Last weekend I had dinner at Almawal with some friends, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Just about everything we ate was terrific. I especially loved the array of appetizers we tried . . .


Eggplant Dip
This item, brought to the table gratis as we sat down, was described by our server as baba ghnouj but later in the meal we ordered another eggplant dish that resembled baba in the form I'm more accustomed to seeing it. In any case, this was pretty tart with lemon and really delicious, especially with the crunchy, herbaceous pita chips.



Musabaha
This whole chickpea hummus was fantastic. It was very creamy and nicely acidic. We also ordered the regular hummus but the acidity in this version had me greatly favoring it over the other, even though the other was also very good.



Falafil
These were just perfect. Clearly, they were cooked to order and they were light and crispy on the outside, while being tender and fluffy inside. Great flavors made these hard to stop eating.



Stuffed Falafil
Definitely my favorite item of the meal. They were as perfectly cooked as the unstuffed falafil pictured above but the tasty, spicy filling took them to a whole other level. The kick from from the peppers and seasonings was compelling.

After these appetizers and a few others (not pictured), we were pretty full but the 4 of us decided to split a couple of main courses . . .


Al Mawali Mixed Grill - shisk kebab, kufta kebab, chicken kebab, shawerma
Very nice flavors here -- and we could really taste the mesquite -- but the kebabs were pretty dry and chewy. I loved the 2 types of aromatic rice.



Whole Chicken
About the same as the mixed grill. Flavorful but quite dry. I'm guessing that the late hour of our arrival, ~7:45 on a Saturday evening, had something to do with quality of the meats. They weren't bad but were just not at the level of the rest of the meal. In any case, I really enjoyed our meal and thought a couple of the dishes were real eye-openers. Service was friendly, helpful and pretty much fantastic. I definitely plan on returning to Almawal, even though it's 40 miles from my house.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Stuffed Falafil
Definitely my favorite item of the meal. They were as perfectly cooked as the unstuffed falafil pictured above but the tasty, spicy filling took them to a whole other level. The kick from from the peppers and seasonings was compelling.=R=

What are they stuffed with?

pairs4life wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Stuffed Falafil
Definitely my favorite item of the meal. They were as perfectly cooked as the unstuffed falafil pictured above but the tasty, spicy filling took them to a whole other level. The kick from from the peppers and seasonings was compelling.=R=

What are they stuffed with?

Further up this thread...

Rene G wrote:I had a chance to try Almawal and thought it very good overall. Many dishes seemed identical to Al Bawadi's but a few fell a little short of what I remember.

...

I think I enjoyed the stuffed version, filled with spicy fried veggies, even more.

pairs4life wrote:What are they stuffed with?

Menu says "onions, garlic & spices, green pepper" but our questions were answered only vaguely. They definitely seem to be meatless and I thought I detected a pronounced sumac note.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

pairs4life wrote:What are they stuffed with?

Menu says "onions, garlic & spices, green pepper" but our questions were answered only vaguely. They definitely seem to be meatless and I thought I detected a pronounced sumac note.

=R=

Can't wait for court in Bridgeview.

A few weeks ago we headed down to Al Mawal, which occupies the space of a former Greek diner that I used to frequent in my youth. I sure do wish we had access to this high quality cuisine back in the day. The food was awesome, perhaps the best I've ever had. I've lamented the state of Middle Eastern on the north side as of late and thought that a new spot in my hood was offering some of the best of recent. Well, Falafel & Grill is a great option in my neck of the woods, but it pales in comparison to everything we ate at Al Mawal. In fact, the cooking at Al Mawal was several notches above a thoroughly enjoyed meal at Cedarland in Dearborn, MI last year.

Torshi

Both beautiful and addictive, we cleared this almost by the time our order arrived.

Muthawama

Ethereally light. Pungent and tart. Pure ambrosia. Perhaps the best thing I've eaten in 2012 so far.

Tabbouleh

I appreciated its herb forwardness, but it was overdressed and the lemon tasted like it may have come from a bottle.

