February - March 2002 Edition

El Sheesh   A Restaurant Review By Amy Sutnick   Middle eastern music was playing softly. Interesting pottery hung on the wall. The atmosphere is casual. After months of driving past El Sheesh, a Middle Eastern restaurant on Broadway, my husband and I ate dinner there in early September.     A bowl of briny olives and a basket of pita slices with a cheese dip were placed on our table. As a VERY picky olive eater, I am happy to report that El- Sheesh’s were delicious. I polished them off while deciding what to order. My husband contented himself with a glass of homemade lemonade.     We shared a combination salad—cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and herbs in a lemony vinaigrette. It was fresh and flavorful. The spinach pie that followed was Middle Eastern style—in a thin whole wheat crust not phyllo pastry. Unfortunately, it tasted bland, lacking the kick of the salad. (Take my advice: skip the spinach pie and go straight from salad to the main courses.)    Since I couldn’t decide what to order, I went with the surf n’ turf combination—shrimp, chicken kabob and kufta kabob. It was nicely presented with a side of rice with almonds.  The shish kabob—charcoal broiled skewers of marinated lamb—was cooked perfectly, well-done but still juicy. The marinade of cumin and cardamom gave it an exotic flavor.     Throughout our meal, the service was friendly and attentive. Our glasses were refilled and fresh pita arrived when we emptied our basket. El Sheesh doesn’t have a liquor license but you are welcome to bring your own.    We went back to El Sheesh this fall, after the tragedy of September 11. I was saddened to hear from the owner that business had dropped off dramatically, due to some ugly rumors about his loyalties to the USA. Contrary to those rumors, the owner says El Sheesh never opened on September 11th. Instead, they collected their children from school early and stayed home with their family.     Restaurants like El Sheesh offer cultural experiences that keep Fair Lawn interesting.  I, for one, hope it thrives so that I can go again.    El Sheesh 32-01 Broadway, Fair Lawn  201-791-6888 Prices: Dinner entrees: $12.95-$21.95; Lunch entrees: $11.95- $13.95    Amy’s Rating:  Three forks   (Fork scale:  1-poor  2-fair  3-good  4-excellent)       What Do You Think?: Send an e- mail to editor@fairlawnnews.com or post a message on the Fair Lawn News Discussion Forum.