Abdallahs

In 1980 I bumbled into a real estate deal where our partner was a billionaire from Kuwait. Through him we dealt with a who's who of people from the Middle East for a number of years. When they came to Houston they all wanted to go to 2 restaurants in Houston for Middle Eastern home cooking. Sammy's Lebanese (which closed) and Abdallah's Bakery. Over the past 40 years I have probably eaten at Abdallah's more than 300 times. The restaurant is set up like a small cafeteria where you can pick out items that are displayed or order from the menu. I can truthfully say I've never had a bad meal at Abdallah's.

Let's talk about some of my favorites. My first choice is the Baked fish, which is whitefish over small cut up pieces of squash in a mixture with other items. Unfortunately, this dish is usually only available on Tuesday and Friday. With each dish you get 2 sides. I usually get the egg omelet (Yummy) and the Kibbeh. The Kibbeh is a mixture of Bulgur wheat, onion and beef or lamb that is deep fried. Other recommended main dishes would be the lamb shank, stuffed eggplant, grilled half chicken, beef, lamb or chicken Kabobs. For vegetarians the Falafel is excellent. Falafel is made from ground chickpeas and/or Fava beans and then deep fried. The beef or chicken Sharma is really good if you are looking for a sandwich which would be like a large Mexican Burrito.

Some of the sides that I typically get are the lentils and rice with onions (really good), spinach with onions, okra, cauliflower, Greek salad, yogurt with cucumbers, house salad and Tabouli, among others. We also usually get Hummus or Baba Ghanoush to go with the freshly baked pita bread that comes with the meal. We typically take home from the bakery cheese bread, spinach pie, meat pies and Zaatar bread. There are usually a dozen, or so, desserts that are available.

Oh, I didn't mention that they also serve breakfast and sell assorted spices and goodies in addition to their baked goods. The owners have their own olive trees in Lebanon and sell olive oil, which we have used for years.The restaurant is a really friendly family business. The restaurant is open 7 days a week from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. They are located at 3939 Hilcroft, Suite 100, Houston, Texas *******. Their telephone number is *******747.