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Abu's
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Farwell Avenue
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I
hadn’t been here in a while – 6 years??
But I always liked this nice little location with
windows looking out to the north and west of the
intersection. They’ve cleaned the place up a
bit. The TV set that used to hang rather flimsily
from the slightly aged wall behind the counter is
gone. They painted the place (it’s walls are
pink). There are tablecloths (vinyl, blended shades
of pink). The middle eastern music still plays
softly in the background. Still, it’s not
changed enough to be considered “upscale”
dining. I went at 6:30 on a Thursday because the
show at Shank Hall was at 8 and I wanted a meal,
but I wanted to be in and out quickly and I wanted
quiet. There were only two other people who were
dining while I was there, with a few people having
just left, and a couple of carry-outs. (The place
only seats about 24). I sat at a table for two next
to the window (and an unusual, tall, thin plant
that seemed to need some TLC). There were two
people there waiting on patrons – both were
genuinely friendly and quick to serve. I decided to
try the veggie combo, to get a little taste of
several things. If you have never had Middle
Eastern food before, getting a combo meal can be a
true assault on the taste buds. The food
wasn’t all that fresh. The spinach pie was
tough, as if it had been sitting a while under a
heat lamp (I had to use my fingers and bite/pull
it). The spinach inside, though, was tasty. The
hummus was a little creamy for my tastes but had a
nice flavor, and was good for dipping. The Baba
Ghanouge was really sharp (which is normal), but it
had a kind of smoky aftertaste to it, which I
didn’t really care for, but for some reason
ate it anyway?? The Ful M'damas, which was a cold
fava bean dip, I passed on. Cold beans aren’t
something I care for. The tabuleh was mostly
parsley and not very interesting or flavorful. The
salad was a bit heavy on the yogurt dressing which
wasn’t very overpowering but I prefer a little
less dressing. However, this may have been to cover
up some slightly aged and not very appealing
lettuce… Falafel are hard to get wrong –
they were small but yummy, especially dipped in the
hummus. The unusual treat was the kubbi wedge,
which looked like a small slice of pie. While it,
too, tasted like it had been sitting out a bit, it
was unusual and yummy, slightly sweet – one
bite and I decided to save it for the end, like a
dessert. Pita bread was fresh, and replenished
quickly. The food wasn’t really bad – it
just wasn’t all that great. Total of the bill
was a little over $9.00 – meal and soda,
excluding tip. More than I wanted to spend and more
than it was worth, certainly, but… The wait
staff was friendly – joked around with both of
them a bit. The waiter commented that he’d
seen Henry Rollins speak (I was reading one of my
books at the table) and asked to look through the
book. Granted, there weren’t a lot of people,
and maybe this was unusual, but I like the more
personal touch. And the service was very quick. So
based on those factors alone, and the fact that
I’m known for giving second (and third)
chances, I may end up going there again when
I’m short on time before another show –
maybe getting a single menu item next time. Plus, I
found that to be a really interesting corner for
people watching… everything from college
students, to dog walkers, to the occasional
eccentric characters passing by.
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