Friday, December 22, 2006

Pizza Pitza Cafe-Restaurant, Hay Al-andalus Location

Located on the busy bustling Gargaresh- Hay Alandalus main drag, inside the newly opened Al-Wahat shopping little mall. Kind of hidden in the back ground but not to the eyes at first, with a nice balcony that looks over the entrance of the main gate of the little shopping mall. you have to walk to the right take the stairs up one floor (first floor), following the blue sign that reads RESTAURANT. The place does not have a phone yet, so walk-ins are welcome.

Friendly, comfortable and have good ambiance, also nicely decorated with easy colors all over the place. Although tables are very close, you can have a certain level of privacy if you come early for dinner.
I did fall in love with the chicken Shawerma and Chicken Chich Taouk( as per the menu), the chicken is marinated in a mild exotic spice combo with sweet tangy taste to them, soft, melting almost and easy on the palate. Make sure they put no HARRISA* in your food, it just ruins the whole experience.

Their menu consists of Pizza, Fast food such as fried chicken fried calamari, a variety of Mediterranean Salads and Pasta, Sandwiches of beef and chicken, fried shrimp and of course the ever present Tuna.
Canned drinks are available. Libyan style coffee, cappuccino and tea are also recommended. Tables can be joined if you come with a bigger group.
Prices range between 2.00 and 15.00 Libyan Dinar, depending on what you order, not too bad hey :-).
Have a nice night out. Enjoy and welcome to Libya

*Harrisa is a red pepper paste popular in north Africa used as an appetizer, it is different than the Harrisa Dessert that is native to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon Area.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Cafe Ba BA Reeba-Chicago IL

We are in Chicago this weekend, will continue with Tripoli once we are back.
I will be featuring a place for the travelers to Illinois, specifically Chicago.
Ask any single person in Chicago and surrounding areas, they will sure know Cafe Ba Ba Reeba.
It is best to go there as a group, it is fun plus you get to share and taste more of the 40 plus Tapas they have on their menu.
Hot and cold appetizers are practically what you will have at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba.
Here are some of my picks:-
Roast eggplant salad with goat cheese, highly recommended. Mushroom empanada, porcini alioli; zesty.
Sea food, would be fresh squid and shrimp. Couscous with scallops, raisins is also a treat added a fried calamari you will be in paradise.
For beef lovers, beef skewers would be a choice unavoidable, for chicken lovers I would recommend chicken salad with curry; delicious.
Paella is another hot dish to have, made with shrimp and lobster, it is worth the waiting time (average is 25 to 35 minutes)

Ba Ba Reeba is a busy place bustling with young people, an average wait for seating could go all the way up to 45 minutes on a Friday night, you can also go to the back bar where you can get food served if you do not want to wait, no chance for that if you are with a large group. On week days you can pick the patio where seating is immediate.

The cafe has many bars and rooms with an open kitchen centered where certain foods are cooked and garlic and sausage are hanged visibly. A back cozy bar acts as a great waiting area, and a front patio where it is fresh in spring and summer.
Dishes range between $3 to $35
Enjoy shy town
Address:
2024 N Halsted St (Cross Street: Armitage Avenue)Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (773) 935-5000