Food & Drink

 Food & Drink

Lebanese-American woman sells ma’amoul to help Beirut after explosion

A Lebanese American woman from Chicago is selling ma’amoul to raise money for Lebanese charities following the explosion on Aug. 4 in Beirut, reported the ABC lifestyle program Localish.

Dani Abboud planned to visit Beirut this year, but had to cancel her trip due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After seeing coverage of the Beirut explosion, she wanted to do something to help her motherland.

WATCH: Chicago Woman Selling Ma’amoul to Help Lebanon

“Ma’amoul is kind of like a cookie traditionally eaten around religious holidays,” Abboud told Localish. “I learned how to make it this past Easter. Getting to give people something as simple as these little cookies makes me feel like I’m giving a better glimpse as to what Lebanese culture is.”

The Beirut explosion rocked the city’s port, causing over 200 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage. Countries all over the world have been sending aid to assist Lebanon in the aftermath.

“For so many people in America and around the world, the only image they ever see of the Middle East is destruction or a war zone or a bombing, and it’s just not like that,” Abboud said.


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My heart is broken over the tragedy in Beirut. My heart is broken over the decades of political corruption, and the undermining western intervention. My heart is broken that, for many people in the world, this is the only view of Lebanon they ever see. My heart is also broken because I can’t be there to help. So, with my limited resources and geography, I have decided to bake. I’m making ma’amoul (a traditional Lebanese sweet) to raise money for the groups actually on the ground, helping the people of Lebanon. Chicago folks, if you send me a receipt showing at least a $10 donation to one of the charities in the link in my bio, I will give you 5 pieces of ma’amoul (first batch is vegan and has a date filling). DM me to coordinate, feel free to share. I don’t have much money, I don’t have much power, but I love my country and my people enough to bake until my fingers fall off, if need be.

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Abboud has raised more than $500 from ma’amoul sales, which she plans to send to charities in Beirut. To learn more about her fundraising efforts, visit her Instagram page.

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 Food & Drink

Lebanese bakery named ‘We’re Dough’ introduces Texans to mana’eesh

A sign that says, “How you doughin,” welcomes Texans to Houston’s newest Lebanese bakery, serving saj-baked mana’eesh, kaak, fakhar eggs and more.

The bakery ‘We’re Dough’ celebrated its grand opening on Feb 2 at its location at 6437 Westheimer Road, about ten miles from downtown Houston.

A sign that reads, "How you Doughin?" welcomes customers to Houston's newest Lebanese bakery. (Facebook/We're Dough Bakery)
A sign that reads, “How you Doughin?” welcomes customers to Houston’s newest Lebanese bakery. (Facebook/We’re Dough Bakery)

According to Texas lifestyle blogger BethieLife, ‘We’re Dough’ will serve “breakfast, lunch and dinner complete with thin breads topped with a wide variety of ingredients including various cheeses, meats, vegetables as well as sweet breads topped with nutella and various candies.”

'We're Dough' brands itself as a Lebanese bakery. (Facebook/We're Dough Bakery)
‘We’re Dough’ brands itself as a Lebanese bakery. (Facebook/We’re Dough Bakery)

“Clearly we have the most #instagramable bakery in Houston,” ‘We’re Dough’ said on Facebook. “Are you ready?”

‘We’re Dough’ will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m., according to Eater Houston, which recently profiled the new bakery.

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 Food & Drink

Shawarma fries offered at Lebanese restaurant in Canada

A Lebanese restaurant in Canada is turning heads with its speciality chicken shawarma fries — an appetizing poutine-style dish that combines Lebanese favorites and flavors.

The dish is served at Kabab Village Restaurant in Windsor, Ontario. The golden fries are drizzled with mayonnaise, homemade garlic sauce and chicken shawarma, according to their website.

Kabab Village was recently featured in a CBC review after the restaurant relocated from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Windsor, Ontario.

“My mom loves cooking and homemade food and she wanted to give everyone a little taste of our food back home,” owner Haidar Hatoum told CBC.

The chicken shawarma fries are among the most popular items on the menu. The dish comes as small, $5.95, medium, $9.95 and large, $12.95.

Kabab Village recently started serving a new halal chicken bacon ranch wrap with homemade ranch dressing. (Facebook/Kabab Village Restaurant)
Kabab Village recently started serving a new halal chicken bacon ranch wrap with homemade ranch dressing. (Facebook/Kabab Village Restaurant)

Kabab Village also serves other unique Lebanese-influenced dishes, such as their new halal chicken bacon ranch pita wrap.

