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Business & Tech

Heart, Soul & Serious Garlic Love: Omar Al Khyam

Founder and Lebanese entrepreneur Fayez Nakkour arrived in Seattle in 1976 with $10 and a dream of sharing his culture and cuisine. His children now run the restaurant.

Hostess Leila warms the dining room with a familiar air, refilling cups with house-brewed mint tea, as if we just happened to be dining at her house as honored guests. When she asked if we'd be in before, I wish I'd kept my mouth shut so I could have heard her introduction to their menu.

This place is a treasure.

The first time I came to Omar Al Khyam's dining room, I brought out of town guests, as our power was out. Once we managed to navigate the icy streets of Renton, we were heartened to see lights on at Omar Al Khyam, a true godsend. We were welcomed with open arms and blessed with warm soup. I'm sure it was the decision of Fayez Nakkour to stay open, to feed his community.

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Founder Fayez Nakkour, the Lebanese entrepreneur who arrived in Seattle in 1976 with $10 and a dream of sharing his culture and cuisine, died in June. This spirit still resonates with his children who have chosen to carry on Nakkour's legacy.

Soup, salad, and Baba Ghanouj ($5.50) with pita bread filled our table in short order like a whirling dervish of flavor. Smokey eggplant, whirred until smooth with tahini, and a bulls-eye of olive oil is a vegetarian dream, as well as most of their appetizers. This is a restaurant that respects the lunch schedule most Americans are unfortunately allotted, and is a Boeing/Paccar favorite.

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My favorite food quote about Lebanese Cuisine comes not from Anthony Bourdain, but Seattle's Sara Dickerman, who in a 2004 Stranger review of Khyam wrote: "that garlic sauce — I'd smear it on shoe leather and be happy." Khyam's whipped garlic appears on most of their dishes. My dining companion found it so heavenly she asked for an extra side of it, and Leila happily supplied a small bowl of this vampire Kryptonite.

All Khyam's reasonably priced lunch entrees come with a choice of soup or salad. A full bowl of cumin-rich lentils was the soup of the day: nourishing, homey and earthy, like your Lebanese grandmother made it. The other gratis lunch accompaniment choice is a house salad with chopped romaine lettuce, topped with cucumber and tomato slices tossed in a pleasantly mild basil vinaigrette.

The braised lamb special with sauteed vegetables ($9.95) pulled on the heart strings of my lunch guest. I heard a fellow diner ask our server, "Where do you get your lamb? I can't get mine to taste like this." The source of protein isn't fancy — it's all about home-cooked love in the kitchen. Slow cooking, cinnamon and red wine is key.

A staple is Omar's House Special ($13.50), which features a taste of what you might enjoy on a Lebanese family's table: Shish Kabab, Kafta Kabab, Shish Tawouk, Cabbage Rolls and Grape leaves. This was both my lunch and dinner.

Chunks of lamb Shish Kabab are grilled and simply seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. The Kafta Kabab mixes ground beef with onions and garlic to form an oblong Mediterranean meatball. The Shish Tawouk is something Nakkour built his empire on, for good reason. Cubes of chicken are marinated and explode with bright lemon. Smear on some Toum for additional flavor fireworks. Don't expect Dolmas from a can, these grape leaf cigars are stuffed with rice, beef, tomato paste, and Arabic Seven Spices (cumin, paprika, coriander, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper, cardamom.) Same goes for the steamed cabbage rolls. Plus there's rice pilaf and hummus.

Come meet the family who hopes to keep the restaurant running "for another 30 years" in honor of their father. They've freshened the paint on the outside and inside, which is garnering attention, and the next generation is ready to welcome you. Leila said that people who have been passing by for 8 years are stopping in for the first time.

Don't drive by — become part of the family.

 

Omar Al Khyam

354 Sunset Blvd N
Renton, WA 98055

(425) 271-8300

Mon-Fri 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Sat 4 pm - 9 pm

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