Fairouz Restaurant and Gallery
3166 Midway Drive #102
San Diego, CA 92107
619-225-0308
By Judi Curry
One of my very favorite restaurants is going to have their Grand Re-Opening on Monday, June 1st. I am so excited! I met with Al Nashashibi this afternoon and was pleased to see the changes that will be taking place, the new paint, and the concern for maintaining safe distances for the diners.
First of all, something that will change the place entirely is the absence of the buffet. With the new Covet-19 rules in place, it is impossible to still have a buffet and be safe. Tables and chairs will be placed strategically in the area where the buffet used to be.
The lunch hours – 11-4:00pm is going to be treated to Daily Specials – Each day of the week will have a different special, and each of these specials is only $12! For example, on Monday the special will be “David Pasha” – eggplant, beef with tomato herb sauce, and served with rice and pita, or Vegan Pasha – a tasty dish of baked eggplant in tomato herb sauce, served with rice and pita.
The Tuesday special is Lamb Shanks, and the vegan special is Green Beans sautéed with olive oil, fresh garlic, and then cooked in seasoned tomato sauce.
Wednesday’s lunch special will be Kabsa Chicken and the Vegan menu will be a variety of favorite vegan dishes – falafel, grape leaves, spinach pie, hummus and pita.
Thursday is Meat Moussaka, and the vegan menu is Eggplant in layers with mixed vegetables and herbs.
Friday special is Okra with lamb, or vegan okra and each served with rice and pita.
Saturday will be turmeric chicken, or the Vegan menu is an “all natural” unique blend of spices to play up the depth and warmth of a mix of potato, carrots, and eggplant.
Sunday’s special will be “Beef Kofta”, ground beef fused with parsley and onions and seasoned in a herbed tomato sauce. The vegan meal will be pasta with roasted vegetables, topped with, garlic and olive oil.
All of the above are available as “dine in” and “take out.”
Interior photo of Fairouz was taken before the pandemic of 2020.
Their dinner menu will begin 4:00pm and there are specials there too. For the reopening, Wine and/or Beer will be 25% off of the menu price, and after looking at the beverage menu with 8 White Wines, 8 Red Wines, and 6 Beer’s listed, that discount is very generous.
The dinner menu consists of Appetizers, Soups and Salads, Specialties, Vegetarian Entrees, Entrees and Desserts. And a feature I found delightful is separating each of the menus is an original poem written by Al Nashashibi. (If you haven’t been to Fairouz before, it is interesting to note that he has many of his original paintings on the wall, as well as his poetry books and poems under the glass tops of the tables.)
The dinner special will consist of two appetizers, soup, salad and an entrée of either lamb or chicken, or vegan. The price will be $15, and will also be available for dine-in or take-out.
In the future, once a “normal” pattern has been established, the restaurant wants to establish a “Happy Hour” and a Sunday Brunch. (That should be very interesting because Al wants to serve it “Mazeh” style – which is similar to Tapas.) Stayed tuned for those changes.
For those of you that have been to Fairouz before and know how wonderful it is, let’s support the restaurant (and every other) as they begin their openings. And for those of you that have never been to Fairouz, you are in for a real treat when you enter. However, because of the restrictions being placed on the numbers that can dine at one time, I suggest you call to make reservations so that you are not dissapointed. The number is 619-225-0308. And when you come out, you will feel like you were in Al’s home, not a restaurant, because he makes you feel so comfortable. See you there.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Sorry – I made an error on the hours of the dinner menu – it is from 4:00-8:00. This is a different time than before the shutdown. As things “normalize” the hours may be longer.
Judi, what has changed in your life since the stay at home order was first issued? Are you now immune to the virus? Suddenly not in a high-risk group? Feeling invincible? What part of STAY HOME except for NECESSARY travel don’t you understand?
Pete, why don’t you let the adults decide what to do, you’re not talking to children. Restaurants are allowed to open no, albeit under severe restrictions, meaning only “NECESSARY travel” is not the current rule. You, however, are welcome to STAY HOME.
Geoff: (and it is Peter, not Pete, thank you) The stay at home except for necessary travel is still in force for those over 65 or with compromised immune systems. The grand experiment that we are conducting now will either pay off or look horrendously bad by the week of June 8th. NOTHING HAS CHANGED! The virus is still virulent, deadly and highly contagious. The countries that ended up tackling the virus effectively universally masked and tested, traced and isolated. We are doing none of the above at anywhere near the scale that we need to be effective. Some States are fudging the numbers, not releasing embarrassing ones (and don’t get me started about the infighting in DC).
I am not talking to children. I am addressing adults that should know better than to be lulled into a sense of complacency by how freeking tired they are for having to be inconvenienced for a few months. Ann Frank’s family stayed in the attic for TWO YEARS. The great thing about science is that you don’t have to believe in it for it to be true.
