For some reason, Yemeni's didn't have any baba ghanouj on the day we went, so we ordered the Mosaqa (3.95), a rough puree of eggplant, tomato and onion with olive oil and garlic. Listed as a condiment, the Sahawiq (1.75) is a blend of house made hot sauce and feta cheese pureed fairly smooth. This stuff is addictive! To scoop up both the eggplant and the cheese, we ordered one of three available flat breads, the Malawah (1.95), a rich layered dough cooked on a flat grill. This too was so good we ordered two. It would have been nice to wash it all down with a cold one, but the folks here are strict moslems, so no alcohol.
I mentioned dishes particular to a culture, and here it's called Salteh (5.95 w/o meat, 8.95 with lamb), a stew of potatoes, vegetables and eggs in a spicy broth, served with flat bread. Did we try it? No, for some odd reason, but it's at the top of my list when we return.
We chose a couple of main plates, the Mothabi (10.95), thick lamb chops seasoned with garlic, cumin and black pepper and cooked on the tanour grill; and the Sheesh Tawouk (9.95), chunks of chicken breast marinaded in olive oil, lemon, garlic and thyme and then grilled. Both come with delicately seasoned basmati rice and a little green salad, listed on the menu as 'vegetables'. I didn't get too excited about the lamb - I couldn't really taste any of the seasoning. The chicken was cooked well. tender and moist, but again no particular flavor jumped out at me.
And then there's the Shrimp and Grits (14.5) which I have to say was a bit of a disappointment. Not a lot of grits and five shrimp, sitting in an odd flavored soup that tasted faintly of sherry or something. There was cheese but not much, and some kind of mushroom cut in strips that added little to the flavor. I liked the poached egg on top and that was about it.
Our newest kid on the BBQ block is located in the old Big Nate's BBQ. At the top is the Coca-Cola Smoked Brisket Combo (12). The meat is marinated in the Coke, which helps to tenderize it, and then smoked. They're using primarily cherry wood, which doesn't leave a very heavy smoke flavor in the meat. The meat itself was tender without being mushy, with some bits of 'brownies' on the edges. You have a choice of a sweet ketchup-based sauce and a Carolina-style mustard sauce, neither of which is overly tasty. There is also a small bottle of habanero sauce that can be used to inject some life into the former two. The beans were flavorful and cooked slightly al dente. The slaw is pretty average.
Dion was in breakfast mode and ordered the Country Breakfast (6.99) with bacon and grits. I don't think I've ever seen just two strips of bacon, unless it's a special with two sausage patties as well. Apparently it was sufficient for him. The down part was large glass of Fresh Orange Juice (3.75) that wasn't that fresh.
To get my cornmeal fix I ordered the Fried Catfish (12.95) with collards and candied yams and a jalapeno cornbread muffin. Outstanding is all I can say - thin fillets cooked to a nice crispness, not oily, with a decent tartar sauce. The collards had a touch of bitterness but the yams were great, with just enough sweetness and cinnamon. The yams are just one of numerous sides to choose from.
At the top you see your pot with a broth of your choice - I chose the spicy miso - your spoons, some peanut dip and light soy sauce. The server gets the broth going and then brings your choice of meats and/or vegetables and rice. I selected the Regular Seafood (12.99) which includes shrimp, scallops and mussels. You also get a bowl of vegetables, fish cakes, rice noodles and vermicelli. I neglected to take a shot of the bowl before dumping it in the pot, but you can see what I'm talking about in the third pic. The server brought the seafood first, all of it right from the freezer, but it cooked up quickly and I removed all of it back onto the plate so it wouldn't overcook. I then helped myself to a little of the vegetables and broth, a mussel or a shrimp, a little more from the pot and so on. Oh, and a nice glass of Shrimp Tempura (6.99) - I just needed something fried.
We got the ball rolling with the Misto di Verdura (9.95), a splendid mix of grilled thin slices of eggplant and zucchini, radicchio and roasted red and green bell pepper, served with a little olive oil and fresh chunks of tomato. Add a little black pepper and you've got a tasty plate. Thumbs up here.
I chose one of the daily specials, the Pollo Imperatore (17.95), a rolled chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella and served with a mushroom and Marsala sauce. The sauce was nice and light and not overly sweet, with a lot of shrooms. The meat was just a tad dry but not enough to ruin the dish. The vegetables were freshly sauteed and crisp and only needed a little pepper to make them perfect. The mashed potatoes...well, they were 'interesting'. Actually a blend of potato and carrot with celery juice and a bit of garlic added, I found them to be watery and bland and left the majority on my plate.
The dessert list was pretty typical, but then I spotted the Tartuffo (6.5), a fabulous chocolate/hazelnut gelato rolled in powdered chocolate. It was not on the menu, but the owner himself made Christine an Affogato (6.5), that wonderful combo of cold vanilla ice cream served with fresh espresso and topped with whipped cream. These were both outstanding!
The store is simply appointed, very comfortable and the service was excellent. With a couple of glasses of wine, tax and a $15 tip, our total was $96.57 before the coupon. I have another coupon for $25 which I intend to spend on some pasta, just to see how they fare in that department. The Dog says 4 on the Meter (out of 5).
Though I said I wasn't eating any more batter-fried Onion Rings (10), I coudn't resist, and these were pretty decent. The coating was thin and crisp and cooked at a high enough temperature to keep them from being greasy. They didn't need salt, just a little ketchup.
All steaks come with the giant glazed carrot you see here on my plate. Now, if it was me, I'd slice that sucker at angle, 1/4 inch thick and cook it in the glaze. Here they just boil the carrot and then dunk it in the glaze - sugar, cinnamon and orange juice. I thought the carrot was a bit overcooked. 
It's been a couple of years almost since the last time I visited Shanghai Dumpling King (3319 Balboa, at 34th Ave.). After it was reviewed on Check Please! Bay Area, you couldn't get in the door unless you went at the odd hour, and one thing I abhor is waiting, especially outside in the cold weather. Well, things haven't eased up. We went on a Sunday night around 6:15 and still had to wait 20 minutes. During the course of our meal, there were six of the Young and Entitled at an adjacent table who just sat around talking, not eating or even drinking, just sitting while a dozen people were waiting for a table.
If you've not had Soy Braised "Lion Head" Meatballs (8.95) you should definitely add them to your bucket list. S.D.K. makes some of the best I've had - light, fluffy balls of ground pork in a brown gravy with spinach (representing the lion's 'mane').
Michael wanted to try the Shanghai Vegetable Delight, but the server was pushing the Snow Pea Shoots (8) which were not on the menu. I like these, even though I prefer the smaller sprouts - xiao dou miao - as opposed to the larger, leafy variety - dai dou miao. Cook them plenty of garlic and not too much oil and I'm happy. S.D.K. did a pretty good job with these.
Spring Rolls (5.15) were in order and on a par with most of the rolls you get here in SF - good crunch and the requisite peanut dipping sauce.
I ordered the large Beef Pho (8.20) with rare beef, tripe, well-done flank and brisket and thin flat rice noodles. Plenty of meat in this puppy and a decent broth. You don't get all the condiments like some places - there's not even Sriracha sauce, only some hot pepper sauce, vinegar and fish sauce. I managed to eat half, reminding myself once again to order the small bowl next time. Ah well, leftovers are appreciated late in the evening.
Our exotic beverage choice was Pennywort Drink (1.85) made from a plant that belongs to the carrot family. You have to remember to shake these up before opening. The Asians have proved that you can take just about anything, add water and 28gr of sugar and make it palatable. This would be excellent on a hot, humid day.
