No Tamales
Arabic-Middle Eastern restaurant in taco country is slow but excellent. By Janie Harper
Arabic-Middle Eastern restaurant in taco country is slow but excellent.By Janie Harper “Doing anything for lunch tomorrow?” I queried my pal in my best imitation of offhandedness.”Nothing that I know of,” Sparkle answered without thinking. “Wait,” she said, You want me to eat eyeballs, don’t you?” I really wasn’t sure, because the latest review target had been variously described as Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Lebanese. Its location happened to be on a portion of Hemphill that is home to mostly family-run taquerias and tamale factories.We made our way to the elderly house that was home to Celaborelle, for lunch. There were about four parking spots in front and a sign that advertised more parking in the rear. Luckily, we snagged a front spot since we weren’t sure where exactly the rear was. Once inside we were quickly seated in a room of highly polished wood that was surely once the parlor of the neatly renovated antique home. The menu consisted of several pages held together by a ring. There were so many choices that it took several minutes to take it all in.
A young man and a young woman alternately served us. The man did a good job, but – and I hesitate to say this for she will most certainly be scooped up by some big time downtown joint – the woman was one of the best servers I’ve encountered. She even kept my blood pressure from rising to over a million during our 25-minute wait for lunch (more about later).
We finally decided on our order and Sparkle insisted on ordering tamarind juice ($1.50) because “it sounded interesting.” It was served over finely crushed ice ( as were all the cold drinks) that we both love. The juice was light brownish red in color and had a slightly sweet fruit flavor. We started to order rosewater, but decided it sounded too much like something you might take a bath in.
We ordered the stuffed eggplant entree ($4.95). Soon the house salad that came with it arrived. It was a large salad plate mounded with crisp greens with pita chips and fabulous tomatoes. It was dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Sparkle claimed the tomatoes to be the best she has had since moving from NYC seven years ago. The salad was a hit with us. Then we waited and waited.
We also ordered the maza plate ($10) that was described in the menu as mini-servings of salads and starters. After what seemed to be an interminable wait, the parade began. Plate after plate of Middle Eastern treats arrived. The two of us were sitting at a table for four but had to spill some of our booty to the adjoining table.
When we caught our breath, we were faced with salad-size plates filled with cabbage leaves, grape leaves (both vegetarian), eggplant dip with lots of garlic, cold squash salad, yogurt dip, hummus, white beans, a huge block of feta surrounded by ripe olives and a basket with fresh steaming pitas spilling over the side.
We then set about testing each plate. The verdicts were in. Grape and cabbage leaves were perfectly fresh and tasty but not our favorites because we don’t care for them anyway. Eggplant dip (somewhat like baba ganoush) was wonderful and worth the garlic hangover. The cold squash salad was excellent but we didn’t like the aftertaste of the yogurt dip. We fought over the last bite of hummus, the green beans were flavorful with tomatoes mixed in. The white beans were ho-hum and feta with olives was great between bites of the other selections.
The reason of the wait was obvious. Each plate had been freshly prepared and it took some time. This order could easily feed six for an appetizer. We noticed that the diners that ordered regular entrees got their food much more quickly so I would save ordering the maza for a leisurely evening meal.
We suddenly panicked when our server approached with our entree. We had totally forgotten the stuffed eggplant, but valiantly dug in. Chunks of sauteed eggplant were covered with ground sirloin with onions and spices that had been baked with tomatoes and rice. Every bite had a different flavor and we certainly couldn’t just stop with one. Fried onion rings and perfectly roasted potato chunks came on the side. The onion rings were something special. The homemade batter contained just a hint of garlic and paprika that punched up the flavor.
In the interest of a complete review we forced ourselves to sample the house-made baklava ($2.50) for dessert. We found crisp flaky layers of filo filled with crunchy nuts. Very tasty.
Celaborelle is owned by Hedary’s Investiments Inc. and is managed by Youssef Hedary. He is part of the family that owns the restaurnt by the same name in Ridglea, but he says this place is separate. The building that houses the place was a vacant home when purchased. It was refurbished into a restaurant. It has only been open about a month. Youssef considers it to be an Arabic-Middle Eastern eatery.
Youssef is still working on the menu for Celaborelle. Plans for adding breakfast are in the works. He doesn’t have a liquor license but allows “responsible” diners to bring libations to enjoy with their meal.
“Celaborelle is just a word I made up,” claims Youssef, “It has no meaning.” We think it means freshly prepared food that isn’t the same oldenchilada – or tamale.
FW Weekly – October 29-November 5, 1988
Follow Us!