Starbuzz (not fizz, NOT fizz) hookah is some good stuff. It really packs a punch. This place was nice overall. We decided to try something new from our Sofra ritual, so we ventured a whole three blocks to Almaza on Venice Blvd. Let's start with good. Hookah- lemon guava. GOOD choice, if I don't say so myself. Mmm MM. You could tell it was high quality because a) the hookah itself was legit, no rubber hoses or burning out after 20 minutes. The atmosphere was nice, similar to Sofra in that you sit outside on a patio that can be closed if it is too cold. The chairs are not quite as comfortable. The food was orgasmic. We ordered hummus, musakka (which was actually more like Turkish şakşuka than other musakka that I have had) and this 'quesadilla' with lamb inside (called Arais, in Turkish gözleme) that was literally killer. GO HERE TO EAT AND GET MEZZE. You will be very, very happy. Prices were comparable to Sofra, not too bad. Now excuse me, I have to go and order some more Arabic quesadilla. Just writing about it makes me crazy. It's like when you are studying and all of a sudden need chocolate. You NEED it. Be careful. Addiction alert.
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 9 (all starbuzz- good shit)
Ambiance: 9
Food: 10 (like, Len Goodman from DWTS 10)
Music: 7 (didn't really notice, not really essential to the atmo)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 8.5
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Zankou Chicken
Now, I know what you are thinking. I don't actually, but I might guess and say "what!? This is a hookah blog. Zankou is a chain Armenian restaurant that does NOT serve hookah. Riddle me that!?" Ok. Stop. The purpose of this blog is yes, that we love hookah, but also that we love all things middle eastern- which most definitely includes food. And the fact that Hello Viken was outraged that I had never been to Zankou, rightfully so.
Good stuff, and not bad prices. For 9.99, I got a combo kebab plate (lule and chicken) with good rice, a big slab of more than decent hummus, veggies (tomatoes and cucumbers) and onions. HV's beef looked good too, and I definitely stole some tahini and red onions from him. For a go-to spot on a Tuesday night, perfect! The vibe is also pretty cool. It's like hanging out at a McDonald's, except you don't feel like you are sitting in a heart attack bubble (no offense to McDonald's. It's more the people that are around you that make you feel that way). We sat and blabbed for more than three hours (watching both tables and shifts change), and no one even looked twice.
Random Fact: HV's car is known as "cucumber". It is indeed the color of a cucumber.
Good stuff, and not bad prices. For 9.99, I got a combo kebab plate (lule and chicken) with good rice, a big slab of more than decent hummus, veggies (tomatoes and cucumbers) and onions. HV's beef looked good too, and I definitely stole some tahini and red onions from him. For a go-to spot on a Tuesday night, perfect! The vibe is also pretty cool. It's like hanging out at a McDonald's, except you don't feel like you are sitting in a heart attack bubble (no offense to McDonald's. It's more the people that are around you that make you feel that way). We sat and blabbed for more than three hours (watching both tables and shifts change), and no one even looked twice.
Random Fact: HV's car is known as "cucumber". It is indeed the color of a cucumber.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Skaf's Lebanese (Glendale)
Ok so, don't flip out! There was no hookah involved in this evening's activities, partly because Skaf does not have hookah, and partly because my dear friend had gum surgery and thus is not allowed to smoke for a week. We did see Bridesmaids, and it was insanely funny. So that was good. The food at Skaf's was hot. In more ways than one. First, you get an entire little hummus bowl and salad to yourself, which is awesome because it makes you feel like you are getting something for free. I had the kibbeh with yogurt sauce, and Hello Viken had chicken kebab. We were stuffed by the end, too much so even for baklava which looked delicious. Next time, next time. Oh, and muhammara turned out much better than the sad excuse I turned out today in my personal kitchen, but that could have something to do with remembering breadcrumbs for next time. So, no ratings tonight, except food three thumbs up, neat place, prices aren't bad, and not a bad location. Go see Bridesmaids. Salam!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sofra (Culver City)
I've actually been here many times, but thought it was necessary to write a review since I never have. Sofra is an awesome place for both chilling in the afternoon and in the evening. If you don't know exactly where it is, you will miss it, because the sign on the building is actually really inconspicuous, so be careful. It's right next to a market and Brazilian restaurant. Anyway, back to the important stuff.
