Zamaan Cafes

continued

disappoint--even if you stop only long enough to grab your carryout.

A friend who sat down proclaiming he'd have a meat sandwich and nothing more ended up tasting and enjoying several of Zamaan's Lebanese signature creations. He raved most about the makale, lemony-mellow fried potatoes and eggplant cubes that were as creamy inside as the almost-whipped hummus base they sat on. Ordered at our server's recommendation from the list of eight "hummus specialties," this was perhaps the second-most popular dish we sampled on that visit. The most popular was karnabeet, an appetizer of robust-flavored sauteed cauliflower pieces adrift in a lightly stewed sea of tomato chunks, onion, parsley, and pomegranate seeds (a charismatic garnish). It was a satisfying vegetarian option--"bacony," my sister said, recognizing a smokiness that goes beyond aromatic to heartily infuse Zamaan's warm dishes.