I was cruising through Yelp the
other day, and much to my surprise, I discovered a Middle Eastern restaurant
two minutes away from my house!
How did that happen? Am I that unaware of new food offerings literally
in my backyard? Apparently, I’ve
been sleeping. I love food from
the Middle East so a field trip was in order. My wife was out of town, it was too hot to cook, so off I
went. Aladdin Halal Restaurant and
Pizzeria, was my destination. It
is located in a strip mall that previously housed a pizza joint, whose former
occupant was a pizza joint, whose preceding owner was a pizza joint. And on, and on. So a couple of Syrians rent a space
with a pizza oven in Berlin Connecticut and decide to cook Middle Eastern. Go figure.
We all know who Aladdin is and
pizza, well I won’t even dignify that, but halal? Halal is the Arabic version of kosher. Like kosher, it specifies how the animals are to be slaughtered and what can and cannot be eaten. Yes, there are differences such as it is halal to eat
shellfish, but not kosher. Both halal
and kosher forbid the eating of pork.
Camel meat is halal, but not kosher. Cheeseburgers are halal, sadly they are not kosher. Check this website for a cool take on halal
vs. kosher.
Anyway I decide to try two of my
favorite foods; Falafel and shawarma.
Falafel is a chickpea fritter served in pita bread. Shawarmas are meats that are cooked on a vertical
spit and grilled; also served in pita bread. I had my first falafel in college many years ago and my
first shawarma in, of all places, Johannesburg, South Africa, again, many years
ago. I’ve loved chickpeas ever since I
was a kid. I love my mom dearly,
but one of the few things that she cooked without ruining was a can of
Progresso Minestrone soup. I would
always save the chickpeas for last.
When I tasted my first falafel, oh man, I was in heaven. I seek it out, any chance I get.
I walk and a few Arabic ladies
with traditional head coverings are waiting for their order. That’s a good sign when people native
to the culture are eating there.
We actually have a mosque in Berlin so there is a sizable Muslim
population in the area. I order
both a falafel and a chicken shawarma and have a seat. The place was freaking hot, on the hottest day of
the year. I had a few other places
to go, so I didn’t feel like schlepping home. Note to self, get it to go next time.
After about ten minutes and the
loss of few pounds, the food arrives.
That is two huge, overstuffed pitas. Oops. I can immediately
tell I ordered way too much. Oh well, let’s man up and dig in! I go for the falafel first. The pita was very fresh. The falafel was crunchy on the outside,
soft and grainy on the inside. They were nicely spiced with a slight heat at
the end. The cool, crisp lettuce, combined with the citrusy tomato and the sour
snap of the pickles was a nice contrast to the falafel. The tahina was a little too thin for my
taste though. I like a thicker
tahina with a more sesame punch.
I crush the falafel and tear into
the shawarma. This is
gigantic. It is stuffed with grilled
chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and red onions. The chicken is tender and flavorful. The grilling adds a nice char to the
chicken. They really put a lot of
chicken in the pita. I was very surprised at the amount. The sauce is very flavorful, but I can’t get a handle on it. I ask the server what it is. He explains that it is Arabic mayonnaise (which he says is
different from American) combined with tahina. Okay then. I’m
groaning at this point but I manage to finish the shawarma. It was awesome.
There is a ton of stuff on the
menu such as pizzas, grinders, pastas and soups. I go to Pepe’s and Da Vinci’s for pizza. As for pasta; I eat it at home. Their
Middle Eastern food is the real deal and I can’t wait to go back.
