Explore Orange County’s Little Arabia By Crawling These 10 Delicious Destinations
"Aref Shatarah and wife Magida are both from Ramallah on the West Bank. His father and grandfather ran Palestinian restaurants back home and the couple opened their first restaurant last year. Al Baraka translates from Arabic as “from god” or “god bless.” The couple features comforting dishes like bamya (tomato-based okra and beef stew), kufta (ground beef cooked in tahini or tomato sauce) and falafel stuffed with onions and sumac. Still, daily specials may be the biggest draw. A recent visit found sheikh el mahshi, tender fried squash stuffed with pine nuts, onions, and ground beef cooked in yogurt and served with rice pilaf. Qidra involved a tender baked half-chicken served over yellow rice with chickpeas, onion, garlic, toasted almonds, and green cardamom, served with yogurt and pickled cucumbers. Sunday is an offal lover’s dream, where dishes like makadem and karshat combine lamb trotters, tongues, stuffed tripe, and “stuffed lamb adamant,” which has no connection to the “Goody Two Shoes” singer." - Joshua Lurie