The restaurant is located at 6124 Tecumseh Rd E. in Windsor.

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 Food & Drink

McDonald’s launches ‘McFalafel’ nuggets in Sweden

McDonald’s locations in Sweden are getting a vegan upgrade to their menu. The fast food chain announced it will now start serving bite-sized falafel nuggets in the Scandinavian nation.

The new ‘McFalafel’ meal will be part of a vegan Happy Meal which includes apples, carrots or a small order of fries. The falafel will also come with one of two dips — a yogurt sauce with herbs or a vegan pepper dip.

The falafel nuggets will be made with chickpeas, parsley, garlic and cumin, according to British online news outlet The Independent.

McDonald’s made the announcement with an Instagram post which said, “Have you heard the news? Soon we have #McFalafel on the menu.”

McDonald’s locations across the Nordic region launched the McVegan burger in 2017. The sandwich exceeded industry expectations and added the first vegan option to the McDonald’s locations in Europe.

The McVegan launched in Europe in 2017. (Instagram/McDonald's Sweden)
The McVegan launched in Europe in 2017. (Instagram/McDonald’s Sweden)

A recent poll by Animal Rights Sweden revealed that almost one in 10 Swedes now eat a plant-based diet.

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 Food & Drink

‘The Beirut’ restaurant ranked Toledo, Ohio’s best restaurant for 2018

A Lebanese restaurant in Toledo, Ohio was just ranked on the top of the Toledo Blade’s best restaurants of 2018 list.

‘The Beirut’ is located just 10 minutes from Downtown on 4082 Monroe Street, and “serves a variety of Mediterranean cuisine and a smattering of Italian fare in a casual [environment]”, the list explains.

The restaurant received a prestigious ‘5 stars’ ranking. The top honor for restaurants in the city was only given to one other establishment this year.

RELATED: Beirut’s Central Station Boutique named among ‘World’s 50 Best Bars’

The Blade described their frequent visits to the restaurant as “perfect” and said, “expect massive portions at moderate to slightly above moderate prices.”

The Beirut Restaurant was established in 1977 as a joint ownership with Labib Hajjar and Riad Abou-Arraj, according to its website.

To preview their menu or to learn more about the restaurant, click here.

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 Food & Drink

This Zgharta woman is nicknamed ‘Queen of Kibbeh.’ What’s her secret?

Zgharta woman Suzanne El Douaihy doesn’t wear a crown. But she is nicknamed the “Queen of Kibbeh” for her expertise making nearly every variety of the delicious Lebanese dish.

El Douaihy is one of 4,000 women who own a small business supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development. She receives support from the U.S. government to help her grow her kibbeh business.

“The base is the meat. The meat has to be well minced,” El Douaihy said about making the perfect kibbeh. “Its color has to be good and it has to be tender.”

WATCH: Queen of Kibbeh Shares Her Secret:

El Douaihy makes several varieties of kibbeh, including Zgharta kibbeh stuffed with lard, kibbeh balls, kibbeh layered with pine nuts and onions and chickpea kibbeh made without meat.

Suzanne El Douaihy is known for her world-famous "Zgharta kibbeh." (Facebook/US Aid Lebanon)
Suzanne El Douaihy is known for her world-famous “Zgharta kibbeh.” (Facebook/US Aid Lebanon)

“The first thing with preparing kibbeh is cleanliness; it is the most important,” she added. “You have to be timely preparing it — you cannot take your time because the meat will not wait for you.”

RELATED: Anthony Bourdain visited Beirut twice — at very different times

El Douaihy was nicknamed the “Queen of Kibbeh” by late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who told her, “I never ate kibbeh like this before.”

To order kibbeh from El Douaihy, call +961 3 946 194.

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 Food & Drink

Lebanese restaurant named among 38 best eateries in America

A Lebanese restaurant in Michigan has been named among the 38 best restaurants in America by the food network Eater.com.

For the third year in a row, Al Ameer Lebanese Restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan has been named among the best eateries in the nation.

Food critic Bill Addison traveled to 36 cities to come up with his list of America’s “essential” restaurants.

“Among Dearborn’s cache of Lebanese restaurants, this is the paragon,” Addison’s review said.

