Layalina

We are working our way around the Mediterranean with a Syrian meal. The restaurant serves Syrian and Lebanese dishes and is decorated with an eclectic mix of Middle Eastern decorations. Our waiter helps us identify the Syrian dishes on the menu. We called ahead and ordered Rima's chicken which requires 24 hours advance order.
We always start with drinks. John tried Jallab again and he liked it. The waiter was very helpful and explained to us that it is a date syrup mixed with water and a few pine nuts are sprinkled in. Julia tried lemonade it was supposedly homemade but it didn't taste like it was. Julian had an Almaza beer which he said was very good. My Kasara wine was thin and sour. Julian got a glass of red wine which was much better: dry with a good amount of fruit too.

We started with three appetizer dips. We have noticed that middle eastern cuisine seems to have an abundance of dips. Beet M'tabal is my favorite shredded beets are mixed with yogurt and some spices sprinkled with walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. M'hammarah is roasted peppers with pomegranate and walnuts. This version has a sharper edge to it than the one at Pasha Cafe. Julian thinks it is better but it is not my favorite. Layalina roasted eggplant dip is the third one we try and it is mostly tomato with eggplant as a binder. Parsley and a sprinkle of walnuts finish it off. Our entrees arrive shortly after Julia's lamb shank with green beans is so tender falls of the bone. The sauce is a simple; green beans and tomatoes.

So simple yet so good. My Okra syrian style is very good and different. Our waiter explained that Syrian food uses cumin and cilantro. It is a combination I am not accustomed to with Okra. The okra are specially imported. They are tiny; no bigger than the tip of a finger. I enjoy this very much. Then came the piece de resistance; Rima's chicken. It is a whole chicken stuffed with a mixture of rice, beef, cardamom some cinnamon. The crispy skin is draped in a very garlicy sauce. Yummy and garlicy. It is served with crispy potato cubes. The whole deal is pretty impressive.
We had to have a little something sweet. So we tried the baklava with cream inside and rose water sauce. The rose water always makes me feel like I am eating perfume but every one else enjoys it. The strong turkish coffee with cardamom is a great finish to the meal.

Pasha Cafe

This is more of a neighborhood eatery then a true ethnic restaurant but the food was delicious. The menu has a mix of middle eastern cuisine and pizzas and pastas which have a more American flare. Our waiter was a very nice young man who wasn't really sure what the true Egyptian dishes were so we did the best we could to get authentic dishes.
The appetizers seemed the most authentic so that is where we started. The roasted red pepper dip was delicious. It had an unexpected complexity that comes from walnuts and pomegranate. The stuffed grape leaves were different than others what we expected. A yummy combination of rice, spices and tomato wrapped in grape leaves and served warm. A great surprise compared to the gummy cold ones we have often had. The roasted eggplant dip actually had very little eggplant in it. The dip was mostly large chunks of tomato mixed with roasted onions and roasted eggplant as kind of a binder. The grilled cheese dish was very good. It is slices of a firm cheese grilled just to warm it served with a pomegranate sauce over lettuce. The tabbouleh is perfectly executed. It is mostly parsley and mint with a bit of bulgur mixed in. The nice sized shrimp are grilled to perfection and a light hand with the dressing make this one a winner. Too many restaurants serve this dish and it is mostly bulgur with just a handful of parsley this is perfect for a hot summer night.

The only entree we ordered was grilled chicken served over rice with green beans. The chicken was nicely spiced and grilled but the rice is very nondescript but a great way to enjoy the delicious yogurt sauce in this dish. I am always pleasantly surprised by the yogurt sauces we have tried in middle eastern restaurants. I am sure they are as simple as yogurt, lemon and spices but what a great tang they add.
We shared a baklava for dessert and were expecting the usual walnuts, cardamom and honey. This baklava has a surprising combination of nuts (we think there were peanuts) and some other spices and flavorings. It is not as heavy as this desert can sometimes be. The only negative is there was no special coffee available to go with it.
Pasha Cafe was better than we were expecting. If we lived closer this would be the perfect go to place any time you just wanted a tasty meal out. The prices are good too.

Bukom

This had to be one of the most disappointing stops on our journey. We headed to Adams Morgan to go to Ghana Cafe. We arrived when the restaurant was supposed to be open but a sign on the door said be back at 6:30. So we walked around a bit checking out some of the other places; wasting time basically. At 6:45 ish still it wasn't open. We had a long trip home so we decided to make another choice, knowing full well that when we came out Ghana Cafe would be open. Bukom, another African restaurant, had a good reputation so we decided to try it.
By now we are getting used to being the only WASPs in these restaurants. The stares as we walked in didn't make us feel too uncomfortable. There were hip looking people there so I thought it would be good. The first thing I noticed was that the place seemed quite dirty but people seemed to be enjoying their meals and our kids were not the only ones there, so I tried to overlook it.
We are becoming familiar with the African dishes, so we try to find things we haven't eaten yet. I got Komi Ke Kenan which is croakers (fish), kenkey and a sauce called shito. The fish is tasty but so boney that is difficult to eat. We tried to put a good spin on it, but kenkey tasted to me like spoiled cornmeal mush pressed into a log. I just couldn't eat it. Julian got the Eguisi which is a West African specialty we haven't tried yet. It has goat, melon seeds, and spinach. We ordered gari to go with it, since we liked it at Roger Miller. This gari was just a big glop of stickiness. Julian says he liked it but I tasted the sauce and the goat is just overpowering, and of course there were bones. Julia's cassava leaf dish was ok. The jollof rice accompianment, which we loved at chez Auty Libbe, was like some really bad version of boxed tomato rice pilaf with a bag of frozen carrots, peas and green beans in it. John's fish and beef platter was no better. Both the beef and fish were boney and dry. I must say, although I don't love everything we have had as far as African cuisine goes, Chez Aunty Libbe and Roger Miller prepare their dishes which such love of the cuisine and a desire to see people enjoying their food that it makes you like the what they make. I guess the Bukom chef must cater to people who just want a mediocre taste of home. With that, I think we have decided we are through with sub Saharan African cuisine. I think we are all tired of the bones.
When we walk out the door we see that Ghana Cafe across the street is crowded with people who seem to be having a great time. Still, I don't think we will bother coming back to try again.