Let's talk food first. Sofra has a full menu of kebabs and plates (Many of which are very yummy). I recommend the kisir plate, which has kisir (bulgur wheat that is spiced and softened, it's like rice with tomato sauce- yes), hummus, which is awesome at Sofra, and a salad. The kebabs are good, and the baklava is reason alone to come back. The prices are a little high, but the food is better than a rando mall food court kebab place.
Hookah, hookah. We ordered an apple flavor, which is always nice. Sofra has the good kind of hookahs that have the nice hoses (not those bulky plastic ones, elch) and they recently switched their coals to be the newer, more user-friendly. Usually they leave the coal on the table so you can switch it yourself.
I think the best part about Sofra is the atmosphere. You can sit on their patio for hours (outdoor, but plastic covering for winter) with friends and chat, study (free wi-fi :)) or just chill out. Sometimes it gets busy at night, but it's also a great place to watch a game on the TVs or check out some music videos. Oh, and if you are learning Turkish like me, it's a good place to practice :)
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 8 (not vast, but the essentials are there)
Ambiance: 9
Food: 9
Music: 8 (lots of Turkish pop songs, hope you like Tarkan!)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 9
Let's talk food first. Sofra has a full menu of kebabs and plates (Many of which are very yummy). I recommend the kisir plate, which has kisir (bulgur wheat that is spiced and softened, it's like rice with tomato sauce- yes), hummus, which is awesome at Sofra, and a salad. The kebabs are good, and the baklava is reason alone to come back. The prices are a little high, but the food is better than a rando mall food court kebab place.
Hookah, hookah. We ordered an apple flavor, which is always nice. Sofra has the good kind of hookahs that have the nice hoses (not those bulky plastic ones, elch) and they recently switched their coals to be the newer, more user-friendly. Usually they leave the coal on the table so you can switch it yourself.
I think the best part about Sofra is the atmosphere. You can sit on their patio for hours (outdoor, but plastic covering for winter) with friends and chat, study (free wi-fi :)) or just chill out. Sometimes it gets busy at night, but it's also a great place to watch a game on the TVs or check out some music videos. Oh, and if you are learning Turkish like me, it's a good place to practice :)
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 8 (not vast, but the essentials are there)
Ambiance: 9
Food: 9
Music: 8 (lots of Turkish pop songs, hope you like Tarkan!)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 9
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Patio (Arcadia)
Celebrating...our freedom (?) from class, wait, work, wait...anyway, we hit up the Patio in Arcadia on Monday night, which you can guess was hopping. It was actually nice though, because going to smoke hookah is usually meant to be relaxing, and the last thing you want is to wait in line or be shoved up against a table constantly worrying your hookah will tip over and shatter, leaving you with nothing but glass and ash on your shoes. We decided to be crazy and experiment with flavor mixing- a very good idea. Starbuzz white peach and mint- delish!
The tobacco itself was an excellent mix of cool and fruity (which I love) and the coals were the kind that are straight bricks, not wacked out pieces that you have to search through. Our server was pretty attentive, and even recommended that we pour olive oil on our hummus and mouhammara (a red pepper and walnut dip- YUM), which added a nice touch.
The location itself is actually pretty neat, it's right next to an Italian Market and Art Institute, and you can enter from either the front or the back. The entire back is two stories (both outdoor patios with heaters) that give you a relaxed atmosphere. On Fridays they have DJs and dancing, so I can look forward to checking that out. Overall, I dug this place, I would most definitely go back.
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 9
Ambiance: 9
Food: 8.5 (Only because we only tried two appetizers, it seems like it would be yummy)
Music: 7 (rap and latin? nothing against those genres, but it didn't quite go with the vibe. They would be better on Friday when it gets more crowded)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 9
The tobacco itself was an excellent mix of cool and fruity (which I love) and the coals were the kind that are straight bricks, not wacked out pieces that you have to search through. Our server was pretty attentive, and even recommended that we pour olive oil on our hummus and mouhammara (a red pepper and walnut dip- YUM), which added a nice touch.
The location itself is actually pretty neat, it's right next to an Italian Market and Art Institute, and you can enter from either the front or the back. The entire back is two stories (both outdoor patios with heaters) that give you a relaxed atmosphere. On Fridays they have DJs and dancing, so I can look forward to checking that out. Overall, I dug this place, I would most definitely go back.