And just as I do not have a right to blow cigarette smoke in your face, you have no right to blow virus particles in mine. Wear a mask and protect your fellow man.
from South O, you wrote “The stay at home except for necessary travel is still in force for those over 65 or with compromised immune systems.” That is advice, that is not an order. And people over 65 are adults, last time I checked, and if they’ve made it as far as 65, I’d say they are capable of making their own decisions.
No, you’re not talking to children, which was what I said originally, you’re talking to full grown adults.
You are making a comparison with Ann Frank? So, the virus is outside armed with machine guns and herding people onto trains? That was a ridiculous comparison.
But, your last sentence expressed what you really meant “Wear a mask and protect your fellow man.” I thought, when I started reading, your concern was for infirm people over 65 who can’t think for themselves but this sounds more like you are worried for yourself.
Wear a mask outside if you will be closer than six feet to people for any amount of time or in businesses that have to require patrons wear one. That’s all anyone needs to do.
I am getting so tired at people criticizing me for things that do not concern them. The stay-at-home order has been modified and restaurants have been given the opportunity to serve customers again. Do I approve. No. However, it is not my decision. They are some people that are having real emotional problems by staying at home. The suicide rates are increasing on a daily basis. Some people have disobeyed the directive from almost the beginning. Because I have reported on a favorite restaurant’s reopening does not mean that I am going to go there tomorrow. But for those that feel safe going out in public, it is there for them to patronize. I have been staying at home; I have been wearing a mask when I go out – to the doctor and/or dentist. I don’t think that YOU understand that people are now allowed to go out if they follow the safety rules. If you don’t want to go out, don’t. I am not fond of those that go out and do not wear a mask. I think we are moving too fast. BUT, the rules are the rules, and if people want a good place to go, I recommend Fairouz. It’s my decision – not yours or anyone elses – if I want to go out to eat. The rules say I can. And…I might – or might not.
I am relieved to know that you aren’t going to hazard yourself, but I take issue with your impression that this does not concern me. It should concern every member of our society. Be careful not to fall victim to unverifiable statements by others, though. For example, the ‘suicides are increasing daily’ statement is, of course true. Any death statistic is increasing daily (otherwise we would be regenerating people). The facts are that the latest available data published for SD covered up to the end of 2018 (published in 9/2019). So we do not really know. Just unsubstantiated anecdotal chatter.
2014 = 420
2015 = 427
2016 = 431
2017 = 458
2018 = 465
Peter from south O,
Don’t fret because after reading the article, yours was my first reaction also. A WTF moment no doubt since obviously she was at the restaurant meeting with the owner, pleased with the changes, favorite eating spot… Sure sounded like she was ready for a 7 course meal to me, too, but realize that she never exactly said that she was. That she recommends others to go sit in a box breathing recycled air distributed throughout the entire building is a whole ‘nuther matter…
Geoff: “why don’t you let the adults decide what to do, you’re not talking to children.”
Well, if you look at this from a view of expertise, educational background, and specific knowledge of the risks involved, in point of fact that’s exactly what the problem is. We are a bunch of ignorant children whining that ‘We don’t have to!’ and ‘Are we There YET?’ and ‘I’m hungry!’ while not having the ability to make any kind of informed decision due to the horrible reality of there being a huge science gap in the public’s knowledge base.
Spoiled petulant whiner children who haven’t a clue how to ‘drive the car’ is a good analogy I do believe. And it’s not just the ones in red hats carrying AR15s, either. Seems to have spread all across the political spectrum because, bluntly, we don’t like this.
The people that are calling the politicians and ‘businessmen’ who run this country a bunch of lunatics are the medical specialists that have devoted their entire education and work careers learning exactly what we, the uninformed/misinformed public, have no idea about. And we think we are the adults in the room, Geoff? Really? By what qualification did you decide that on?
To put it bluntly, we’re a bunch of virgins talking about what sex is like. I’m not calling us all stupid, just ignorant. We don’t have the experience. Stupid is where you have access to the information and don’t pay attention to it.
Funny that I keep posting information that people should be reading to mitigate some of that ignorance about this on-going Pandemic. And the same arguments keep popping up. Here’s the latest from someone you should be paying attention to:
Countries Rushing to Reopen Risk Causing an ‘Immediate Second Peak’ In Covid-19 Infections and Deaths, WHO Warns
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/26/countries-rushing-reopen-risk-immediate-second-peak-covid-19-infections-and-deaths
Dr. Mike Ryan, director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, called on countries that have seen a decline in cases to continue imposing social distancing and testing strategies.
The director of the World Health Organization’s program overseeing health crises warned Tuesday that countries that rush to reopen their economies risk immediately causing a massive increase in coronavirus infections and deaths.
Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, addressed the incorrect assumption that once a country’s Covid-19 cases begin to decline, the first wave of the pandemic is on its way out and governments will have several months to prepare for a potential second wave in the fall.
article continues at link
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sealintheSelkirks
You sound like a Pete, I mean Peter.
Annie