Open Sesame

Sorry to have been away for so long, but a wicked cold knocked me out and in the middle of it, I went to a conference in Long Bach, CA. My health is returning and I'm home with the folks soaking up sun and good food now. That means time and energy again to blog!

My big Long Beach adventure was a Lebanese restaurant called Open Sesame. It came highly recommended via websites, the concierge at the hotel, and the nice lady who over-heard me asking for directions. We went with a group of seven and after and after an hour and a half (or more) of waiting, their common sense won out over my desire to try the food. So, we went down the street and had late night burgers.

On Sunday, however, I went with a girlfriend and the two of us were able to sit down immediately! It was, not surprisingly, a huge and pleasant shock. The restaurant is cozy and, especially since we were sitting in the section with the take-out counter, busy. We ordered a fried potato appetizer, a falafel plate for her, and a vegetarian plate for me.

My expectations for the fried potatoes was not high, but they were delicious! Cubed fried potato bits in a yum sauce (tomato, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, etc). The hot potatoes contrasted well with the cool sauce. My vegetarian plate was also good. It included hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, falafel, and grape leaves. The baba ganoush was definitely the stand out option. The smoked flavor of the eggplant came straight through and it was delicious. The hummus, tabbouleh, and falafel were also good. The grape leaves were alright. All this for $25 was good news to us!

The food at Open Sesame was good and fresh. Whether it was worth an hour and a half wait or not, I won't venture based on what I tasted, but it probably wasn't. If anyone who waited with me reads this - my thanks and apologies all at the same time. However, if you can sit right down, it's good food at a great price! If you want to know more, check out a couple more reviews: here and here.