When I went over to Sahara's the other day, owner Ahmed Elbast sat down with me and we caught up on the restaurant scoop in the area. Ahmed is in his mid 30's and rather gragarious. He has been working in his family's restaurant since he was a boy back in Beirut. I live a few miles from the restaurant in Okemos and I have always enjoyed his food and the great lunch buffet they offer, although I would love to see a mural of the seashore in Beirut as part of his decor.
And a few years ago Ahmed entrusted me with the secrets to his fabulous chicken recipe - a favor I won't soon forget and one that makes my chicken exceptionally tasty. I have done articles about Lansing's Middle Eastern restaurants for a few local newspapers in the past, so I asked him what was new at Sahara's.
I perused the menu while he talked to me. I have always liked his food, the humus is fresh and tasty, the buffet is always excellent, with good soup, and great buffet choices - one of my favorite is the stuffed green pepper with a tomato sauce. I especially like the Chicken Schawarma for $6.95 and the Chicken Kabob for the same price and the Mujadara (Lentils, cracked wheat and onions)and Salad at $5.95 and the lamb gyro platter with herbs and spices charbroiled and served with garlicky yogurt gyro sauce.
I have never tried the old Middle Eastern custom of eating raw Kibbee (my Middle Eastern friends have told me you only buy raw kibbee, which is spiced raw beef, from a family you know really well) but they do make it if you order 24 hours ahead. They do serve a cooked Kibbee Combo for $6.95 with rice hummus and salad.
I am a great fan of Turkish or Middle Eastern coffee, so I order the small, strong coffee they serve with the cardamom spice in it, to top off every meal and usually accompany it with baklava. The ambiance of the place is exotic with the brass wall plaque that says Allah in Arabic, although the family is Catholic, and the wooden camel stares from the shelf on the wall and the brass samovars give an air of Middle Eastern elegance decorating various shelves and counters around the restaurant. Their small grocery area provides a few things I like that I find hard to get in regular grocery stores, like fava or butter beans I use when I make Fool Madamas with chickpeas, lemon, and garlic, one of my favorite recipes.
Ahmed told me that the restaurant has started serving liquor again and teased me about those ice cream liquor drinks that are so popular. "Aha", he said as he told me they would be serving liquor again, "I'll make you more of those ice cream drinks." I seriously hope I have the fortitude to refuse the mango and the chocolate martini, and the Key Lime Pie with a kick, (a mix of Bacardi rum, vanilla ice cream, lime juice and topped with whipped cream).
Ahmed told me he has tried to adapt to the changing mood of Lansing area restaurant goers as they worry about their finances, and he is working with the schools to hold special fundraisers. He gives them a percentage of what he takes in for special dinners and they both gain. He also keeps his prices as low as he can, although until very recently, his prices doubled. And despite the recent drop in grains and other food costs, the lower cost is passed on slowly.
I find his fare to be among the best Middle Eastern food in town and the relaxed atmosphere must be reminiscent of Beirut, which has long been known as the Riviera of the Middle East although it has suffered in the last few years from all the strife. He and his family owned a restaurant there for many years. "My mother, who is Sahara's cook, still brings fresh spices back every few months."
Like many Middle Eastern restaurant owners, he is the quintessentially gracious host, and appears to love the social aspect of owning a restaurant. He chats comfortably with everyone who comes in. If you ask him, he will reluctantly admit that he started belly dancing when he was about 14 and until recently, occasionally danced with the local belly dance superstar, Yasmina Amal, the creative director of the Habibi Dancers, the local belly dance troupe. The belly dancing moves are different for men than women but so far, I haven't been able to get him to show me any of his best moves. When I ask, he just smiles and shakes his head "no".