“Kahlil Ammar and Zaki Hashem’s family business includes an in-house butcher facility, so the unrivaled stuffed lamb (and also lamb liver, a traditional breakfast dish) exhibits exceptional freshness.”

Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, is home to one of the largest concentrations of Arabs outside of the Middle East. Al Ameer is one of several dozen Lebanese restaurants in the diverse city.

Al Ameer's famous stuffed lamb dish. (Eater/Bill Addison)
Al Ameer’s famous stuffed lamb dish. (Eater/Bill Addison)

In addition to the classic Lebanese favorites, Al Ameer is known for its house dishes like stuffed lamb, moujadara, grape leaves and the Al Ameer platter.

Al Ameer Restaurant is located at 12710 West Warren Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. To visit their website, click here.

To view Addison’s full list of America’s 38 best restaurants, click here.

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 Food & Drink

Beirut’s Central Station Boutique named among ‘World’s 50 Best Bars’

The Central Station Boutique Bar in Beirut was featured among “The World’s 50 Best Bars of 2018.”

The World’s 50 Best Bars is an annual listing of the finest bars and alcohol establishments around the globe. Central Station was number 27 on the list!

The bar got its name from the once-functional Beirut train station, which is located near the Central Station Boutique.

The Central Station Boutique Bar is known for its "ability to deliver some very creative drinks," according to the list. (Facebook/Central Station Boutique Bar)
The Central Station Boutique Bar is known for its “ability to deliver some very creative drinks,” according to the list. (Facebook/Central Station Boutique Bar)

RELATED: Lebanese winemaker produces pioneering blue wine

“The menu is an appealing balance of humor and flavour, with a nice emphasis on taking something that feels familiar and reimagining it with a contemporary edge,” the list said.

The bar is located on Armenia Street, Mar Mikhayel in Beirut and is open 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. 7 days per week.

“The space elegantly combines dark wood with quirky touches, such as the railway carriage wheels suspended from the ceiling, while a long, focal-point bar runs the length of the room,” the list added.

Learn more about the Central Station bar and The World’s 50 best Bars list at this link.

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 Food & Drink

Lebanese spot named one of the top places for cocktails in Ibiza!

Patchwork, a rooftop restaurant and bar featuring Lebanese cuisine, was recently named one of the top 16 places for cocktails on Ibiza, by Ibiza-spotlight.com.

Patchwork is a part of a trio of restaurants in Sa Punta Ibiza, and is located in the beautiful city of Dalt Vila.

The restaurant combines food, cocktails, design and music and makes the dining experience, “a laid-back one until 3 a.m.,” according to its website.

The establishment is “brightly decorated and bursting with color,” and the cocktails are “brimming with fresh fruit and the gin and tonics are amongst the best of the island,” its website added.

RELATED: Lebanese-owned WHITE nightclub ranked top 20 in world

Ibiza Spotlight told readers they would love the clever vessels in which these gorgeous mixed drinks are served. (Youtube Screen grab)
Ibiza Spotlight told readers they would love the clever vessels in which these gorgeous mixed drinks are served. (Youtube Screen grab)

Ibiza is an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of Spain that is a wildly popular tourist destination for millennials.

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 Food & Drink

Lebanese restaurant in North Carolina named ‘go-to’ for gluten-free food

Lebanese restaurant Aladdin’s Eatery was ranked among the top four gluten-free dining options in Raleigh by WTVD-TV, an ABC station in North Carolina.

Aladdin’s Eatery is a restaurant chain that serves Lebanese-American dishes with an atmosphere that “treats our guests with Lebanese hospitality by adhering to high standards for quality service,” according to their website.

The ABC station points out the restaurant has over 40 vegetarian dishes, 30 vegan dishes, 40 gluten-free dishes and 40 antibiotic-free meat and chicken dishes to choose from.

Aladdin's Eatery was named one of the top four best dining locations for gluten-free food options in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Aladdin's Eatery)
Aladdin’s Eatery was named one of the top four best dining locations for gluten-free food options in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Aladdin’s Eatery)

The list suggests that gluten-free eaters should try “Jasmine’s Favorite,” which includes kidney beans, vegetables and gluten-free rice topped with the meat of your choice.

RELATED: Anthony Bourdain visited Beirut twice – at very different times

The restaurant chain was founded and is run by Lebanese-American Fady Chamoun, and currently has over 30 locations in the Midwest.

The establishment featured on the list is located at 4209 Lassiter Mill Road in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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