Chicken Shwarma

Somewhere along the line I became a big chicken shwarma fan, I find that its usually spiced more heavily and more caramelized than its red meat cousins (perhaps because its less popular and has more time to roast?) But anyhow, this was the best I've had, assertively seasoned, crispy bits, not at all dry. And the garlicky mayo-like dip on the left was like muthawama's eggy cousin and awesome. What's that, two different fluffy, aromatic spiced rices? This place really goes the distance.

Kibbeh

Textbook. Piping hot, crisp. Savory mixed ground beef and lamb with aromatic spices and the occasional nutty pop from pine nuts.

This place is a gem. A weird thing to say, but food this good makes me wonder why my family moved back to the city.

Maiden voyage to Almawal, and not sure why I waited so long. Food was uniformly solid. Tab for two came to about thirty bucks before tip--a shawarma platter, grilled meat combo thingy, a Vimto Lite and a Diet coke. Included with the dinners were baba ghanouj and hummus. Both were pretty good, particularly the former, though lemon/sumac and garlic threatened to wash out other flavors. The usual tomato/cucumber salad was alright--nicely chopped, with some mint, methinks. Simple and satisfying, though the tomato was pretty uninspiring. The grilled meats--chicken, shish, and kefta kebabs, with a 'garnish' of beef/lamb shawerma--were well-executed. The chicken, all white meat, was actually not dry. The kefta was a bit too tough at the ends, but the middle portion tasted just right. The shish was excellent, well-seasoned and cooked through but not tough. All bore a lovely kiss of mesquite that grew with each bite. The shawerma may have been my favorite part, with lovely layering and an abundance of joyously crispy bits. Portions are, improbably, even more outsized than Al Bawadi. I'll be back soon.

We were at Al Mawal on Saturday night, and our tab for two was also $31 pre-tip. For that we got the mixed grill (with the aforementioned baba, hummus, and jerusalem salad), muthawama (toum), a half dozen falafel and a couple of stuffed falafel, and an order of fries (sadly, from a bag. dawali, by the way, has some of the finest french fries in the city..get the curry sauce).

It was not our first visit, but it remains a favorite.

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Musabaha
This whole chickpea hummus was fantastic. It was very creamy and nicely acidic. We also ordered the regular hummus but the acidity in this version had me greatly favoring it over the other, even though the other was also very good.

I had forgot about your post Ronnie in regards to the musabaha and I had the regular hummus last night which was tremendous so when I go back I will for sure try the musabaha.

Jefe wrote:Chicken Shwarma

Somewhere along the line I became a big chicken shwarma fan, I find that its usually spiced more heavily and more caramelized than its red meat cousins (perhaps because its less popular and has more time to roast?) But anyhow, this was the best I've had, assertively seasoned, crispy bits, not at all dry.

I could not agree more about the chicken shwarma here, best I've had as well. I had the chicken shwarma wrap/sandwich (<$5) which the wrap was nicely crisped and packed with loads of chicken shwarma, this can easily be split between two diners, it was a large sandwich.

I have a group of diners that I can't wait to schedule a meal here and try many more items.

Edited to add: just in case of any confustion, my post is in reference to Al Mawal
10718 S Harlem Ave
Worth, IL 60482

Where did you dine?

Panther in the Den wrote:Where did you dine?

clearly my post was not as obvious as I thought

Al Mawal
10718 S Harlem Ave
Worth, IL 60482

Is Al Mawal open for lunch on weekdays/weekends? Looks fantastic.

Edit - just read some previous posts. It's clear that almawal is open at lunchtime. What time does it open on weekdays and weekends for lunch? I can't find any website for almawal, Thanks.

Had a rock solid lunch at Al Mawal recently (ran into fropones. You likey?) where three of us basically ordered "the whole left side of the menu" (bad "Diner" movie reference. Sorry.) - musabaha, lamb shawerma sandwich, 1/2 grilled chicken, foul, arayes with meat and cheese, falafel, tahini (Jerusalem) salad, eggplant dip, and galaya, a well-integrated veggie/meat stew composed of minced lamb (it can also be served sans meat), tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Everything we ate ranged from good to outstanding. Their perfectly spiced falafel being ultra-crispy on the outside while being super moist on the innards is a notable standout item.

