Daily Nebraskan Review: Retrieved 7/30/06

Holy Land restaurant lives up to its name

J.J. HARDER

Posted: 3/29/06

In 2003, this was the site of an Iraqi celebration; the government of Saddam Hussein had just fallen, and Iraqis were partying in the streets, waving flags and kissing passersby.

Last year this was where I watched Hussein's first public appearance since his capture; the Iraqis stared intently at the television, listening closely to his every word. Last week I was there simply to enjoy a shawarma sandwich and hummus.

313 N. 27th St. has been home to a variety of shops over the years. The Peace Caf© was the most recent occupier of the building, but it closed earlier this year.

Yahia Farhan was quick to jump on the opportunity and opened up a restaurant in its place. This new eatery has a name that is equally as grandiose, and food that is just as good: welcome to Holy Land Cuisine.

The restaurant is small, consisting of one clean, carpeted room that probably seats no more than 50. Verses from the Quran line the walls, and one can miss the framing of the 99 Names of God (take the opportunity to note ``The Merciful,'' ``The Forgiver'' and ``The Generous One'').

Farhan has few staff at Holy Land and runs a very family-friendly shop. The environment won't make you pity refugees and their struggle, but instead might impress you with immigrants' abilities to transfer entrepreneurial skills to another country. Farhan knows what he is doing and runs a service-oriented, welcoming restaurant.

Appetizers are not just the beginning in Arab culture; often they are part of the end as well. In the Middle East it is not uncommon to only order loads of appetizers and just forget about an entr©e. This type of traditional Arab feast can certainly occur at Holy Land. Appetizers include fattoush (a fresh salad mixed with toasted pita bread), hummus (a blend of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic), baba ghannooj (pureed grilled eggplant) and fool (a fava bean-based mixture). The appetizers cost between $2.45 and $4.45.

Lest we think Holy Land is a vegetarian restaurant, note the variety of entr©es with meat: shish kabob (grilled ground beef blended with spices, pressed onto a kabob stick and grilled), shawarma (the Levantine version of the gyro), biryani (a mix of rice, beef, peas and carrots) and quizy (lamb with red rice). All entr©es are served with bread and your choice of soup or salad; they run between $3.95 and 9.95.

If you aren't hungry for a huge meal, you might want to try a sandwich for $3.50. The shawarmas we sampled were absolutely huge: thin-sliced beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers filling a homemade pita, topped with a tasty white sauce. Other sandwiches include shish kofta, falafel and the Indian derived chicken teka.

Holy Land doesn't cut any corners when offering the best of the Middle East, either. Additional menu items include fata'r (baked bread stuffed with either spinach or ground beef, onion, parsley and spices), chickpea soup and baklava, which Farhan served us for free just for being first-time customers.

With the departure of The Peace Caf©, Jerusalem Cuisine and Sultana's Kahve in recent weeks, it has become obvious that Lincoln sorely needs another Arab restaurant.

However, Holy Land is not just sneaking in to take advantage of the deficiency and exploit those diners hungry for any Arab food. Farhan has created an environment that should attract both native Iraqis and native-born Americans in search of the meat and potatoes food from another land.

And his location is quite historic, both the site of his shop and the exotic area after which it is named. His restaurant could continue to make history here well into the future.


Holy Land Cuisine
313 N. 27th St.
Middle Eastern Cuisine
Meals: $3 - $13
Great sandwiches and appetizers

© Copyright 2006 Daily Nebraskan

Seven Falls, Eight Risings Review: Retrieved 7/30/06
Dinner in the Holyland

Michael Cornelius

There used to be a restaurant at 27th and Q-R called Peace Restaurant . Before 9/11, it had a different, Arabic name that I sadly can't remember. Along with some colleagues, I went there for lunch some time ago and was underwhelmed. The menu was not friendly to vegetarians—falafel was your only choice—and an old TV set blared in the corner.

The place closed, though, and reopened about a month ago as Holy Land . One of the reasons Barbara and I enjoy our neighborhood is the variety of restaurants all within walking distance of our house, and the new Holyland bears this out.

There are still no vegetarian entrees on the menu, strictly speaking, there are plenty of dishes (appetizers, soups, sandwiches) to choose from, which can be mixed and matched. I've been there twice, now, and neither time did I leave wanting.

Both times I was went there, I had the falafel: I like falafel. My first experience was with the sandwich. It was satisfying, but in the flurry of dips, soups, and breads that were flying around the table, I never really got a handle on what the falafel itself was like. When we went back, I ordered the falafel plate to share with Barbara, specifically to give the falafel the center stage. It's tasty; not as bold as Jerusalem Cuisine's, but crisp and savory. Thumbs up.

The soups, also, are vegetarian. Barbara had the white bean soup the first time we went. It looks something like a bowl of canned baked beans, but looks can be deceiving. Barbara says, It's tomato-y and a little lemony, not hot or sweet. Yummalicious! (In her defense, I asked for an adjective, but asked her to avoid good and tasty "—I wanted to reserve those for myself.) When we went back—by the way, going back is a good sign—we supplemented our falafel plate with bowls of spinach soup. It has a zing to it, and richness of the spinach flavor is a surprise.

The proprietor, Mr. Farhan, told us he gets the bread he serves from a variety of sources, sometimes baking them on the premises. Wherever our pita came from (it was off-site this time, I was told), it complemented the meal well, serving both as accompaniment and untensil for transporting tangy fool dip or smokey baba ghanooj .

Along with my food, I enjoyed a glass of hot tea. It's just black tea, as far as I can tell, but it lends an feeling of authenticity to the dining experience that Diet Pepsi lacks. (And it comes with the meal, free!)

Mr. Farhan told us he hopes, by varying the bread supplier and the menu every now and then, to keep his restaurant a fresh and interesting place to eat. We haven't experienced a menu change yet, but he's doing a decent job so far. J.J. Harder hit the nail on the head in his review for the Daily Nebraskan:

The environment won't make you pity refugees and their struggle, but instead might impress you with immigrants' abilities to transfer entrepreneurial skills to another country. Farhan knows what he is doing and runs a service-oriented, welcoming restaurant.

The restaurant's surroundings are utilitarian, but inside is clean and inviting.

It's enough to make us end our period of mourning for Jerusalem Cuisine, and even better because it's just down the street instead of across town. We're looking forward to our next visit.