African and Middle Eastern Food and Cooking

The Mediterranean Diet Is Hip (Again): Here are Five Places to Find Your Tabbouleh

The Mediterranean diet was bolstered by a study recently released by the New England Journal of Medicine. The report concludes not only that a diet based on olive oil, nuts and fish can prevent cardiovascular disease but that it's more effective than the previously recommended low-fat diet. See als ... More >>

Have We Got a Deal for You: Get Yourself Hummus at Qariah

I don't normally point to the Daily Deals promotion that's offered in tandem with the Observer website, but this one looks too good to pass up. If you read my recent review of Qariah Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge you know I'm pretty smitten with their sandwiches and lunch buffet. Today you can get $2 ... More >>

Qariah's Stand

Amidst other businesses fighting to serve alcohol on Greenville, this Lebanese restaurant ditches the booze.

The Avengers Should Have Gone to Qariah on Greenville for a Shawarma Sandwich

I've had a good time watching Qariah come into its own as a lower Greenvile Avenue restaurant over the past two months. When I first dropped in, my service was polite, but terribly inept. Over my visits for this week's review, it slowly got better. The bread became more consistent, and the dining r ... More >>

First Look At Qariah On Greenville Avenue

Qariah quietly opened this week in East Dallas, offering residents Lebanese cooking along the newly renovated stretch of Greenville Avenue. The space is open and bright (the owners may think about turning down the lights) with indoor seating and a patio that offers hookah service. The real reason t ... More >>

New Lebanese Restaurant, Qariah, Opening Soon on Lower Greenville

Qariah Lebanese Restaurant and Lounge is coming soon to 1811 Greenville Ave. Per their Facebook page, a grand opening is slated for October 22. The menu includes everything one would imagine a Lebanese restaurant would offer: baba ghannouj, hummus, falafel, pies, shawarma, kabab, lamb and much m ... More >>

Pera Turkish Kitchen's Suburban Sultans

A restaurateur flees the high rents of Manhattan for Texas, and Far North Dallas is all the better for it.

Get Thee to the Grill on Meatless Monday

Summertime is in full swing and along with it come cookouts, not to mention drunk people on boats, Ed Hardy swim trunks, entirely too many children everywhere, the need for those stinky citronella candles and sky-high utility bills from all that damned air conditioning. I relish the opportunity to ... More >>

On Meatless Monday, All Hail the Mighty Chickpea

No doubt many of us are probably suffering from a slight meat hangover after all those holiday weekend grill-fests. Now that Tuesday's here, it's back to work and time to detox from all that poolside barbecue gorging. May I suggest you embrace the glorious chickpea? Everyone knows and loves hummu ... More >>

If Jews and Muslims Ate Milk and Honey's Falafel Pita, They'd Be Too Happy to Fight

Each week, Justin Bitner goes hunting for DFW's most interesting sandwiches. Have a sandwich suggestion? Leave it in the comments and he'll check it out. Venue: Milk and Honey Sandwich: The Falafel Pita ($5.99) Bread: Fresh pita pulled straight from the oven Toppings: Falafel balls, Israeli sal ... More >>

On My First Meatless Monday, Baby Steps (and No Tofu) at Fadi's

Along with food critic Scott Reitz, resident booze correspondent Whitney Filloon is giving Meatless Mondays a shot. They'll both be sharing their experiences in the coming weeks. I couldn't quite stomach the idea of tofu or any new and therefore strange meat substitutes on my very first attempt at ... More >>

At Baboush, the Flavors of Morocco Taste Even Better with Gin and Vodka

This week I was looking something different, my palate weary from ringing in the new year with an excess of cheap California champagne. So I headed to Baboush in the West Village in search of new flavors. Situated between sushi haven The Fish and Cork wine boutique, you might forget you're in Upto ... More >>

Conquering Marrakesh with the Baboush's Condiment Kings

From the guys who brought you Medina, a new menu and a new neighborhood show a different side of Morocco.

At Ibex Ethiopian, the Dishes (and the Vibe) Are Communal

And the menus, thankfully, have numbers.

