Waiting for To Go

We are now ensconced in a hotel room at Los Angeles airport (which we will have to leave at noon) waiting for our flight to depart at 5:00 this evening. 


Our weather concerns have proved baseless so far (though it is beginning to threaten). Yesterday, we awoke to a stunning sunrise (see above taken from our bedroom sliding glass door) and had a rain-free drive to LAX.


Last evening we had dinner at Open Sesame, a Lebanese restaurant in Manhattan Beach. Here's the review that we have submitted to Trip Advisor for publication--
"There’s nothing really that wrong with Open Sesame; it’s just a few minor problems and the fact that the restaurant lacks any pizzazz. Maybe we should have suspected this when we drove up and discovered that the restaurant’s Manhattan Beach location is actually located in a suburban shopping mall along with an Olive Garden, a Chili’s and a Coco’s.  

Let’s get the problems out of the way before moving on. First, despite having reserved a table 2-3 days in advance, we were seated at a table for two so narrow that it was literally impossible to eat comfortably. This problem was partially solved near the end of the evening when the party of four seated next to us left, and our server pulled one of their tables next to ours. Second, the garlic sauce that our server recommended when we ordered the fried potatoes appetizer costs an extra $.89 (our server did tell us this when she recommended it). We say forget the extra charge (after all, it’s only a garlic sauce), or add a buck to the appetizer’s price and get on with it; the potatoes definitely need the sauce. Third, although Open Sesame posts its full menu on its web site, no prices are listed, creating stress — why aren’t they listing their prices? The prices (including the wine prices) are very reasonable; not only would the consumer benefit from the additional information, it should be a selling point for the restaurant.

To the food . . .  We ordered three appetizers: fried potatoes (OK, but unexceptional, even with the extra-charge garlic sauce); olives (slightly different from everybody else’s by the addition of pickled wild cucumber); and Labne (a kefir cheese dip served with a warm, soft-textured pita that was this course’s highlight). Next, we shared the Yassmina pizza (a Lebanese pizza margherita with feta cheese, tomato and dry basil). The pizza is small enough, in size and price, to serve as another shared appetizer — but dried basil in California? Finally, we enjoyed an entrée consisting of four thin-sliced lamb chops (with a hint of citrus, maybe sumac) served on a nutty basmati rice, with an excellent house salad, and a wonderfully smoky baba ghannouj. The bottle of Kefraya (a light Lebanese Petit Noir @ $29) that we enjoyed over all three courses worked perfectly well with our meal though it is a bit too acetic to drink as a stand-alone wine. For coffee drinkers, Open Sesame brews an unsweetened Lebanese coffee with cardamom that is very interesting.

The service . . . We had essentially no complaints about the service. Our primary server was brand new at the restaurant, lively, vivacious and helpful. All the servers assist as needed and you’ll be looked after without being overwhelmed.

The final word . . . Open Sesame has two other locations, both in Long Beach and our guess is that the food is absolutely consistent no matter which one you happen to choose. The problem is that the consistency comes at the expense of lively dining. You’ll have a good meal at Open Sesame but it won’t leave you craving to return."