Offal Fans AND Vegetarians - Lebanese Bliss in JP? Cafe Beirut

[opinionatedchef]

Just learning about this place from another thread but saw one VERY unusual item for you offal lovers: Lamb Brains Sandwich. Since i'm not on the offal bus, there will plenty for you when you get there!

Also ALOT of unusual vegetarian items- pumpkin kibbeh,included.

http://cafebeirutjp.com/menu.html

Thanks to Timtam girl for spreading the CHword about this place!

[trufflehound]

I'm with Infomaniac. Let me guess, they also have unusual foods like hummus(probly the 1st thing I ever ate), kibbe(arab burgers to my freinds) and lots of things wrapped in Syrian bread (no Booby V you didn't invent it)

[Infomaniac]

I don't remember, but my mom used to tell me she would dip my zwiebak toast in hummus when I was teething. Now that sounds unusual.

[opinionatedchef]

you def don't know my food knowledge if you think i consider hoomus unusual. Had you looked at the Cafe Beirut menu, you would have seen the items i consider 'unusual' and have listed above.
and if you are from a minority ethnic group (which, from Boston statistics, would be pretty much
anything other than Italian and Irish ) for which these foods are commonplace, then I am obviously not writing from your perspective. and your perspective on this is not the prevalent one.

[Infomaniac]

You must have missed gourmaniac posted about the lamb brain sandwich maybe a month ago.

The thing I get a laugh about is when you say "ALOT of unusual vegetarian items - pumpkin kibbeh included".

For those of us who grew up in households eating the items on their menu all the time, there is nothing unusual about it.

Buffalo wings and ginders loaded with coldcuts were unusual to me growing up.

[FoodDabbler]

It's the nature of Chowhound that people present as "new" things that are just new *to them*.

I, too, remember the earlier brainy thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/847504

[Infomaniac]

That's the thread!

I remembered it because I love my LBS with hot sauce on it and gourmaniac didn't.

[opinionatedchef]

Oh I def missed G's thread; i hope G liked the food. info, i know you get excited when you see my posts so you can try to one-up me, but , with the exception of Lebanese friends, who are definitely not a strong ethnic presence in Boston, I have not known vegetarians who grew up eating pumpkin kibbeh,fool moudamas, moujadara , labneh,halloumi,and Batata Harra. If you did, more power to your talented mom. As always in the world of food or anything else, "one man's ceiling is another man's floor."