After the meal, we asked the owner if we could go in the kitchen to see their live charcoal rig. His chef father, surrounded by a number of large bags of lump charcoal, was feverishly manning the grill and meticulously working a few skewers much like a Japanese robata master. As we walked in, he also happened to be constructing the day's schwarma "trompo". Exciting stuff.

I’m very much looking forward to heading back there this Friday for the mensef special (served on Friday’s only, according to the owner) - especially since Steve's Shish Kabob is now closed.

I really love this place and feel it’s absolutely worth making the long drive for.

PIGMON wrote:Had a rock solid lunch at Al Mawal recently (ran into fropones. You likey?)

I happened to be in the area and had stopped in at Al Mawal with a coworker at PIGMON's suggestion and happened to run into him there. Per his suggestions, we went with the musabaha, muthawama, arayes with meat, and a chicken shawarma entree. Everything was really great. I especially enjoyed the musabaha and the arayes, neither of which I'd had before. The arayes were almost like Middle Eastern quesadillas with fried pita bread and tender lamb inside. I'm really looking forward to when I have to return to the area in a few weeks so I can return to Al Mawal.

Went to Al Mawal again for dinner, with us in the group was a friend who grew up in Beirut, he was very pleased/impressed with the quality/taste of what we dined on this past Tuesday night.

Hummus
Baba Ghannouj
Stuffed Spleen (quick tender but with a great heat kick)
Chicken Shwarma Sandwich
Kefta Kebob

Al Mawal gave us a couple salads on the house as well as some baklava.

Per PIGMON's comment of "I really love this place and feel it’s absolutely worth making the long drive for" I could not agree more.

It was over a Ramadan ago that my wife and I were coming north on Harlem, knowing we'd soon get good Middle Eastern food. We arrived at the strip mall with Almawal only to find it closed for the holiday (most likely closed until sundown). We walked down the strip mall to another place, Fattoush. We had an outstanding meal and in the time since, several outstanding meals. We had not returned to Almawal until yesterday. At least compared to the meal yesterday against several at Fattoush, I'm liking Fattoush a little more.

Now, we did not have a bad meal last night. The good was very good and that includes the gratis eggplant salad, the hot sauce and the pickles. Still, I found a few things less good than I find a few doors away. I guess when things are so good overall, you decide which one you like better based on the rice. Both places do a combo rice with the kebabs, and both make one half a spicy, red rice. The rices at Fattoush, red and dill, however, are moister and, well if you remember the rice so well that tells you something, right? Also, while I very much enjoyed the charcoal driven aroma of Almawal's kebabs, I found them overall on the dry side.

Not the food per se but in ranking the places, Fattoush is also a better value. Both give you a good deal, no doubt. I mean, again, the best thing at Almawal is free. Fattoush also sends out free stuff, somewhat aligned to what you order--i.e., the more you order the more free you get such as cubes of feta with slices of romaine. It's not what you don't pay for but what you do that really defines value. Fattoush offers a veg plate that can feed four with falafal, hummus, baba, tabouleh, and that garlic spread for $6.99 then they have their mixed platter that can feed 2 easily for $16. You get a lot for you money at Fattoush.

Both places deliver outstanding meals, but you don't necessarily need Almawal to be closed to venture a few doors down for what I'm seeing as a slightly better all around meal.

Vital Info -
Thanks for that post. We were wondering about Fattoush. I think we've been on an Al Mawal kick lately - really enjoying the place a lot. Last trip a few weeks ago, everything was great, BUT the muthawama clearly lacked the garlic oomph that we usually love. The place was very busy, and everything was freshly grilled, and just great otherwise. We'll try Fattoush next time we get the itch in the area. Thanks again!

seebee wrote:Vital Info -
Thanks for that post. We were wondering about Fattoush. I think we've been on an Al Mawal kick lately - really enjoying the place a lot. Last trip a few weeks ago, everything was great, BUT the muthawama clearly lacked the garlic oomph that we usually love. The place was very busy, and everything was freshly grilled, and just great otherwise. We'll try Fattoush next time we get the itch in the area. Thanks again!

I mostly eat kebabs at Fattoush, but I've also tried some of their nightly specials. And not only do I remember the rice well, I also remember stuffed intestine well, so what does that say? More, my daughter ate and enjoyed the dish too, what does THAT say. Another special I really liked was chips of tilapia in a very spicy rice medley.