I hope this smaller, family owned restaurant can survive the difficult financial times the state and country are going through. They make much of their food from scratch and it is flavored with fresh, unusual, and healthy spices (most of them not only season the food but help with digestion). I enjoy this restaurant and its exotic flavor, ambiance, and relaxed atmosphere where I can chat and socialize and find out about what's going on in every one's life. The warmth and friendliness of the Elbasts and their staff adds a lot to my day, and I just hope they can keep it together while so many people and businesses around them are struggling to meet the challenges unique to this time in history. Sahara's Restaurant is located at 3536 Meridian Crossings, Okemos, MI 48864. Phone is (517) 347-3770. For more information go to their web site at www.saharasbest.com.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A Coffee Novel for Coffee Connoisseurs - If Coffee be the Nectar of Love, Drink On
The Various Flavors of Coffee, a Novel by Anthony Capella
To find this book on Amazon, click on the book jacket above.
When a woman gives a man coffee, it is a way of showing her desire.
—Abyssinian proverb
This book of love and coffee, was reviewed by the Economist newspaper in the article Coffee without the Grind.
Like Capella's previous novel, The Food of Love, he uses the exotic flavors of coffee, (here he uses coffee rather than food) to weave a story of romantic love peppered with forbidden passion, desire and betrayal . In previous books, he focused on food, but in this one, he weaves the perfume and flavor of coffee to take his readers (coffee-lovers perhaps or not) on this journey with him.
As for myself, I admit, I am a great fan of coffee and I am already convinced of it's special powers. Who has not fallen in love over Hawaiian Kona coffee in the morning or an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Harrar, or other exotic coffee from the dark continent of Africa, or coffee grown in the wild volcanic ash of Columbia or Arabica coffee from Brazil? The scent of the coffee brings fire to the quest for love.
A great source of seduction, it has art, poetry, and of course, the exotic perfume of the coffee. Who has not warmed their own heart, as well as a lovers, over Turkish or Middle Eastern coffee with the heady scent of cardamon that is ground and added, supposedly to aid digestion. But as any (even amateur) perfumer knows, cardamon is one of the most aphrodisiac of scents, and included by many perfumers, not to mention lovers, who anticipate a night of seduction. Or perhaps nutmeg is added to the coffee which brings it a certain depth and earthiness.
I have always favored coffee grown in the shadow of the volcanoes, believing that volcanic ash brings the depths and complexity of ancient fire through the coffee to the soul, so insuring that the drinker will not be too meek, too mild, too timid, but will enter into the passion of the fire whether of love or of the spirit. Some say it is not good to play with fire, but I have found it otherwise.
Among those who have been scorched by the fires of a spiritual quest, coffee also has a special place and meaning, especially for those who have spent days going into nights and back again while they seek the ecstasy of oneness. But whether it is oneness with a lover, or oneness with the spirit, or to seek deeper into themselves, the intoxication of coffee has always had an honored place, whether with ancient priest, modern lover, or just passionate coffee connoisseur.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Biggby Coffee on Marsh Road - An Okemos' Hot Spot
I have been going to Biggby Coffee on Marsh Road in Okemos for about 9 years since I live close by. I had always noticed it is a bit of a hot spot for everyone, single or otherwise, to run in a grab a coffee and look over the other coffee drinkers - a bit of a singles hot spot.
And even when I'm traveling incognito and trying not to meet someone, I enjoy being able to go there and chat with friends getting coffee. It has improved a number of my holidays since on several Memorial Days, Labor Days, July 4, or any other holidays when it has been open, I appreciate having part of my daily routine in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Being a creature of habit, a quick trip to grab a cuppa java and a short chat with a friend I run into improves the whole holiday for me.
Today as I stepped in, I had to stop a minute before going up to the counter while one of the baristas asked me if I could wait until he took the picture of a small group of merry travelers who had stopped in. Actually it was two couples who looked to be around mid 40's to 50 somethings and a few friends. They looked like they may have just dropped off children to start at MSU, they were that happy, beaming and laughing.
"Just a minute... photo op," he said, and I stepped to the side while he clicked away at the giggling group who posed as he said "Cheese".
