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ENJOY ARMENIAN CUISINE AT GLENDALE'S ADANA RESTAURANT
By David Latt
Patch.com
Sept 22 2011
CA
If you crave healthy, delicious, affordable food, Adana Restaurant
is worth the trip across town.
Cultural diversity is one of the greatest things about Southern
California. So, if you have a craving for Mexican food, you can
likely satisfy it in no time. The same goes for Japanese, Korean,
Italian, Vietnamese, Iranian, Chinese, Central American, Brazilian,
Argentinean and Armenian dishes.
However, there aren't many restaurants that offer Armenian fare in the
immediate area, its cuisine may not be at the top of the cravings list
for Palisadians. The greatest concentration of Armenian restaurants,
grocery stores and bakeries is in Glendale.
Adana Restaurant is one of those Glendale eateries that a friend and
I frequent. Even though there are 15 kababs on the menu, I pretty
much stick with the dark meat chicken kabab, priced at $6.50. My
friend likes the lamb chops kabab, priced at $10.95. I should note,
the lamb chops and the baby back ribs ($8.50) are also amazing.
The interior suggests a quiet banquet room in a small, elegant European
hotel. There are white tablecothes and the windows and doors facing
San Fernando Road are framed by delicate wrought iron. The room feels
light and airy.
While waiting for our entrees, we have an Armenian coffee ($1.99),
share a large plate of tabouli ($5.75) and yak about family, work
and movies.
Serge, the waiter, or Edward Khechemyan, the owner and chef, usually
brings a basket of lavash or pita (I prefer lavash) and a dish of
sweet butter.
We eat the tabouli and lavash with relish. The freshly chopped Italian
parsley, tossed with bits of tomato, scallions, olive oil and lemon
juice, has a touch of heat. We happily talk as we eat and sip the
strong coffee.
Armenia is sandwhiched between Turkey and countries previously aligned
with the Soviet Union. So, the country developed dishes adapted from
neighboring countries, with the strongest influence coming from Turkey
and the Middle East.
Once our entrees arrive, I notice the pieces of dark meat chicken
on my plate are lined up like pillows, resting on a bed of rice. My
buddy's lamb chops come with that same generous helping of rice. We
had both selected the same two side dishes: homemade hummus and a
brightly colored Persian salad of roughly chopped ripe tomatoes,
red onions, Italian parsley and unpeeled Iranian cucumbers.
Needless to say, our conversation comes to an abrupt halt when our
entrees arrive. My friend attacks the lamb chops with his hands,
then scoops up fork fulls of the rice, with the flavor addition of
the sides.
I eat with more deliberation, spreading butter and hummus on a piece
of lavash, adding a spoonfull of rice, Persian salad and slices of the
juicy dark chicken meat, almost like a complete packet of flavor. I
construct the next packet-and then next-until l I have eaten every
last grain of rice and piece of chicken.
Chef Khechemyan could cut corners in his closet-sized kitchen, but
he won't. Even though the prices are little more than you would pay
at a fast food restaurant, the food is prepared-to-order using the
freshest ingredients. He insists on working with quality food and the
proof is in each bite. Khechemyan and his fellow chef, Sonik Nazaryan,
are masters of layering flavors.
For a small restaurant, the menu has a good variety of dishes,
including familiar American classics, including Philly cheese steak
sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken breast sandwiches to name a few.
Adana also offers many salads, thick, spicy lentil and barley soups
and traditional Armenian stews. Finally, there are many popular Middle
Eastern appetizers such as domeh, hummus, yogurt and cucumber dip.
The combination of textues and flavors is such a pleasure. Any foodie
in search of umami has to make the trek to Adana. That's what's at
work here. All your taste buds are in play-salty, sour, sweet and
bitter. I go back as often as I can.
http://pacificpalisades.patch.com/articles/enjoy-armenian-cuisine-at-glendales-adana-restaurant
By David Latt
Patch.com
Sept 22 2011
CA
If you crave healthy, delicious, affordable food, Adana Restaurant
is worth the trip across town.
Cultural diversity is one of the greatest things about Southern
California. So, if you have a craving for Mexican food, you can
likely satisfy it in no time. The same goes for Japanese, Korean,
Italian, Vietnamese, Iranian, Chinese, Central American, Brazilian,
Argentinean and Armenian dishes.
However, there aren't many restaurants that offer Armenian fare in the
immediate area, its cuisine may not be at the top of the cravings list
for Palisadians. The greatest concentration of Armenian restaurants,
grocery stores and bakeries is in Glendale.
Adana Restaurant is one of those Glendale eateries that a friend and
I frequent. Even though there are 15 kababs on the menu, I pretty
much stick with the dark meat chicken kabab, priced at $6.50. My
friend likes the lamb chops kabab, priced at $10.95. I should note,
the lamb chops and the baby back ribs ($8.50) are also amazing.
The interior suggests a quiet banquet room in a small, elegant European
hotel. There are white tablecothes and the windows and doors facing
San Fernando Road are framed by delicate wrought iron. The room feels
light and airy.
While waiting for our entrees, we have an Armenian coffee ($1.99),
share a large plate of tabouli ($5.75) and yak about family, work
and movies.
Serge, the waiter, or Edward Khechemyan, the owner and chef, usually
brings a basket of lavash or pita (I prefer lavash) and a dish of
sweet butter.
We eat the tabouli and lavash with relish. The freshly chopped Italian
parsley, tossed with bits of tomato, scallions, olive oil and lemon
juice, has a touch of heat. We happily talk as we eat and sip the
strong coffee.
Armenia is sandwhiched between Turkey and countries previously aligned
with the Soviet Union. So, the country developed dishes adapted from
neighboring countries, with the strongest influence coming from Turkey
and the Middle East.
Once our entrees arrive, I notice the pieces of dark meat chicken
on my plate are lined up like pillows, resting on a bed of rice. My
buddy's lamb chops come with that same generous helping of rice. We
had both selected the same two side dishes: homemade hummus and a
brightly colored Persian salad of roughly chopped ripe tomatoes,
red onions, Italian parsley and unpeeled Iranian cucumbers.
Needless to say, our conversation comes to an abrupt halt when our
entrees arrive. My friend attacks the lamb chops with his hands,
then scoops up fork fulls of the rice, with the flavor addition of
the sides.
I eat with more deliberation, spreading butter and hummus on a piece
of lavash, adding a spoonfull of rice, Persian salad and slices of the
juicy dark chicken meat, almost like a complete packet of flavor. I
construct the next packet-and then next-until l I have eaten every
last grain of rice and piece of chicken.
Chef Khechemyan could cut corners in his closet-sized kitchen, but
he won't. Even though the prices are little more than you would pay
at a fast food restaurant, the food is prepared-to-order using the
freshest ingredients. He insists on working with quality food and the
proof is in each bite. Khechemyan and his fellow chef, Sonik Nazaryan,
are masters of layering flavors.
For a small restaurant, the menu has a good variety of dishes,
including familiar American classics, including Philly cheese steak
sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken breast sandwiches to name a few.
Adana also offers many salads, thick, spicy lentil and barley soups
and traditional Armenian stews. Finally, there are many popular Middle
Eastern appetizers such as domeh, hummus, yogurt and cucumber dip.
The combination of textues and flavors is such a pleasure. Any foodie
in search of umami has to make the trek to Adana. That's what's at
work here. All your taste buds are in play-salty, sour, sweet and
bitter. I go back as often as I can.
http://pacificpalisades.patch.com/articles/enjoy-armenian-cuisine-at-glendales-adana-restaurant