Fattoush has a Friday buffet that I'm really keen on trying as it's supposed to feature some of the more homestyle dishes according to the owner.

The other day we did what we've been meaning to do for a while, try Fattoush's buffet. As I noted up thread, the first time we visited Fattoush was during a Ramadan. For the iftar, Fattoush was putting out a buffet, but as it was a few hours on that visit, until sundown, the buffet line mostly stood of empty trays. They encouraged us to try the buffet on another night, something we never did (and something I have mixed feelings about, that is lining up in front of someone who has not eaten in many, many hours). We learned later, that they also put out a buffet on Fridays, which is what we recently sampled.

Let me backtrack a second on the state of Middle Eastern buffets: I have one I adore, Jerusalem Cafe in Oak Park. The place itself is nothing too special, certainly not schlep-worthy, but man do I love their lunch buffet. It's several things I like, including better than you'd expect versions of baba and hummus, falafel never too far from the fryer and well-done grape leaves, but my pleasure comes in two opposite sides of the lunch buffet. On the cold end, there are always home-made pickles, not always turnips either and a green sauce like the famed Salam of yore, but this one in all-you-can-eat mode. On the other, a few long cooked dishes that just work, including one with potatoes and soft beef and another of turmeric dyed chicken, also with potatoes. I always over-eat no matter how often I go, which these days is about once a week.

My urge is always to over-eat at buffets because, hey I want my money's worth. At Fattoush, I was coming off a bout of gypy-tummy and my sense of value was very much butting against my common sense. So, I indulged, but did not over-indulge, still sampling about everything. Certain things that Fattoush put out were classic cases of what works, maybe even prospers, on a steam table. They include stews of meatballs and baby okra and mensef, soft chunks of lamb neck with yogurt sauce. A couple of items I've had as Fattoush daily specials also stood up just fine on the buffet, including spiced seafood rice and stuffed intestines. On the other hand, the buffet wore the baked chicken down before we got to it.

What I missed, the little extras that throw that Oak Park place into frequent rotation. Like maybe I base my whole satisfaction over pickles? Sure Fattoush had very good grape leaves on its buffet and the hummus and baba were pretty good, but no pickles and no green sauce. If I only want Oak Park's Jerusalem Cafe for the buffet, I think maybe I'd stick to Fattoush's menu, with the caveat that I still want to see what the isfar looks like.

One more side-note: one of the great aspects of eating at Fattoush is not quite as great anymore, as they finally realized the steal that was their $6.99 veg platter. It's now a much more typical $8.99 (I think) for what they serve.

Al Mawal 7 pm on a saturday night. Only us and a two-top came in as we were leaving. The workers were all standing by the windows. I almost had a feeling they were wondering where all the ppl were. Looked like Fattoush next door was much busier. We had basic standards, but everything was fkn great. Lamb was cooked just to well done, but was seriously fantastic, and not dried out jerky at all.

Baba ghannouj
Hummus with whole chick peas mixed in (forgot the name)
Cracked Wheat Soup
Lamb Shish kebob plate
Stuffed Falafel

I forgot we were supposed to try the place next door, but I'll remember next time. The new Falafelji closer to home makes it tougher to get all the way south to these places when the mood hits. Falafelji really isn't great but it's pretty close to the house. Last night's trip to Al Mawal reminded me that the tradeoff of close vs great might not be a great trade-off. The ride south is prolly worth every penny.

Thanks for the report Seebee. I didn't realize Al Mawal has been struggling. I visited for the first time last month and absolutely loved it. It's definitely a solid step up from what I can get in Albany Park and for my money was even better than my last couple trips to Al Bawadi.

Finally made it to Fattoush, and VI has a find here.

No pickles on the table to greet us, but instead, sesame seed studded dates. Yum. YUM.

The veggie appetizer is an absolute must for any table. (Thank you for the easy pick, Fattoush!) It had hummus, baba, toum, tabouleh, and a couple of falafel. Nothing on the veggie plate wowed me, but everything was perfectly good. Falafel are oblong and generous. Tonight's were crunchy, and not so soft in the middle. Not BAD at all, just sayin'.