It is owned by Jane and Joseph O'Connor, who must have a terrific in-house hospitality training program. I called one day and got her on the phone for something else. Since I had a golden opportunity, I asked Jane what she was doing to train her staff so well. She laughed and said she didn't know. I told her whenever I come into get my iced soy latte, from the moment I hit the door, the staff practically stands at attention ready to execute my every desire. The first couple times it happened, starting last January or February, I was startled, then I caught on to the fact that someone over there really stepped up the hospitality training. I must admit, it feels great to have someone who actually cares what I want, other than my cat, who takes me with a grain of salt.
I usually just stop in for a moment and grab an iced soy latte, but it has become a moment in my day I look forward to. Before the gas and economic crisis and the demise of the auto industry made their mark on Michigan, it seemed that it was the hot spot for singles to meet, or at least get a chance to buzz in and grab a quick look around at who else is there. Maybe I just don't get there at the same time I used to, but it seems that may have calmed down.
Its been a busy place since it has become a popular spot for friends and groups to meet and talk from early in the morning until the late afternoon. The coffee is always good and the service is getting even better. The tins of tea always intrigue me, especially the one with Lavender in the tea, or the hot cinnamon and spice. I occasionally buy a travel cup or a mug or some unique tea. In the cooler weather, the fireplace has given me hours of warmth when I sit in front of it and drift off into my my thoughts while watching the flames.
The outdoor tables are under one of my favorite pine trees in the area, although it told me today, when I was practicing my Celtic art of talking to trees (I'm Irish, Scottish, and Welsh) that it might like to be pruned of a few dead branches. I won't say it answers all my questions right away, but I stop back regularly to see if it gives me anymore insights. It has a different take on things than the old Willow trees at Ferguson Park that were there from the time when Chief Okemos held pow wow's with area war chiefs. The Native Americans have a lot of good things to say about the energy of trees and from what I can tell, they're all true. Even the poet Rilke gave the trees a starring role in one of his poems with the line,"and I, whispering away above you like a Linden bough."
Ah, I digress, but I did warn you that I'm Irish, so that bardic tradition is to be expected and anyway, Biggby's Coffee shop gives me hours of pleasure when I take my laptop and wax eloquent and get lost in my writing in front of the fireplace or out on the table under the pine tree. May its coffee shop tradition continue and may it ever be so.
Biggby Coffee (formerly Beaners Coffee) located at 4756 Marsh Rd
517- 853-9918
And even when I'm traveling incognito and trying not to meet someone, I enjoy being able to go there and chat with friends getting coffee. It has improved a number of my holidays since on several Memorial Days, Labor Days, July 4, or any other holidays when it has been open, I appreciate having part of my daily routine in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Being a creature of habit, a quick trip to grab a cuppa java and a short chat with a friend I run into improves the whole holiday for me.
Today as I stepped in, I had to stop a minute before going up to the counter while one of the baristas asked me if I could wait until he took the picture of a small group of merry travelers who had stopped in. Actually it was two couples who looked to be around mid 40's to 50 somethings and a few friends. They looked like they may have just dropped off children to start at MSU, they were that happy, beaming and laughing.
"Just a minute... photo op," he said, and I stepped to the side while he clicked away at the giggling group who posed as he said "Cheese".
It is owned by Jane and Joseph O'Connor, who must have a terrific in-house hospitality training program. I called one day and got her on the phone for something else. Since I had a golden opportunity, I asked Jane what she was doing to train her staff so well. She laughed and said she didn't know. I told her whenever I come into get my iced soy latte, from the moment I hit the door, the staff practically stands at attention ready to execute my every desire. The first couple times it happened, starting last January or February, I was startled, then I caught on to the fact that someone over there really stepped up the hospitality training. I must admit, it feels great to have someone who actually cares what I want, other than my cat, who takes me with a grain of salt.
I usually just stop in for a moment and grab an iced soy latte, but it has become a moment in my day I look forward to. Before the gas and economic crisis and the demise of the auto industry made their mark on Michigan, it seemed that it was the hot spot for singles to meet, or at least get a chance to buzz in and grab a quick look around at who else is there. Maybe I just don't get there at the same time I used to, but it seems that may have calmed down.
