening a new lebanese restaurant in gilbert, by next year and wiill be serviing only lebanese food and no greek or other food, we will keep you iinformed.

[Lovehound]

Welcome to City Data Nicest2! (first post above)

I was wondering why nobody mentioned making their own raw kibbee. I'd never heard of it but I googled this recipe and it looks okay to me, not that difficult to prepare. I'm an amateur chef so perhaps others might not have the same willingness to go to the effort of making their own food. I enjoy cooking my own food more than 6 days a week on average, although don't have the temperament to become a professional.

Kibbee has raw lamb (or beef according to the recipe) bulgur wheat, onion, minced mint, spices and olive oil. You start out with the raw meat and remove every last trace of fat until only meat is left, grind it, add the ingredients and mix, grind again, then grind a third time according to the recipe. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then mix one final time.

I'd try it if I could get raw lamb that I respected enough to consider eating raw, but I don't think I could ever find lamb that fresh. I've had raw oxen (in Amsterdam) but it's marinated many hours and the marinade actually cooks it chemically, sort of like Mexican ceviche which is raw fish chemically cooked in lemon and lime juice. The comment earlier in this thread comparing kibbee to steak tartare is as close as you could get, at least in my experience.

It's not like Japanese sushi or sashimi in various ways. For one, they are not chopped up and as spiced as kibbee or tartare. Sashimi is served as raw slices (tuna, salmon, etc.) and it's customary to serve it with soy sauce mixed with Japanese horseradish (wasabi) as a dipping sauce. Sashimi enthusiasts know to put only a small amount of the sauce on it, so as to avoid overpowering the mild natural taste of the fish. Just from the recipe I'd say that kibbee is probably more spiced than sashimi.

So how is kibbee? I bet not baaaaaaddddd! I'd be interested in trying it but I would want to know a lot about the lamb and where it came from and it's recent history.

[Smokinkitty]

WooHoo!! High Five to all Hockey players and to Raw Kibbee!!!!!

Something I really miss from living in Detroit is the fresh, high quality Middle Eastern Cuisine!!!

[Smokinkitty]

Sorry to hear about La Shish! Would often go there for lunch when I worked in Dearborn. I surely miss The Sahara on the east side as well.

[azriverfan.]

I don't think there are a lot of Middle Eastern restaurants or bakeries in this area when compared to cities of similar size. That being said, I have seen a lot of these and Indian restaurants emerge in the last 5 years or so. I think the valley is slowly growing accustom to these establishments and the demand for these types of restaurants continues to grow. I remember that it used to be a rare thing for one of these restaurants to emerge and it was sort of a famous occurence when it happened. Now, there are places emerging all the time that I don't hear about them until 1 or 2 years later.

[wng]

Great thread!
I came into Lebanese food late in my life. And all I can say, is that it's DELICIOUS!
BTW, Magnum Mike....what does riding camel have to do with Lebanon? It's a coastal country on the Med. (Their problems there are political, not gastro-intestinal)
I love a great rib eye seared to perfection medium-rare, if not rare, but can't seem to order it that way. But good food is good food and is not to be passed up on. Only thing worse than an ignorant mind is an ignorant pallet. I used to think the same way, so go out and eat! Lotta good stuff out there! Food is love, people!

Nicest2:
When your restaurant opens do give us a shout! I'll be there with my family to enjoy some good home style Lebanese cuisine.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Wait wait wait... Did I hear this correctly? They eat raw lamb meat? Maybe if they cooked their meat, that would solve the problems over there!

As for me, no thanks, I'd like mine cooked medium to well-done, and forget that kib.. whatever the heck it is, just give me a beef rib-eye or a lamb steak, and I'll grill it on mesquite, southwestern style.

Yeah and I heard them there Orientals eat raw fish too, I heard it's called sushi or somethin. I hear ya, pass me the chicken fried chicken!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Synergy38

Is there a German/Austrian Club/Restaraunt in Phoenix?

I don't think there is a German-American club (serving food) in Phx. There are some good German restaurants, though.

[LLCNJ]

Check out lcnj.com/bakery.htm. It has useful bakery information.