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 9
Ambiance: 9
Food: 8.5 (Only because we only tried two appetizers, it seems like it would be yummy)
Music: 7 (rap and latin? nothing against those genres, but it didn't quite go with the vibe. They would be better on Friday when it gets more crowded)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 9
Hookah Lounge (Glendale)
Hookah blog number one! Vick and I spent our Thursday night smoking 4 HOURS of Hookah at the Hookah Lounge in Glendale. Kind of a sketchy little spot, but Hookah by nature is supposed to be sketchy, right? We had a good time. First we tried a flavor called Lemon Mint, which was very soothing and hit the spot pretty nicely. We ordered the “Middle Eastern” platter, which came with Hummus (yum), Labne (yummier), Salad (mmhmm) and…this eggplant pepper spread called Ikra that was ORGASMIC! I literally looked up a recipe when I got home so I could make 80 more pounds of the stuff. Whoa.
The ambience was decent, not the best of the best. It was a little dark (especially for the NERDS trying to do homework on their laptop- um, go to Starbucks?) and the music got a little loud at points. One thing that I like though, was that it didn’t feel super pretentious. Sometimes I want to feel like I’m rich and famous. But most of the time, I don’t want to pay my life savings for a fricking water pipe with flavored tobacco and some token side dishes.
I love the reviews on Yelp. There is one that states, “Only creepy Persian and Armenian men wearing gold chains and black shirts come here”. Ha. As if we needed to differentiate Middle Eastern/Near Asian men from the gold chains. We might as well call them hairy and sufficiently coated in cologne. Without this stuff, they would be naked. Well, at least their mounds of hair would be more visible. Give them some love; we know we all secretly (or not so secretly) enjoy it.
The service- gee. I kind of forgot about it, because it was fine, what you would expect at a sketchy hookah bar in Glendale. I really wanted to ask the guy carrying the coals how often he burns himself. Maybe he likes it. He could be in a Hookah circus. Toward the end of the night, we switched it up with a melon-grape flavor that was tasty. Of course, nothing is as tasty as the first few hits. This was close. Not bad pricing either. First Hookah was $12, refill $5. Hey, some Hookah places time you and charge you no matter how much or little you smoke. And nothing sucks more than trying to hurry and smoke. It actually defeats the purpose wholeheartedly. Overall, I would journey back to this place. Maybe next time we can brave sitting outside if it’s not -40 degrees (and by that I mean below 60- welcome to Southern California).
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 8
Ambiance: 7
Food: 9 (Ikra: 157!)
Music: 7 (not because it wasn’t good, because it was too damn loud!)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 7
The ambience was decent, not the best of the best. It was a little dark (especially for the NERDS trying to do homework on their laptop- um, go to Starbucks?) and the music got a little loud at points. One thing that I like though, was that it didn’t feel super pretentious. Sometimes I want to feel like I’m rich and famous. But most of the time, I don’t want to pay my life savings for a fricking water pipe with flavored tobacco and some token side dishes.
I love the reviews on Yelp. There is one that states, “Only creepy Persian and Armenian men wearing gold chains and black shirts come here”. Ha. As if we needed to differentiate Middle Eastern/Near Asian men from the gold chains. We might as well call them hairy and sufficiently coated in cologne. Without this stuff, they would be naked. Well, at least their mounds of hair would be more visible. Give them some love; we know we all secretly (or not so secretly) enjoy it.
The service- gee. I kind of forgot about it, because it was fine, what you would expect at a sketchy hookah bar in Glendale. I really wanted to ask the guy carrying the coals how often he burns himself. Maybe he likes it. He could be in a Hookah circus. Toward the end of the night, we switched it up with a melon-grape flavor that was tasty. Of course, nothing is as tasty as the first few hits. This was close. Not bad pricing either. First Hookah was $12, refill $5. Hey, some Hookah places time you and charge you no matter how much or little you smoke. And nothing sucks more than trying to hurry and smoke. It actually defeats the purpose wholeheartedly. Overall, I would journey back to this place. Maybe next time we can brave sitting outside if it’s not -40 degrees (and by that I mean below 60- welcome to Southern California).
Ratings (out of 10):
Flavor Selection: 8
Ambiance: 7
Food: 9 (Ikra: 157!)
Music: 7 (not because it wasn’t good, because it was too damn loud!)
Hookah Me Up (overall appeal): 7
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