Its been a busy place since it has become a popular spot for friends and groups to meet and talk from early in the morning until the late afternoon. The coffee is always good and the service is getting even better. The tins of tea always intrigue me, especially the one with Lavender in the tea, or the hot cinnamon and spice. I occasionally buy a travel cup or a mug or some unique tea. In the cooler weather, the fireplace has given me hours of warmth when I sit in front of it and drift off into my my thoughts while watching the flames.
The outdoor tables are under one of my favorite pine trees in the area, although it told me today, when I was practicing my Celtic art of talking to trees (I'm Irish, Scottish, and Welsh) that it might like to be pruned of a few dead branches. I won't say it answers all my questions right away, but I stop back regularly to see if it gives me anymore insights. It has a different take on things than the old Willow trees at Ferguson Park that were there from the time when Chief Okemos held pow wow's with area war chiefs. The Native Americans have a lot of good things to say about the energy of trees and from what I can tell, they're all true. Even the poet Rilke gave the trees a starring role in one of his poems with the line,"and I, whispering away above you like a Linden bough."
Ah, I digress, but I did warn you that I'm Irish, so that bardic tradition is to be expected and anyway, Biggby's Coffee shop gives me hours of pleasure when I take my laptop and wax eloquent and get lost in my writing in front of the fireplace or out on the table under the pine tree. May its coffee shop tradition continue and may it ever be so.
Biggby Coffee (formerly Beaners Coffee) located at 4756 Marsh Rd
517- 853-9918
The RiverHouse Inn's Romantic Patio on the River
I went back to the RiverHouse Inn recently after they opened their restaurant in August. The grand opening is still to come in early September but sitting on the patio talking with co-owner Sue Nichani and general manager Marc Wolbert gave me a chance to see whats coming.
I’ve spent hours enjoying a meal and looking out over the water, whether in a bar in New York City, at a sandwich cart on the Irish Sea, a restaurant overlooking the River Thames in London, a falafel place on the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv, a cruise ship dining room as we followed a hurricane on the Atlantic, or in restaurants along Lake Michigan. A view of the water, a glass of good wine, and good company enhanced many of my most memorable meals. It has always been a major consideration when deciding to dine at a restaurant.
While visiting a friend in Northern Michigan, we went out to dine at a classy restaurant on Little Traverse Bay. It lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. We decided to find another restaurant with a lake view that had more ambiance. I doubt that he expected to be seated at five different dining rooms before I found the perfect Inn on Walloon Lake with a great view and an excellent French chef, but it made the evening. So I have wondered many times why no one in this area has opened a restaurant with a view of the Red Cedar. With the opening of this restaurant, my dream of dining at a local spot with a great view of the water has come true.
It is in an idyllic, romantic setting along the Red Cedar River and half the seating is on the patio, and according to RiverHouse Inn co-owner, Sue Nichimi, half the diners ask to be seated on the patio. Their new chef just started last Monday, but they already have diners who come in from all over the area to eat. This is a lovely, gracious setting for your dining experience and if you like a view of the water, its the best seat in town. I'll write more after they have their grand opening in September.
I’ve spent hours enjoying a meal and looking out over the water, whether in a bar in New York City, at a sandwich cart on the Irish Sea, a restaurant overlooking the River Thames in London, a falafel place on the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv, a cruise ship dining room as we followed a hurricane on the Atlantic, or in restaurants along Lake Michigan. A view of the water, a glass of good wine, and good company enhanced many of my most memorable meals. It has always been a major consideration when deciding to dine at a restaurant.
While visiting a friend in Northern Michigan, we went out to dine at a classy restaurant on Little Traverse Bay. It lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. We decided to find another restaurant with a lake view that had more ambiance. I doubt that he expected to be seated at five different dining rooms before I found the perfect Inn on Walloon Lake with a great view and an excellent French chef, but it made the evening. So I have wondered many times why no one in this area has opened a restaurant with a view of the Red Cedar. With the opening of this restaurant, my dream of dining at a local spot with a great view of the water has come true.
