Man, the recent hot and strangely humid weather has got me craving some rather strange things. Typically, I be wanting maybe some Zaru Soba or Chirashi or perhaps some Thai Food during warmer weather. But this time; I was wanting some Garlic Paste? Of course Mama’s came to mind, but I’d recently been there….and boy do I miss the Garlic Paste from Mister Falafel. And then I suddenly realized that I hadn’t been to Alforon in a while. So, I went to the “Big List” to check and oh my……has it really been over 9 years since my last visit? Where does time go????
So, I made it a point to head on over to that crazy parking lot on ECB….which was, of course full. But I found parking close by on 60th Street and walked over.
I was greeted as I walked in by one of the owners; Samia who is a hoot. She pointed me to one of the four tops and told me, “you should sit there…the AC in the other half of the dining room is not working right”.
And she brought me some water and handed me a menu. It had been so long since I’d had my favorite here; the Chicken Tawook, it’s now $16.95….which sadly, is not an expensive price for these days!
Then the ever present Samia told me, “since you sit in the AC, maybe you should try it with the peppers!” Well now…..when did they add that option to the menu? I decided to get the peppers on my Tawook ($2). I then made the mistake of mentioning that the last time I was here, they didn’t have that option. Which made Samia shake her head and say “oooh, you haven’t been back here in a long time, huh? We added that to the menu several years ago!” Yikes; I was so busted!
Soon enough my Chicken Tawook with Peppers and Jalapenos arrived. It smelled so nice and yeasty.
You know, this is still a winnah! The garlic paste here is pungent, though not overwhelming, I really enjoy it with the pickles. I mash the blob down, before folding a slice and have at it. The chicken is mild, with a bit of lemony acidity and more moist than I recall. Nice yeasty, slightly crusty bread.
I did enjoy the spice the pickled jalapenos and sweet-spicy red peppers brought to this as well.
Strangely, I was stuffed after two slices….getting old I guess. Meanwhile, the two young men sitting on the table next to me finished three flatbreads and some falafel! Whoa……
Anyway, as I packed the two slices of the Bajeen, Samia went into full mom mode and gave me instructions on packing….”keep the cover closed so it doesn’t dry out!” You gotta love it!
I really enjoyed this and need to return more often! After all, I don’t want to disappoint Samia, right?
Alforon
5965 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Wed – Sat 12pm – 8pm
Sunday 12pm – 7pm
And lastly, I’d like to thank ChristinaC, who first recommended Alforon to me way back in 2010! I hope you are doing well Christina!