Alforon comfort food is found in its great variety all over Lebanon, geographically speaking it differs from the North of the Country of Lebanon to the South and from its beach cities to the Bekaa Valley which borders Syria through Mount Lebanon and the other Mountainous regions; while encompassing to the various religious beliefs and Cultural traditions which influences its Style, Flavors, History and in many cases the taste and use of spices; Comfort food preparations in Lebanon varies greatly from one household kitchen to another. You would think there is not that vast difference in it’s food preparation but reality checks in at tasting […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Lebanese Mediterranean restaurant and arabic food San Diego
Zaatar FlatBread / Mana’eesh
ZAATAR, An amazing herb widely used in Lebanon and the Middle East. Zaatar is the morning “On the go” flat bread of Lebanon, it is by far the most popular on the go food. It exists in 100% of the Lebanese households; you will be hard pressed not to find a home without Zaatar in its Pantry. At home it is mixed with the best of olive oil available, it is close to Wild Thyme in the west but really different in that part of the world and mainly because of the way it is harvested, Wild and definitely Organic. Zaatar cannot be grown in controlled environments, it […]
Continue readingLahmBajeen story and origin
I have always been in love with “LAHM BAJEEN” “Lahm” in Lebanese means “Meat” and “Ajeen” means “Dough”. Now you got it, it’s Meat on Dough. With it’s history and age, as this name / word, got transplanted throughout the Turkish Empire with it’s enormous influences at the time which spanned from the Kazakhs to North africa and Eastern Europe. This huge area transformed the name from “Lahm Bajeen” to become so many different ones like Lamacune or Lahmajune which is the common name for lahm Bajeen in Turkey and Armenia. It is clear that lahm or Ajeen have no meaning in the Turkish or […]
Continue readingThe Lebanese and Mediterranean Kitchen
When someone visits our restaurant and tries the food, one knows immediately the difference between a Restaurant Commercially set up and a Restaurant that happens to Feel like a home; a Home feel with it’s Cleanliness, Cleanliness, Cleanliness, Cleanliness. Our customers walk in and leave wanting to make an impression on us instead of the other way around. Just as if the visit was to relative’s house, and the attempt is to leave a good impression after their visit, to leave with their clean table and or give up their table to other guests or introduce themselves and talk to others totally strangers to them, just as everyone does when they find themselves […]
Continue readingMediterranean Restaurants
Why is Mediterranean Cuisine so Popular? one asks. It is first and foremost as simple a cuisine as it gets; this cuisine uses basic, simple and earthly ingredients found all around the eastern and Northern edges of the Mediterranean Sea. The focus in the cuisine is on Hearty vegetables, leafy greens, olive oils and fresh and simple mixes of spices that the western world had long moved away from, but slowly getting back to. No complications here and no secrets to their mix either, it is as simple as the Trio as we always called in our house fresh Garlic, Fresh Lemon juice and the ever […]
Continue readingAaysh Essaraya at ALFORON aka’ “The Love Dessert”
In a late summer eve, the Pasha in one of his Saray’s (Palaces) in Lebanon, one of Turkey’s most admired colonies, screamed at his guards to bring him the best Pastry Chefs in the Saray. The Pashas at the time was the most feared dictators of their times, ruled without mercy, compassion or respect for human lives. The Story goes that the Pasha had his eyes on a beautiful woman and he wanted to make a big impression. His idea was to make her a dessert original enough to be unlike anything he has ever tasted, something that had never been done before. Summoning that […]
Continue readingLebanese restaurants, San Diego, California
There are many Restaurants you can go try and eat Lebanese food in, but none will be anywhere similar to ALFORON’s. It’s table service fine Lebanese Cuisine in a small and quaint setting. Built and decorated as an old house somewhere in the High Mountains of Lebanon, Alforon is not your typical high line Restaurant, it is your typical down to earth Fine Dining that resembles a Lunch or Dinner visit to an old friend’s home. Try it and you leave with that kind of impression and once you try the food you will be craving it all the time. Do you remember a dinner visit to […]
Continue readingLebanese Restaurants in San Diego, Halal & Zabiha Halal Meat
Although our food resembles many other Lebanese Restaurants in San Diego County, it is unlike any of them. In a simple explanation, and acknowledging the many great Lebanese restaurants in San Diego, we decided to Combine the Northern Lebanese style cuisine which maintains a strong traditional cooking style and rich in the keeping the authentic Lebanese desserts like Baklawa, Halawet el jibn to name a couple, with the Southern Lebanon style cuisine rich in meats, flavorful Olive oils, earthy cooking and meat preservations, to the Eastern Lebanon cuisine of the Bekaa Valley rich in fresh meats and vegetables, to the coastal style Lebanese cuisine rich […]
Continue readingManakeesh, Manaeesh, Manaqish
Manakeesh, Manaeesh, Manaqish or in singular form manousheh (Arabic: مناقيش manāqīsh; sometimes called معجنات mu‘ajjanāt ‘pastry’) is a popular food consisting of dough topped with wild thyme, cheese, or ground meat. Similar to a pizza, it can be sliced or folded, and it can either be served for breakfast or lunch. The word manaqish is the plural of the Arabic word manqūshah (from the root verb naqasha ‘to sculpt, carve out’), meaning that after the dough has been rolled flat, it is pressed by the fingertips to create little dips for the topping to lie in. Traditionally, Arab women would bake dough in a communal […]
Continue reading