It is in an idyllic, romantic setting along the Red Cedar River and half the seating is on the patio, and according to RiverHouse Inn co-owner, Sue Nichimi, half the diners ask to be seated on the patio. Their new chef just started last Monday, but they already have diners who come in from all over the area to eat. This is a lovely, gracious setting for your dining experience and if you like a view of the water, its the best seat in town. I'll write more after they have their grand opening in September.
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Elegant RiverHouse Inn Graces Williamston's Dining Scene
The RiverHouse Inn on the Red Cedar River in Williamston is one of the most elegant restaurants to enhance the area in a while. For me, the view and the excellent gourmet menu are what I always look for in a dining experience.
I’ve spent countless hours enjoying a meal and looking out over the water, enough so that I made it a mission to travel over every body of water I could when I traveled around Europe and the limited travel I did in the Middle East. I've crossed the Irish Sea, the Baltic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and a series of smaller seas around Denmark, where I lived for a year during my travels. I have always loved the sea so a view of the water, enhanced by an excellent chef, is the ultimate in pleasurable dining experiences for me.
Click here for the article.RiverHouse Inn Restaurant It appeared in the Lansing City Pulse on May 6, 2008.
I’ve spent countless hours enjoying a meal and looking out over the water, enough so that I made it a mission to travel over every body of water I could when I traveled around Europe and the limited travel I did in the Middle East. I've crossed the Irish Sea, the Baltic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and a series of smaller seas around Denmark, where I lived for a year during my travels. I have always loved the sea so a view of the water, enhanced by an excellent chef, is the ultimate in pleasurable dining experiences for me.
Click here for the article.RiverHouse Inn Restaurant It appeared in the Lansing City Pulse on May 6, 2008.
Back Yard Culinary Adventures - Eaton Rapids Le Chat Gourmet Cooking School Offers Culinary Charm and Adventure
The Mid Michigan area has some excellent cooking schools with Eaton Rapids' Le Chat Gourmet Culinary Arts a most charming culinary adventure. Run by Executive Chef Denene Vincent, its intimate gardens have been planted with a variety of herbs, fruits, vegetables, and edible flowers, so that students can go out with Vincent and pick the food they will go inside and cook. The intimacy and charm of the school brings new meaning to the term culinary adventure.For a special culinary vacation, in the summers Vincent offers students a unique culinary hands-on tour of France or Italy.Her 2007 culinary summer vacation included a tour of the Bordeaux region of France. The students met and cooked with Chef Jerome Dumoulin who has cooked in Paris restaurants. Chef Dumoulin is distinguished to be among the last five artisan mustard chefs in France. Click here for the link to the article as it appeared in the Lansing City Pulse newspaper.
MSU's East Lansing State Room Restaurant Boasts a World Class Award Winning Chef
One of the most elegant restaurants in town is right on Michigan State University's Kellogg Conference Center. If you are looking for a really elegant Sunday brunch, it often fills up ahead of time, according to Executive Sous Chef, Rajeev Patgaonkar CEC, AAC. Patgoankar is a world class award winning chef and he knows better than anyone how popular the State Room menu items like French toast with peaches and cream and maple syrup sausage, Mandarin grilled quail breast, eggs benedict with crab, roast leg of New Zealand lamb, chicken and veal with pistachios, and white bean and duck confit, are to diners. That's just to name a few. But its no surprise when you find out that he has been on the cooking staff of the Saudi Royal Family and the Sultan of Oman. He also has a great lamb recipe right on line.
Click here to read the MSU State Room article as it appeared in the Lansing City Pulse newspaper on March 19, 2008.
Click here to read the MSU State Room article as it appeared in the Lansing City Pulse newspaper on March 19, 2008.