Prince Lebanese Grill: Another Good Thing from Nazareth

Lauren Drewes DanielsPrince Lebanese Grill's chicken shawarma.​The city of Nazareth sits 1,000 feet above sea level in northern Israel between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee. In the late evening, lamps light up this ancient city's white façade and buildings with a glow the color of ... More >>

Magdous a Must-Do at Aatish Grill

What intrigued me most about Aatish Grill, a new Mediterranean restaurant on Trinity Mills Road, was the short chef's bio the restaurant stuck on its web site. recipemuncher​"Our experienced executive chef Sami Ahmad from Dearborn, MI provides exquisite food," the write-up promised. There ar ... More >>

Turkish Delights: Dallas Cooks Get Schooled
In Food and Culture

Photo by Hanna RaskinNevin Gezgin teaches Dallasites how to prepare Turkish dishes.​Students enrolled in the Turkish American Women Association's Saturday afternoon cooking classes in Richardson learn as much about cross-cultural dialogue as the right way to roll dolmas. Trying to determine h ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: Kibbi at Ali Baba Cafe

Merritt Martin​As a countdown to the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas" 2010, City of Ate is serving up 100 of the favorite dishes we crave, savor and hope to scarf down again soon. These dishes are in no particular order. Some are little known, others celebrated. Some are pricey, others can b ... More >>

Ibex Ethiopian Cuisine & Bar: Follow that Cab
For a Taste of Africa

​I was tipped off to Ibex by an airport shuttle driver who was born in Ethiopia. When I told him I'd heard there wasn't any great Ethiopian food in Dallas, he looked at me quizzically and asked "What about Ibex?" Ibex opened three months ago on the ground floor of a generic-looking office bui ... More >>

In the Land of Milk and Honey, They Have Porn. Of Course They Do.

Milk and Honey and falafel sandwiches.​Milk and Honey Jerusalem Market and Grill 420 N. Coit Road, Richardson 972-404-0704 Try: The falafel sandwich Don't try: Thinking too hard about what makes the girlie mags kosher I went to Milk and Honey because I heard the Richardson café put pickles ... More >>

Cedars Mediterranean Mezza: Lots of Choices, but Mostly Mediocre

Biryani Bash: Chameli Restaurant vs. Chaat Cafe

Our winner: Chameli Restaurant's chicken biryani​ You can tell a great dish or cuisine by the many legends and fuzzy stories surrounding its beginnings. Today, we offer such a meal, one that comes from humble origins and yet has satisfied kings and presidents alike. Biryani is a long-grain ri ... More >>

Izmir Market and Mediterranean Deli vs. Fadi's Mediterranean Grill: Hummus Hoedown

​Delectably creamy, nutty and decidedly vegan, the simple plate of hummus has taken its place on mainstream plates across the globe. And why not, the dish is relatively low in fat and calories, and serves our need for detoxifying agents. This is a bonus after a 3-day bender. Nutrition aside, ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Park

Presentation is not necessarily up market at Park.​The guys at Park are awfully proud of their wine list. It is pretty impressive. They even go as far as denoting which wines are organic, produced by women (what's that all about?), and which are vegan. But while they can "get you drunk," as our w ... More >>

Continental Fare

Veggie Girl: Food From Galilee

All of this in Snider PlazaIt wouldn't be the media if there weren't a cursory reference to the recession, so here goes: Order the vegetarian Maza Tray for dinner at Food From Galilee, and your $12 will have you eating like a veggie queen (or king) for a week. Can't beat that, especially if you'r ... More >>

Veggie Girl: Eatzi's

A hat tip to the writers of Dude Food, who this February ensured that good ol' meat-eatin' men could dine successfully at Eatzi's. So, it turns out, can veggie-eating types. Eatzi's is one of those Oak Lawn institutions whose charming perks have given it staying power. It could be the outdoor ... More >>

Cheap Hookah

In its own way, Al Amir is smokin’

Review: Sultan Café in Richardson

Skip the food and fire up a hookah instead

Thank Heaven

Irving's Kasbah Grill replaces lukewarm 7-Eleven hot dogs with great Moroccan fare

Best Family-Oriented Belly-Dancing Scene

Ciro's Continental Restaurant and Club

Best Buffet

Fadi's Mediterranean Grill

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Café Izmir

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Café Izmir

Best Lesson on the Middle East

Ali Baba Café

Best Pappadam (That's Right, Best Pappadam)

Buddha's Special at Cosmic Café

Best Middle Eastern Grocery

Worldwide Food Inc.

Dinner in a Pinch

It's hard to fill in the gaps at Lalibela

Tent Chic

Tabouli's found a gimmick, and it works

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Basha Mediterranean Restaurant

Best Hummus

Ali Baba

Best middle eastern restaurant

Basha Mediterranean Restaurant

Finger food

Be a kid again and bring a bib to Ghion

Four-point-oh

Bistro A scores straight, solid grades

Hole-in-the-wall treasure

Tasty Greek is disheveled, but the food cleans up

The cats of war

The co-founder of an exotic cat sanctuary loses everything, but did the punishment fit the crime?

Involuntary takeout

But then, who needs ambiance when you've got Ali Baba's terrific Middle Eastern?

Adventures in dining

Sahara provides a welcome oasis in Dallas' dining desert

Essential Middle Eastern

Mediterranean Oasis offers delights in a 7-Eleven ambiance

Turkish delight

Cafe Istanbul offers an exotic bazaar