We went with the kebab combo which was OUTSTANDING. Had to send the chicken back because of doneness, but I don't freak out about such things. When they brought it back, it was fantastic. Best chicken breast I've had in a restaurant in a few years. There was a steak portion, and a kifta portion, and both were outstanding as well. The rice was perfect. Flavorful, shiny with oil, and a generous dusting of flavorful sumac.

If they can keep up the standard with the meats, this place is easily my new go-to down there. The meats were perfectly grilled, and juicy. Al B and Almawal have run much drier in the meat dept, in my visits. The meats in my first visit to Fattoush were cooked better than anything I've ever had at Al B and AlMawal. Fattoush might actually get me to willingly order chicken breast in a restaurant.

Don't forget about this place if you've never been!

seebee wrote:Finally made it to Fattoush, and VI has a find here.

No pickles on the table to greet us, but instead, sesame seed studded dates. Yum. YUM.

Glad you liked. This is probably my family's favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant these days.

But no pickles?

Pretty much every visit to Fattoush gets us at least the standard cucumber pickle and this little relish they make themselves of preserved lemon and olives (I mean they make the preserved lemons). On other occasions there's a tomato-onion mix, kinda like pico de gallo and also chunks of feta cheese with romaine lettuce. My guess has always been the house relish's are matched to the side of your order. The more you order the more and more elaborate the relishes.

Vital Information wrote:

seebee wrote:Finally made it to Fattoush, and VI has a find here.

No pickles on the table to greet us, but instead, sesame seed studded dates. Yum. YUM.

Glad you liked. This is probably my family's favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant these days.

But no pickles?

Probably a Ramadan thing—traditionally the fast is broken with three dates. Last year at Fattoush's iftar buffet, I recall starting with a little dish of sesame-coated dates. The buffet was pretty good as this platter suggests.



Fattoush
10700 S Harlem Av
Worth IL
708-671-9999
http://www.fattoushchicago.com/

Any recent information on anything in the area? I'll be there tomorrow having lunch with a business associate and would love to know what's great atm.

Thanks,

=R=

Ron -
FWIW, I'm still down with Fattoush and Al Mawal. When Fattoush is "on" it's my favorite so far out of Al Mawal, Al Bawadi, and one of the other places I can't remember the name of at the moment. I like all three, but Fattoush, when it's on, it's fantabulous - plus it's a bit nicer inside than Al M and Al B, but that doesn't have much to do with it for me, but it might for you. Fattoush has become our, "Go To" in the area, though their prices have snuck a bit northward (as expected, I guess.)

I also still haven't been back to this Indian / Middle Eastern joint that was freakin fantastic the first time I went - if that could float your boat. I actually made it back there sometime this summer during a lunch hour, but the doors were closed, and the name had changed. It may have been Ramadan, so silly me. There was a man standing in the doorway, and he looked like the same owner as when I went: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=41769&p=492623

I fully don't expect it to be as crazy good as when I went the first time - I don't want to build it up too much. The Middle Eastern stuff we tried that night wasn't crazy good, but the Indian / Pakistani stuff was very good.

Good Luck!

Thanks, Chris. I really appreciate the intel. I'll report back.

=R=

Pretty sure Al Mawal closed earlier this year due to a fire (and after changing hands I think as well).

ronnie_suburban wrote:Any recent information on anything in the area? I'll be there tomorrow having lunch with a business associate and would love to know what's great atm.

Thanks,

=R=

Had a great lunch just last week at Al Bawadi. That chunky eggplant spread they serve with assorted olives and stuff as a gratis meze was particularly on point, super garlicky, I was smearing it on everything. Chopped Arabic salad, the PIGMON-preferred non-creamy one was also super bright and fresh. Arayes, aka Arabic quesadillas, with just-funky-enough ground lamb are crave-worthy. And the charcoal kissed meats are as good as it gets, even the juicier-than-it-has-to-be chicken breast. I mourn Al Mawal's muthawama, but Al Bawadi is a go to.

Been to Al Bawadi fairly recently and I think it's as good as ever. Makdous still bracingly sour, grilled meats still juicy and generously portioned, shawarma still inedible. It's good to have some consistency in life.