In Lansing the new Sawyer's Gourmet Pancake House Offers Midnight Gourmet Club
Self-Styled “locavore” Bob Sawyer, is adding a new feature to Lansing's only Gourment pancake house. Now you can eat organic food with the rest of the night owls, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. All you have to do is pay the membership fee.
Find out more about the irreverend, old-hippie bad-boy himself and why he opened his mostly organic natural pancake restaurant in downtown Lansing. Click here for the Sawyer Pancake House article as it appeared in Lansing City Pulse on March 5, 2008.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Seagull's Laughter, a movie to watch on an snowy evening
My review of the Movie The Seagull's Laughter
which can also be found on film review site offoffoff
Date: Jan. 11, 2008
In these long winter nights in the North Country I am hibernating, rethinking my life and turning in like the earth herself during this season of ice and snow, blizzards, and cozy evenings with a cup of tea and a good novel, or movie. I must admit, I am quite the moviephile and my idea of heaven is finding a fascinating movie that has poetry and mystery. I consider films like good literature, only with art and visual effects, and good actors. I love nothing more than to find an exquisite indie film that I have never heard of - something off the beaten path - that takes me into a secret world. That is what I found here.
The Seagull's Laughter
I give this movie Five Stars
*****
This Icelandic movie is terrific as a character study of a woman who shows us what a goddess is really all about. The main character, Freya (Icelandic actress Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir), is not only magnetic but also gorgeous in a compelling, hypnotic sort of way. Her glamour and willfulness are the stuff goddesses are made of and she does justice to her namesake, the Norse goddess Freya, goddess of love, and apparently, willfulness and lust. The scenes with the suitor she decides to marry are as steamy as anything on the screen, and it helps that they both have beautiful bodies.
Her role as newly married wife with a domineering, difficult mother-in-law, and the take-no-prisoners way she dismisses her, are excellent. Her dark side is truly what we might expect from a goddess who battles with other gods. Here it is shocking because she uses an iron hand in a velvet glove to handle the men in her life in a way no one expects, and for which she (surprisingly to those of us not raised in a country with a Viking history) has no remorse. Her adolescent niece sees the truth, while the other women who star in the movie are as awe struck by her as the audience. The niece provides the tension that propels the story forward with her constant unsuccessful attempts to expose Freya to the authorities. Finally she becomes a young woman and decides to use her own charms, having learned so well from Freya. This movie is fresh and does not fall into the potholes of an ordinary whodunit. All the characters are excellent and the eerie bleak Icelandic landscape is a major part of the movie's appeal.
which can also be found on film review site offoffoff
Date: Jan. 11, 2008
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The Seagull's Laughter
I give this movie Five Stars
*****
This Icelandic movie is terrific as a character study of a woman who shows us what a goddess is really all about. The main character, Freya (Icelandic actress Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir), is not only magnetic but also gorgeous in a compelling, hypnotic sort of way. Her glamour and willfulness are the stuff goddesses are made of and she does justice to her namesake, the Norse goddess Freya, goddess of love, and apparently, willfulness and lust. The scenes with the suitor she decides to marry are as steamy as anything on the screen, and it helps that they both have beautiful bodies.
Her role as newly married wife with a domineering, difficult mother-in-law, and the take-no-prisoners way she dismisses her, are excellent. Her dark side is truly what we might expect from a goddess who battles with other gods. Here it is shocking because she uses an iron hand in a velvet glove to handle the men in her life in a way no one expects, and for which she (surprisingly to those of us not raised in a country with a Viking history) has no remorse. Her adolescent niece sees the truth, while the other women who star in the movie are as awe struck by her as the audience. The niece provides the tension that propels the story forward with her constant unsuccessful attempts to expose Freya to the authorities. Finally she becomes a young woman and decides to use her own charms, having learned so well from Freya. This movie is fresh and does not fall into the potholes of an ordinary whodunit. All the characters are excellent and the eerie bleak Icelandic landscape is a major part of the movie's appeal.
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